Hot water from the sun. DIY solar water heater. Features of flat-plate solar water heaters

People learned to use the sun for their own needs a long time ago. Today it has acquired a more civilized form, because it has appeared, with the help of which solar energy is converted into thermal energy. This device is not very complicated, so many people can afford to create a homemade solar collector. But this requires some knowledge about this device.

Types of collectors

In order to make a solar collector with your own hands, you need to know what types they are and how they work.

. This type of device reduces heat loss more than others. This is possible due to the vacuum that is located between the heating body and the shell of the unit. The system consists of glass tubes, from which the air is pumped out. The heating itself comes from the black tube, which is located inside. Thanks to this design, water can be heated up to 300 degrees. Even in winter, the efficiency of this equipment is consistently high. However, it cannot clear itself of snow and frost.
Flat solar collector. Its difference from the previous model is that the heat loss rate is higher. But the manufacture of such units is not difficult, and they themselves can be cleared of small snow drifts. This device looks like an external transparent panel. There are tubes inside it. The back wall is equipped with a heat insulator. The water heating limit is 200 degrees. However, in strong winds, a strong load is placed on the mount, and the shape of such a device is poorly streamlined.
Airborne solar collector. This is a kind of flat installation, but the coolant in it is air. It is not difficult to make it yourself. Such a unit has low efficiency and cannot be used to heat water.
Tubular manifold. These are four black tubes that are filled with coolant. Circulation occurs due to the temperature difference between the collector and the lower zone of the storage tank. Such a system differs from a flat one by a larger surface area that absorbs light.
Mobile systems. They include installations that rotate according to the movement of the sun. There are designs that completely unfold and designs in which the mirror and heating element move.

The process of operation of solar collectors is as follows: solar radiation heats a tube with a coolant, after which the heat is transported to a heat accumulator. The principle itself consists of a large percentage of heat that is absorbed from solar radiation. There are many options for how to create such a device with your own hands. Let's look at some of them. If you have any questions, you can find more than one video on this topic on the Internet.

Option 1 - the simplest

You will need a galvanized container for water, the volume of which is 100 or 200 liters. It is located on the roof. 100 liters of water can heat up to 60 degrees if the barrel is placed on the south side of the roof, which is covered with a shiny metal sheet. The efficiency in this case is quite large, since the heat exchange area with air is minimal.

It is better to use such a simple solar collector in areas where the environment is maintained at the proper level, away from heavily polluted areas. In addition, in winter this unit will be of little use, since a lot of heat is lost due to the wind.

Option 2 - more complex

Making such a device with your own hands is easy, from cheap materials, so the rusty water remains for a long time. To a certain extent, it is a flat-plate solar collector that allows you to heat water in a simple way.

To create it you will need:

2 flat radiators made of steel;
steel boxes;
glass;
roof of the house;
metal-plastic pipes and fittings.

Radiators are placed in steel boxes on the roof. They need to be covered with glass. Their purpose is to reduce the heating time of water. When installing them, you need to remember that the top must be below the storage tank. This way, the heated water will naturally rise into the tank. In order for circulation to take place in the usual way, the water pipes must be laid with a downward slope, that is, towards the radiators. A plastic barrel with a volume of 160 liters should be placed in the attic of the house. Metal-plastic pipes and fittings will help connect it to radiators and water supply.

The hottest water should be at the top of the tank. To do this, a tube with warm water is connected to the tank slightly above its middle. It is better to make drainage taps at the bottom of the radiator in order to drain water during the cold period.

Option 3 - difficult but effective

Let's look at how you can create an airborne solar collector with your own hands. For this you will need:

wooden frame with plywood bottom;
insulating material with thermal insulation properties;
black metal mesh;
two fans;
deflector;
transparent polycarbonate sheet.

Two round holes need to be drilled in the bottom of the frame to allow air intake. At the top you need to make two rectangular holes in order to remove hot air from the collector. Insulating material is placed on the bottom. A black metal mesh will accumulate heat. Two fans are built into round holes. The deflector support strips must be mounted into the structure, then the deflector itself must be attached to them. It is needed to form air flow. Finally, you need to attach a polycarbonate sheet to the entire device, after which it can be connected to the wall of the building.

The efficiency of this collector is about 50 percent. It is used to heat the room.

Option 4 is the hardest

It is possible to create an intricate vacuum solar collector with your own hands, but it is not very easy. Its manufacture requires a lot of effort and great care, so you need to make a tube and solder the absorber. Here are some tips to help make the situation easier.

