Solar Heating - Use Solar Energy To Heat Water

Most every one has picked up a garden hose after it has been in the sun for awhile. When you turn on the water, it comes out very hot. Solar heating water is done using this same simple process. Solar panels are usually made using copper pipe and some sort of absorbing material. The pipe is enclosed in an insulated box and covered with glass. Water is circulated through these panels using a pump and the hot water is stored in a tank. The process repeats itself all during the day allowing the water to heat up significantly.

Our system uses two manufactured solar water heating panels. We use a pre-owned 80 gallon propane tank that was free for the taking. Although the heating part of the tank was no longer usable, the tank part was in good shape. It is plumbed to provide pre-heated water to our 40 gallon propane tank. A pump is installed in the pipe connecting the tank with the panels. A differential controller is used to turn the pump on and off during the day. The controller senses when the temperature in the panels is hotter than the temperature in the tank and turns the pump on. When the temperature is about the same in both, it shuts the pump off.

The 40 gallon propane tank was guaranteed to last 10 years. It is now 21 years old and going strong. Since it does not have to heat all the water that enters it, it has lasted a long time.

We figure that we save at least fifty dollars a month by solar heating our water this way. Our system did not cost us as much as most commercially made and installed systems. Since we did it ourselves we saved a lot. The total system cost us less than one thousand dollars a little over twenty years ago.

We heat our water using solar panels.

You can watch our solar heating video to see how it works.

We made a solar evaporative cooler to keep our home cool in the summer. You can use our plans and do the same.

Watch our solar cooling video

We live in a passive solar home.

You can watch our passive solar video to see how it works.

We generate our electricity with solar panels.

You can watch our solar electricity video to see how it works.

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