1.The Simple Version:
A solar heat collector on your roof heats up water. The hot water is stored in a tank. That hot water is circulated in pipes under your floors & in radiators on your walls. You are warmed, with free heat energy from the sun!
2. The More Detailed Version:
A set of solar heat collectors is installed on your roof. These panels collect the sun's energy and heats up a special anti-freeze liquid. The liquid is piped to your house. That hot liquid enters an insulated tank in your house and transfers its heat to the water in the tank. The hot water in the tank is then sent to a series of pipes in your floor and/or radiators on your wall. This hot water warms your house, and is pumped back through the system.
Here is a diagram of the system.
Shown here is one set of solar heat collectors that are capable of retrieving 25,000 BTU's of heat energy from the sun, under ideal conditions (an oil furnace can average 100,000 BTU). The more collectors one has on their building, the more BTU's that one will receive. Each panel consists of a maximum output of 25,000 BTUs.
A loop of pipe running from your collectors to a tank that has a copper coil keeping the Glycol (non toxic antifreeze) and water separated. The coil is shown in the picture.
The heat that is brought in from your collectors will heat the water surrounding the copper coil. The Glycol stays in a closed loop that is controlled by a circulating pump.
Collectors are installed on the roof or best situated where they can get the most out of our sun. Here in New Brunswick, Canada the best position is at or near 45* facing due south. One of our professional installers would determine the best setting for the collectors. There is a controller mounted on the wall near the tank that reads the temperature on the collectors and in the hot water tank. The controller determines when the circulating pump is to turn on or off.
Vacuum tube solar collectors perform well in unfavourable cloudy, windy and cold conditions too.
Nearly all forms of energy we use today to power common place vehicles and appliances are stored solar energy. Oil, gas, coal, wood and hydroelectric power simply wouldn't be here without the sun. If you give any thought at all to our future on this planet, squandering valuable resources like oil, gas and coal is downright foolish. In addition to polluting our air and water these sources of energy are irreplaceable for the next few hundred million years.
Although solar space heating and hot water systems have a higher initial cost than conventional gas, oil or electric systems, they are the only systems that will pay you back. The dividend of energy savings has the added value of being untaxed. When the economics and environmental plus of solar equipment are totalled, the value of directly using the sun's energy becomes clear.
A solar collector absorbs solar radiation and converts it into heat (photo-thermal conversion). The high efficiency solar collector implies maximum absorption of incident solar radiation with a minimum thermal and optical loss. Selective coating characteristics of the absorber and the vacuum insulation are the most important parts of an advanced collector.
Tech Specs:
Solar Heat Collectors:
High efficiency solar collector using heat pipe evacuated tubes
Able to be used in all climates
Reliable and efficient with twin-glass solar tubes
Copper heat pipes for rapid heat transfer
Easy plug-in installation for mounting on the roof or at ground level
Maintenance free
Suitable for mains pressure water (up to 8bar/116psi)
Corrosion resistant silver brazed copper header
Frame material: 304 2B grade standard steel
Casing material: 304 BA or AB stainless steel
Collectors may be connected in series to increase water heating capacity
Tubes easily replaced if broken
Water Tank:
Low standby loss due to 3" of foam insulation
Heavy steel with double glass line coating
40 mil (one mm) white elastic synthetic polyamide protective tank cover
With replaceable sacrificial anode
Superb quality results in long service life
Equipped with two heat exchangers with a large surface area
Wall thickness of steel, middle section of tank: 3.5 mm
Wall thickness of steel, upper and lower dome: 4.3 mm (minimum)
Wall thickness of steel, heat exchanger coils: 2mm
Thickness of glass lining: 0.25mm
The tank is equipped with a sacrificial anode rod that has an indicator which shows whether it has to be replaced.
The thermal insulation is 3" (75mm) of polyurethane foam. The outer skin is now made of Stainless Steel.
Our hot water tank comes with 10 yrs warranty.
We are happy to set up an appointment for you to see a system in action- please contact Jamie Mysrall.