You need to determine the installation location.
The installation should be oriented south. Deviation is about 25 degrees in both directions.
Remove all obscuring factors.
As a result of installation, the coolant must move from bottom to top.
The equipment should not overheat either before or after installation.
One row provides no more than three collectors. If a larger number is needed, you need to build in a compensator and take care of thermal linear expansion.

Few people are capable of such an installation, since it requires not only the knowledge of a fitter, but also practical skills. If, in spite of everything, you decide to do everything on your own, then you should stock up on great patience. In any case, a homemade solar collector will delight its owner every time he looks at it.

So, the sun can be used for more than just tanning. An excellent opportunity to direct his energy in the right direction is a solar collector, which will bring even greater pleasure if you put your own effort into its production.

Owners of private houses often strive to make their homes not only more practical and efficient, but also less expensive to maintain. Relatively recently, solar collectors have become widely used, which make it possible to organize hot water supply and even heating a cottage at minimal cost. Purchasing ready-made installations is quite expensive, but at the same time, making a solar collector with your own hands is not so difficult. In this article we propose several ways to solve this problem.

At its core, this is climatic equipment that is used to produce hot water with its subsequent use in plumbing and heating systems. The principle of operation of such a system is to change the density of water during its heating, due to which the hot liquid is pushed upward.

The main difference between such systems is that natural resources are used for heating, in particular solar energy, which is absolutely free. A properly designed solar collector allows you to extract this energy even on a frosty day or in cloudy weather. Therefore, the use of such a device is possible not only in summer, but even in autumn and winter.

Solar collector device

The design of a complete solar collector system necessarily includes several basic elements - these are:

How profitable is it to have a solar collector?

The use of a solar collector, of course, will provide certain advantages - these are:

What types of solar collectors are there?

The classification of types of solar collectors is carried out according to several principles. The first one is performance. The determining criterion is the temperature that can be reached by the plates that extract the energy.

According to this principle, solar collectors are distinguished:

Depending on the form and functionality, the following design solutions are distinguished:

Depending on the type of coolant, the following devices are distinguished:

How to make a solar collector with your own hands?

Making a solar collector for heating or hot water supply is not as difficult as you might imagine. Below are several options - both the simplest designs and more complex but effective ones. Determine which one to choose yourself, based on personal requirements, the availability of a particular material and professional construction skills.

Important! The examples are listed in order of difficulty of assembly and cost of consumables.

Method 1. Hose manifold

You have probably noticed more than once, when cultivating your own plot in the summer, that if you water a flowerbed from a hose that has been lying in the sun for a long time, quite warm water will flow from it. Based on this observation, the following design was developed.

Important! This device is easy and quick to install. An excellent option for a summer residence where there is no need for high consumption of hot water. From one hose 100 m long and with a cross-section of 20 mm, you can get about 20-30 liters of ready-made hot water. If there is a need for a larger volume, you will have to use not only a storage tank, but also a circulation pump to create forced circulation of water, or make several collectors from a hose.

Assembly instructions:

If the roof slope is quite sharp, take additional steps:

Method 2. Window frame collector

Today, wooden windows are used somewhat less, but, nevertheless, many have retained the old frames when replacing them with plastic ones or new ones made of wood. This part of the window is just right for constructing a solar collector, since the frame is a ready-made box for a natural battery.

Assembly instructions:

Method 3. Plastic bottle collector

Another fairly simple design option, the cost of which is low. Its main advantage is that even during sunrise and sunset, energy is extracted, and the rays penetrate almost at an angle of 90 degrees into the bottles.

The set of materials for such a solar collector is accessible:

Assembly instructions:

Method 4. Manifold from an old refrigerator

An old refrigerator that has broken down can also come in handy. A capacitor is used from it for the solar collector, which will reduce the time for assembling the heat exchanger. The only caveat is that, since freon and oil were still circulating in it, it is advisable to use such water exclusively for technical needs, but not as drinking water.

Important! In addition to the condenser from the refrigerator, you can also use a car radiator in this system. In this case, the operating efficiency of the device will be higher.

Recently, non-traditional methods of heating rooms have become increasingly relevant. People are striving to find a more efficient and cheaper way to heat their homes. One such method is to use solar energy.

Solar heating for home

Today, special collectors are used to transform solar energy into thermal energy. Our article will tell you how you can heat your home using such devices.

