Characteristics of a solar hot water tank

Author: William Miller

The most common application of Solar Heating are systems designed to heat the domestic hot water. The solar hot water tank is the center of these systems, and they are used to store solar thermal energy. The collected heat from the solar panels is concentrated in a fluid which circulates through a closed-loop system (heat exchanger); only the heat is transferred to the clean water stored in the insulated water tank until you need it later on.  Things you can typically expect from a solar hot water tank compared to conventional boilers or hot water tanks include:

• The volumen and storage capacity of a solar storage tank is a lot higher.
• Because heat rises, the shape of a solar tank must be tall and thin, so as the water stratifies in the tank, at the bottom, the solar heat exchanger is using cold water, and the heated water will rise to the top of the tank. The hottest water is at the top of the tank, and the outlet is there for that reason.
• Strong insulation prevents heat loss and stores heat for up to several days as opposed to a few hours.
• There are at least two heat exchanging units: the bottom of the tank transfers solar heat to the tank, and the upper part allows for more heating by another source which is turned on when the water falls below a specific temperature. Therefore, hot water is for all time accessible.

To be on the safe side, when shopping for a solar tank to hold heated water for your house, choose one that holds about twice the hot water you approximate your family will use daily. Concerning this, the tank for a family with 4 persons and an average utilization of 40 liters hot water per head and day should hold about 300 to 320 liters. Use Solar Combisystems to prevent hygenic problems in bigger households that have a higher vacillating total consumption per day.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/characteristics-of-a-solar-hot-water-tank-1123292.html

About the Author

Proper insulating of a solar hot water tank can help a lot to let a solar heating system work efficent. There is additional information on http://www.yoursolarwaterheater.com.

Tags: diy solar water heating, homemade solar heater, homemade solar water heaters, hot water heater parts, solar hot water panel, solar hot water tank, solar storage tanks, water heater expansion tank

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 at 3:03 am and is filed under Solar Power. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.