Solar Empire - Endless War » solar water heater

Can anybody tell whether solar water heater is economical and long lasting?

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:17:47 +0000

E would like to seek advice for purchasing a solar water heater

Definitely economical and long lasting! Heating water for bathing, laundry and cleaning can account for up to 70% of an average household’s gas bill. Installing a solar hot water system allows homeowners to significantly reduce their total energy consumption, saving money and reducing pollution of the environment. A properly selected, sized and installed system will provide years of ongoing savings and eco-friendly, maintenance-free performance. A solar hot water system is the natural complement to any full photovoltaic system, providing even more energy savings by utilizing the natural, renewable power of the sun, and even alone serves as an important first step to lowering your utility bill and living green. I say go for it! At least speak to your local solar installation company. I got a quote from this company I ended up using and they we’re very helpful with any questions I had. Just make sure the company you choose is reliable! Good luck.

How would installing a solar water heater help to conserve the environment?

admin — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:47:21 +0000

Hi, i’m considering installing a solar water heater to my home, but I was wondering in what ways does it actually help to conserve the environment?

A typical installation would cover a space of say 2 by 4 meters. That area would be heated any how, by the sun and it would cool down inthe night. If you make the installation the sun energy will not be wasted to heat up a part of your roof but it will be used to heat up water for your shower. So zero energy used from the grid.

In a solar water heater – radiant energy is transferred to water that circulates through the tubes.?

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:23:59 +0000

In a solar water heater – radiant energy is transferred to water that circulates through the tubes. however the solar radiation that enters the collector and warms the water in the tubes is only 20% efficient (i.e. 80% is lost to the surroundings and air), what collector area is needed to raise 200kg of water from 20 degrees to 40 degrees in one hour, when the intensity of sunlight is 700 Watts per metre squared?

it takes 4.2J of energy to raise 1 ml of water ( 1 g of water) 1 degree.
You wish to raise 200,000 g of water by 20 degrees
so you need 4* 4.2 Mj ( million joules)
= 16.8 Mj

In an hour one metre of collector supplies 700 * 60 * 60 J
= 2.52 Mj
but it is only 20 % efficient so the water gains
2.52 * 0.2
= 0.54 Mj per m^2

To find the area divide energy needed ( 16.4) by energy per m^2 (0.54)
= 16.4/0.54
= 30 m^2

How can I fix a leak in my pool’s solar water heater?

admin — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 07:25:19 +0000

I have a rooftop solar heater for my pool. Today, when I started pumping water through it, I saw a nice water spray coming from a hole in it. How can I plug that hole?

Is the leak in the panel or the lines to the panel?
The lines to the panel are the easy fix. Just cut the line remove any sharp edges and install a "shark bite" type of fitting per the instructions.

The panel is a little more difficult. If the tubing has movement ( only one end attached ) repair as above. If both ends are secured clean the hole with a fine wire brush or steel wool, drill a small hole, and fill with a two-part epoxy made for metal.

In using Solar water heater,ETC (Evacuated vacuum tube) or Heat Pipe,Which one is best in performance?

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:43:40 +0000

I am Planning to buy a heat pipe model solar water heater,which has a copper tube inside.I think that Heat pipe model is better than ETC model.What’s your suggesstion?

Whichever one fits your wallet and your roof.

Look at the entire installation as a system and minimize heat loss, from lines coming in to the storage tank.

http://www.builditsolar.com even has projects that you can adapt and build your own.

How to descale Solar Water Heater & its pipe line????///?

admin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:22:32 +0000

Over a period of using water solar heater & its pipe line gets scaled with water residue & becomes narrow inner diameter, resulting slower flow of water.

Try chemicals like lime away to break up and disolve the mineral build up.

Regular use will help stop massive build ups.

Do I really need a pump for a solar water heater?

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 10:52:29 +0000

I plan on building a PVC solar water heater to connect with the water heater up stairs. The solar heater will sit lower than it. Would I still need a pump?

Check out some of the instructions on Build it Solar for a thermosyphon solar water heater. As long as the tank is higher than the collector, you won’t need a pump. http://builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm#Thermosyphon

Also check out their section on $1k solar water heating systems.

What should I use to heat up my solar water heater? My Science fair is indoors so waht should I use?

admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:54:26 +0000

My science fair is indoors and i have to find a heating resource which will heat up my solar water heater. Any Suggestions?

It’s more important to show how it worked in the actual sun, than demonstrate your device at the actual science fair. I would put your solar heater in the sun, and take pictures of it. A picture of steaming water coming out of it would be impressive, but also, take thermometer readings over time, and put up the data on your display.

Does solar water heater work in monsoon?

admin — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:18:35 +0000

I’m planning to buy a solar water heater, but fear that my investment will go waste during monsoon when sun hides behind the clouds and during winter/cold days.
Users please suggest as per your experience

If you live in a warm climate you can almost certainly save money with a solar water heater. Even if it doesn’t work every day, it will save money. What you can do is have the solar feed the tank of a conventional water heater. If there are even a few hours of sun in a day, that is enough to completely heat the water. My observation of my brother’s house in Hawaii is that the conventional heater only turns on a few times a year, when there are multiple dark days in a row.

The best data will come from your neighbors locally. Walk around the neighborhood until you see someone with a solar water heater, then ask them how well it works during monsoon.

why does a solar water heater have coiled pipes ?

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 04:48:27 +0000

this is for my physics homework and i have to design a solar water heater. my teacher explained things like it has to be black and coiled pipes but i dont understand why ? ANY HELP please ?

Coiling allows one to put more pipe into a smaller space. And the more pipe there is, the more pipe area there is exposed to the sunlight. All other things equal, more heat is transferred across the pipe when more of its area is exposed. Naturally, the more heat transferred across the pipe and into the water, the hotter the contained water will become.

Bottom line, the pipes are coiled to make the water hotter by exposing more pipe to the sunlight.