The Benefits of Solar Water Systems

You don’t even have to find a completely solar heating system to find benefits from solar water systems, there are hybrid systems available too that will reduce utility heating by up to twenty-five percent. There are generally two types of systems used in residences for solar water systems, active and passive.

With active systems, which may also be called compact systems, use a pump to circulate the fluid and get heat distributed throughout when the temperature reaches a set amount. These generally perform better than passive systems, but are more complicated to install and maintain. These are more expensive systems, and the pump does rely on conventional electricity to work.

Passive systems have a water container and a solar energy collector mounted on the same chassis. These rely on heat pipes to transfer heater from one container to the next. There are different types of passive solar water systems but they are suited to different climates. If you are going to invest in one of these, ensure that you account for the worst type of weather in your home area, and purchase or set up a design that can accommodate this. For example, open loop passive systems which are made of metal are not at all designed for cooler climates. In chilly weather the pipes might freeze and damage the panels.  There are closed loop passive systems that work to counter this problem, but in colder climates you want to choose panels with vacuum tube collectors to maximize your heat retention.

There are a lot of different plans available, and also small do it yourself kits available to construct and install and start your own solar water system. These kits reduce implementation costs by the amount of installation, which can significantly reduce your original investment. Always ensure that you are purchasing from a reliable source, and if you have questions about the installation, ask before going ahead. There are some things you might be able to manage without instructions, but a solar water system isn’t one of them, if you are not particularly handy, this can cause costly damage to your home, and even costlier repairs to your water heating system, so exercise caution. This type of installation requires some plumbing knowledge, and possibly additional setup on the roof of your home.

Projections show that a solar water system will pay for itself within ten years. Less if you do it yourself or buy an easy to install kit. In these times people are looking for energy renewable solutions, so the market value of your home increases as you install more energy efficient devices.