| Solar Water Heating |
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Learn how to conserve energy. Reduce your energy losses by increasing the number of your energy-efficient appliances and decreasing your overall consumption of electricity. Insulate your water heater with a jacket and insulate your hot-water pipes. Immediately fix leaking hot-water faucets. Many of today's texts seem to make solar water heating sound very complicated. The intent of this guide is to explain things for the layperson in the simplest terms, providing information about what's available. First, I'll explain the basic terminology; next, I'll briefly describe the standard components of SWH systems; and then I'll describe the actual systems themselves. Active versus passive: Active systems use moving parts (like pumps and valves). Passive systems have no moving parts. Heat exchanger: A device which transfers heat through a conducting wall from one fluid to another. Components of SWH systems include the following: collector expansion tank collector mount controls storage tank isolation and tempering water pump valves heat exchanger backup water heater Note that not all components are required for all systems. The simpler the system and the fewer the components, the less chance there will be of component failure and the easier the system will be to maintain. |
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