The Active Solar Water Heater

Solar water heaters heat the water from the energy of the sun. There are two types of heaters, the passive and active. The passive has no moving parts and the active requires a pump and controller. The passive heater is the oldest style of solar water heaters.

The pump used in the active system is used to circulate the water and a controller is used to turn the system on or off. Active systems are more efficient than passive but require electricity and can be more difficult and expensive to put together. Solar Water Heater

The active system will have a holding tank and one or more solar collectors possibly mounted on the roof. There is a controller that senses the water temperature of the water leaving the solar collectors and the water at the holding tank. The controller will know when to turn the pump on or off according to the temperatures it senses. Solar Water Heater

The most common type of solar collector is the flat plat collector. Two more styles are the evacuated tube and the formed plastic collector. Of the three the formed plastic is the least expensive. It is used by having water circulate through pipes which is heated by the sun’s radiation. Solar Water Heaters

To purchase an active solar water heater is not cheap at about $3000.00 or more but it will repay itself over a period of years. Some people build their own system from available blueprints avoiding installation costs and being able to find parts at a discount. If you have a solar heater installed you will notice a difference in your electric bill and will feel good about yourself for having installed one. Solar Water Heaters

Why not build your own solar water heater? For more information on building your own solar water heater, check out “Build Your Own Solar Water Heater.” Thanks for Visiting