Solar system and its advantages

Heating home premises with solar collectors will significantly reduce costs that were previously spent on the traditional method of heating a house using batteries. Solar systems consisting of such batteries have many advantages:

solar energy is free. Of course, you will have to spend money on creating a system and connecting it to the house. But the savings will be noticeable immediately upon the onset of cold weather;
this system is environmentally friendly and does not harm the environment;
it conserves natural resources such as coal and natural gas;
is an effective solution to the energy problem for the home;
the solar collector is capable of providing efficient heating of the house when used mixed with other systems;
long service life;
The system is autonomous, which eliminates dependence on utility companies. Autonomous heating is especially important for private houses;
safe operation;
the ability to do it yourself;
aesthetic appearance;
the ability to select a collector according to parameters.

Solar collectors

You should not think about installing a solar system for your home yourself if your area of residence has a sufficiently large number of sunny days throughout the year.
To get all the above benefits from heating your home or cottage with solar collectors, you should know:

availability of high-quality insulation of home premises;
You can combine heating using solar energy with other heating options: gas and electric;
for regions with low insolation (solar flux), it is necessary to correctly calculate how much area the collector should have;
Installation rules must be followed. Otherwise, the system will not function correctly;

Note! Collectors should be installed at an angle equal to the geographic latitude of the area. In this position they have maximum efficiency.

The correct option for installing the collector

Solar panels should be placed on the south side, since the maximum intensity of insolation will be observed in the middle of the day;
installed batteries should not be shaded by neighboring buildings or trees.

If the heating system of the house using solar collectors was organized with your own hands, then in winter the angle of inclination of their surface will need to be slightly increased. But in this case, in the summer, the efficiency of the batteries will decrease slightly. However, against the backdrop of an overabundance of lighting, this fact will remain invisible.

Variety of installations

Before you start creating a solar heating system for your dacha and home with your own hands, you need to find out what kind of batteries even exist. Today's solar collectors come in the following types:

vacuum. In the design of such a battery, there is a vacuum between the shell of the unit and the heating body. With this device you can heat water up to 300 degrees. The downside here is the inability to independently clean snow and frost;

Vacuum manifold

flat. Externally, such a collector looks like a transparent outer panel. This type of solar cell has tubes inside it, and the back is equipped with a thermal insulator. There is more heat loss here, but the structure is easy to assemble with your own hands. In addition, you can clean it yourself from frozen snow and ice. Heats water up to 200 oC. The disadvantages include the presence of a large load on the device’s clamps in strong winds, since the battery has a poorly streamlined shape;

Flat-plate collector

air. Air acts as a heat carrier here. Such batteries can easily be made with your own hands. But the main disadvantage here is the inability to use the device to heat water, as well as the low efficiency of the device;

Air manifold

tubular. A unit of this type consists of four tubes filled with a base coolant. Its circulation is carried out due to the temperature difference between the battery and its lower zone. Such devices are characterized by a large surface plane;

Tubular manifold

a mobile system used to heat a house with solar energy. These are specially designed installations that can rotate according to the movement of the sun. Today, there are various models capable of rotating their various parts.

Movable solar panels

Despite the different structure, the operating principle of solar collectors will be almost identical.

The principle of operation of the devices

Heating a house using homemade solar panels is carried out based on the simplest laws of physics. According to one of them, a liquid with a high density will naturally displace a less dense one. This operating principle is used for heating systems operating on the natural circulation of the main coolant.

The principle of operation of the solar collector

Heating of the coolant has the following form:

the coolant in the tubes is heated by the sun's rays;
The heat obtained in this way is accumulated in a heat accumulator.

Most often, water heated by the sun's rays acts as a coolant. The water is in a vertical coil. When heated, the water in such a device rises upward. Next it goes into the container. Liquid will be drawn from it.
For the solar battery to operate efficiently, it is necessary to achieve a process of natural circulation of liquid. In a situation where the coolant has cooled down, it must return to the collector to undergo a repeated heating cycle.
To ensure that the water heating process does not stop, additional devices are needed - pumps.

Options for self-assembly of the heating system

Today, there are several ways to assemble a solar heater with your own hands. Let's look at the most popular assembly methods.
First option. Here you need a galvanized container for water. It should have a volume of approximately 100-200 liters. The technology for creating a solar battery has the following algorithm:

We place the container on the roof. It should be installed on the south side of the roof;
the roof surface must be covered with a metal sheet with a shiny surface;
we put pipes on top of it;
we connect them to a barrel and a container for heated water.

