Closed Loop Solar Water Heating System

Closed loop solar water heaters have few limitations with collector placement the collector loop is antifreeze filled and are permanently charged.

Closed loop solar water heating system.

Closed loop solar heating system. The drainback system components cost about 15 20 more than an active open direct loop solar water heating system for residential water heating. When the controller senses that the sun is shining and your tank needs a warm up it signals the pump to send water through the black collector panels. Lots on installation detail.

Glycol or some equivalent antifreeze fluid fills. Heat exchangers in the storage tank eliminate a pump but make eventual tank replacement more. In this system potable water is drawn directly from the storage tank and circulated through the array to be heated and returned to a recirculation port in the tank. All water heaters waste heat energy even when the burner is off and the unit is sitting idle between heating cycles.

Closed systems are often used in second homes or primary residences in areas prone to long power outages. Instead of relying on glycol for freeze protection this system allows all the water in the array to drain back from the array and into a storage vessel in the solar loop when the pump is turned off. Propylene glycol and the new bio green are common antifreeze materials we have several options for exchanging the heat to the clean domestic hot water. Very good articles on selecting the components for a closed loop solar hot water heating system suitable for cold climates.

Most new solar homes feature a variation of one kind or another. It is the simplest and typically the least expensive active system to install. The direct open loop solar water system freeze recirculation is both the simplest and most efficient type of solar heating system. To protect the unit you must consider an open or closed water heater system.

A special water heater tank incorporating a heat exchanger works in conjunction with one or more flat plate roof mounted collectors. The heated water then flows into the storage tank before it s channeled into the heat exchanger. Covers closed loop antifreeze systems and drainback systems. Here s how a solar powered water heater works.

Installation basics for solar domestic water heating systems chuck marken and ken olsen. Indirect solar water drainback systems are also a indirect design that use a heat exchanger to separate the collector loop from the potable water. The down side is two heat sources. Closed loop solar water heater systems sometimes referred to as anti freeze or glycol systems include the heat collectors insulated piping a circulating pump an expansion tank a hot water storage tank a heat exchanger solar fluid usually a solution of water and nontoxic propylene glycol antifreeze a controller valves and gauges.

Closed loop active antifreeze systems are the most versatile and failsafe of all the solar supplemental water heating systems.