Typical Solar Hot Water Configurations
There are many ways to heat water in your home.Thus there
are many ways to integrate a solar hot water system in to your home's
traditional water heating system. Here are a few options
|
Some Basics
|
Depending
on the
size of your home and the amount of hot water you use, you might need
two, three, or even four solar collectors. These collectors are mounted
outside, typically on the roof (ground or wall mounts are also
possible).
In a basic system, the solar collectors are connected in series and
mounted facing due south.
The fluid pumped through the collectors is a mixture of glycol and
filtered/deionized water. The mix will not freeze down to -30 F.
|
Roof Configuration
|
|
Basement Configuration
With traditional
Electric, Gas, or Oil fired water heater
With a "standard" water heating system, our system feeds solar heated water to your traditional water heater.
If
you have a long stretch of cloudy weather your traditional water heater
will bring your water up to the proper temperature.
|
|
The solar hot
water system
can make the water so hot, that we cool the hot water before it enters
your home.
Cooling is accomplished with cold water and a Honeywell adjustable mixing valve. |
 |
Basement Configuration with
Furnace-based hot water system
Some homes use their furnance for hot water. In those cases, we use a
dual heat exchanger tank.
When you have a long stretch of
cloudy days, your furnace will sense cold water in the storage
tank and turn on. |
 |
Tankless Systems
Some homes have gas or electric fired tankless water heaters. We can work with those too.
In these situations, the mixing valve is placed before the tankless
water heater because most tankless systems are not designed to handle
very hot incoming water. |
 |