Homemade solar collector option

With the help of such a battery, 100 liters of water can be heated by 60 degrees. This installation has high efficiency. But in winter, such a unit will not be effective.
Second assembly option. To create this type of collector you will need:

steel boxes;
several flat steel radiators;
glass;
metal-plastic elements - fittings and pipes.

The system builds in this case proceed as follows:

steel boxes are mounted on the roof;
radiators are placed there;
Cover them with glass on top. This will reduce the water heating time;
the tubes must be laid with a downward slope;
be sure to ensure that the top of the device is located below the storage tank;
A plastic barrel with water is installed in the attic. Suitable volume - 160 l;
it must be connected to the radiator and water supply using metal-plastic devices - fittings and tubes. The water tube itself needs to be connected slightly above the middle of the tank;
Drain valves are installed at the bottom of the radiator. With their help, water is drained during the cold season.

Option with plastic barrel

Third option. It is used to heat a fairly large room. Has an efficiency of 45-55%. To create this type of heating system you will need the following materials:

any thermal insulation material;
wooden frame with a plywood bottom;
black metal mesh;
deflector;
transparent polycarbonate sheet;
several fans

The structure is assembled as follows:

drill round holes in the ramp. They are cut through for air intake;
to remove hot air we make rectangular holes at the top of the frame;
We put thermal insulation material on its bottom. A metal black mesh will act as a heat accumulator;
fans built into round holes;
then we install the support strips for the deflector. After this, we install the deflector itself. It will shape the air flow;
We install a transparent sheet on top.

Every year, traditional energy sources become more expensive, and there is no end in sight to this price race. Meanwhile, the most powerful source of energy, which we see almost every day, “works” completely free of charge. And if humanity has not yet learned how to efficiently obtain energy directly in the form of electricity, then the thermal energy of the sun can be used by any person - if only there was a desire!

Indeed, in a sunny area, the luminary sends out approximately 1 kW of energy every hour. It would be a sin not to use such a source at least to heat water. At the same time, the costs of creating and installing a water heating device are minimal. Inventors across the country have long been using a variety of installations for heating water.

Among them there are the simplest and more complex, with automatic control. It all depends on technical preparedness, financial capabilities and, of course, desire.

How do craftsmen get hot water from the sun today?

Making your own solar heater is not difficult at all.

This is the simplest option.
An ordinary container in the form of a barrel, an old tank, is installed on the roof of a summer shower or house, barn and connected through a hose to a regular tap.

If the container is painted black, heating will occur faster.

By the end of the day the water warms up to about 45C. These data are valid for a polyethylene tank of 200-300 liters. It is desirable that it be flat - this increases the heating efficiency.

The only downside is that all the water must be used in the evening, because... in the morning it will become cold.

To “eliminate” this drawback, you will have to insulate the container itself or drain the heated water into an again insulated tank. You can simply feed the water into the boiler and, when it cools down, heat it up. At least some electricity is saved.

Another option is to keep the boiler permanently connected to a tank installed on the roof. Then the water will constantly circulate; it can be used online.

A significant drawback of the system is that it does not work at temperatures below +20C. Therefore, there are other ways to heat water in the off-season.

Solar water heater – collector

This device is considered the most effective. It's all about the material from which the collector is made. Most often this is:

steel
brass.

But assembly using metal is labor-intensive (soldering, welding, seals, etc.), so other materials are used. There is an option to use polypropylene pipes - they are cheaper. However, their connection can also cause difficulties associated with sealing the joints.

Another disadvantage is significant deformation when heated; this is not so noticeable with metal-plastic pipes, but polypropylene has a high coefficient of thermal expansion. This deficiency can cause leaks in the system.

There is an original and simple solution that involves using a garden hose as a solar collector. The entire assembly process is limited to twisting it into a spiral and placing it in a suitable box.

Excellent flexibility, no connections guarantee no leaks, and the length of the hose allows it to be connected directly to plumbing fixtures without intermediate connections.

The performance of such a system depends on the length of the hose. With a diameter of 2.5 cm and an air temperature of at least +25C, one meter of hose heats 3.5 liters of water to +45C.

It turns out that on a sunny day, by the evening, 10 meters will “give” you 280 liters of hot water. The system operates when the temperature drops to +8C.

How does the water heating process occur?

The sun's rays hit the spiral through the glass and heat the spiral. Heated water becomes a source of long-wave radiation, which is reflected from the glass. That is, the sun's rays find themselves in a kind of thermal “trap”.

To create this heating device, you will need a box where a spiral of black hose will be placed; using other colors will lead to a loss of 5% of the heat. It can be rubber or PVC. Diameter - no less than 1.9 cm, wall thickness no more than 2.5 mm.
The hose will be connected to the boiler, which should be higher than the spiral. The bottom of the box must be insulated with foam plastic, painted black.
The box itself is covered with window glass on top (organic is not suitable due to the fact that it does not retain solar radiation well).
A rubber gasket must be installed between the glass and the box.

Water heater made from PET bottles

The idea is to first create modules (3 bottles each, 4 or 5 are possible), then connect each of them to a plastic pipe, which is connected on one side to a source of cold water, on the other, it gives out hot liquid. It is best to use bottles with a capacity of 2-2.5 liters. They must be connected according to the “neck to bottom” principle.

To do this, a hole is cut in the bottom for a neck with a diameter of 26 mm. The hole must be located strictly in the center. Therefore, first mark the center by drilling a hole with a 3-6 mm drill.
To ensure sealing, lubricate the threads on the neck with sealant and leave the structure motionless for 2-3 days. Make a hole in the bottom of the top bottle!
A module of three bottles is connected in the same way (you can think of some other way) to a plastic pipe, into one end of which cold water enters.

The number of modules can be large. To get 200 liters of hot water you need about 110 bottles - that's three square meters of area.

Place the resulting block in a box covered with window glass. The tilt angle is from 10 to 30 degrees.

The resulting system is much more efficient than a black barrel of water installed on the roof.

Most homemade designs for heating water by the sun in summer save 70-80% of the energy spent on heating. In autumn, spring – up to 40%. At the same time, up to 400 kW/h per person is “taken” from the luminary per year! Something to think about.

Today, modern technologies and materials make it possible to use alternative energy sources as efficiently as possible. One such source is the sun. Converting its energy into electricity and heat is an economical (almost free) way to heat rooms. This way you can protect the environment from pollution. To heat water, you can make a solar water heater with your own hands.

Scope of use

Solar solar collectors are used to heat water in swimming pools, space heating or hot water supply. The essence of the work is to use the sun's energy to heat the coolant. Although the sun has different intensity in winter and summer, heating water in this way is possible all year round. This is the prerequisite for using this method.

For example, per square meter in winter you need from 1 to 3 kW/hour of generated electricity, and in summer this figure increases to 6-8 kW/hour. In the northern regions, all indicators can be increased by 30% or more. Even in the northern regions, solar heaters are actively used and help solve the problem of supplying hot water, heating, and the like. In the southern regions and the middle zone, such devices will fully provide the house with hot water and heat, of course, this means large units of several square meters. They can completely replace the boiler.

How to heat water at the dacha. DIY solar collector

The advantages of the system include:

The disadvantages of such a system are:

high price when purchasing factory equipment;
the efficiency directly depends on the location and time of year;
dependence of efficiency on sunlight and cloud cover;
despite the fairly high power, the panels are susceptible to hail;
the need to install a heat storage tank.

DIY solar collector water heater Part 1

Types of solar collectors

Solar collectors can be classified according to many parameters. First of all, mention should be made of the temperature at which heteroheaters operate. So, devices are divided into:

low temperature - operate at 50 degrees;
medium temperature - temperature range 80−90 degrees;
high-temperature - capable of bringing the coolant to a boiling state.

There are high-temperature devices that can operate at temperatures of 200-300 degrees, but these are used exclusively for production purposes. You can make a solar water heater with your own hands only in the first and second groups. To produce high-temperature collectors, you will need expensive and professional equipment.

If we divide devices by design, we can distinguish three main types:

vacuum devices;
flat water heaters;
solar concentrators.

Vacuum water heaters operate on the principle of a thermos. The design is based on several dozen glass flasks with two chambers. The outer one is made of high-strength glass, which is “not afraid” of hail and wind. The inner one is made with a special cut to increase the ability to absorb sunlight. A vacuum is created between the chambers to avoid heat loss.

The inner tube contains a copper circuit in which a coolant circulates - low-boiling freon, which heats the structure of the vacuum solar collector. The heating process is realized due to the evaporation of the process fluid and the transfer of heat to the working fluid, which is located in the main circuit. As a rule, antifreeze is used for these purposes.

DIY solar collector

Such a system can provide operation at temperatures up to 50 degrees. It is quite difficult to build this structure on your own. In this regard, there are very few homemade devices of this type.

A flat-plate water heater looks like a low, insulated box. The solar energy absorption panel has increased thermal conductivity. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve maximum heating of the coolant that moves along the tubular circuit.

The principle of operation of a solar concentrator is to heat a certain point using a spherical mirror. Direct heating of the coolant occurs in a spiral metal circuit, which is located under the focus of the mirror. The main advantage of solar collectors with the concentration of sunlight at one point is the ability to heat the coolant to a high temperature. But such a system is not popular among beginners and experienced craftsmen, since there is a need to monitor the location of the sun.

In order to make a solar collector for a summer shower with your own hands, a flat design is ideal. You also need to take into account the presence of thermal insulation, copper absorbers and glass, which has a high light transmittance.

Do-it-yourself solar collector - review, wiring.

Device and principle of operation

A flat-plate water heater consists of a wooden frame with a tightly sewn back wall. The main heating element, the absorber, is mounted on the bottom. It is often made from a metal sheet onto which a manifold of tubes is attached in the form of a coil or in a parallel position. The tubes are welded or soldered to the metal plate carefully; the seam should not be interrupted. This is necessary to ensure maximum heat transfer.

The fluid circuit consists of vertically arranged tubes. They are attached to a horizontal circuit with a large diameter. The inlet and outlet holes are located diagonally. This scheme allows you to extract heat from the heat exchanger as efficiently as possible. Antifreeze is often the main coolant. But you can choose other non-freezing substances.

The absorber must be painted with light-absorbing paint. The box is insulated with insulating materials, and tempered glass or plexiglass is installed on top. You can simplify the task by dividing the glazing area into two parts. For higher performance, double-glazed windows are used.

This design creates the effect of a thermos, which reduces heat loss from wind, rain and other weather phenomena.

The operating principle is as follows:

Modern technologies make it possible to use heated coolant even after the sun disappears behind the clouds. This happens due to the constant movement of the coolant and the presence of a heat-storing tank.

Independent production from improvised means

Heating water from the sun with your own hands can be done in different ways. But they all have one feature: the same design of the thermal insulation of the box. Often the base is made of wood, chipboard and similar materials. The top of the structure is covered with antiseptic substances, and then with varnish and reflective film. Insulation occurs due to the installation of mineral wool. The absorber is made from metal and plastic tubes. All other elements of the product can be made from unnecessary scrap materials.

One of the cheapest options for a solar collector for a summer shower is to use a garden hose or PVC pipe. They fold into a snail shape on a metal or wooden surface. The effectiveness of their use lies in the large heating area. It is imperative to install a heat storage tank. If this is not done, the absorber will overheat on very hot summer days. It is better to take the hose itself black. Thus, the sun's rays will heat the coolant as much as possible. This option can be used not only to heat water for a summer shower, but also for heated floors or a swimming pool.

To build a solar collector, the condenser of an old refrigerator is often used. The heat exchanger on the outside will be a ready-made absorber for the solar collector. You just have to install it on a heat-absorbing sheet of metal, and also mount it into the body. Of course, the efficiency factor is small, but it is just right to meet the needs for supplying warm water in the summer for a small country house.

Using an old radiator is another option for producing a solar collector yourself. It is more convenient to manufacture, since it does not even require the installation of an additional heat-reflecting plate. It is enough to mount it into the casing and pre-coat it with heat-resistant paint. One radiator can cover the need for hot water supply in the summer. If you install several units, then in cold sunny weather it is quite possible to do without additional sources of water heating.

Copper, metal-plastic, and polyethylene tubes for creating a collector with your own hands have also become very popular lately. They all have their pros and cons. For example, copper tubes require a lot of labor to install, as well as a large budget for their purchase.

Installation Features

To install the unit, you must carefully select the location. It cannot be shaded, since the solar collector must receive the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day. The mounting rails that hold the base are made of wooden strips or metal. Their location and length must be calculated in such a way that the inclination of the slab towards the sun can be adjusted from 45 to 60 degrees.

To reduce heat loss, the storage tank should be placed as close to the installation as possible. Coolant circulation can be natural or forced. It depends on certain conditions. For the latter case, an additional circulation pump and a temperature sensor are used, which will monitor the water temperature and turn on the engine when the degree reaches the programmed level.