How Solar Hot Water Works

The solar domestic hot water system is designed to efficiently take full advantage of the sun's radiant energy to heat your hot water. The system is comprised of solar collectors and an automatic control unit that work together to create a reliable and carefree hot water heating system.

There are two types of domestic solar hot water system: open loop active hot water heater, and closed loop hot water heater.

Open loop active hot water heater is a direct pumped system that has one or more solar energy collectors installed on the roof and a storage tank below in a garage or utility room. A pump circulates the water from the tank to the collector and back again. A differential controller senses the temperature differences between water leaving the solar collector and the coldest water in the storage tank. When the water in the solar collector is warmer than the water in the tank, the controller turns the pump on. When the water temperature drops to about 3 - 5°, the pump is turned off. Easy to operate, simply set the temperature desired, and the system does the rest.

This type of closed loop system is slightly different than the open loop active system above. Used commonly in colder climates where freezing weather occurs, this FDA approved heat exchange solution works well in places where there are greater temperature differences. The closed loop hot water heater has the storage tank built in and directly connected to the solar collector panels, so that the solar energy collected is transferred directly to heat the water in the tank, and the tank itself uses no natural gas. A fully automated thermostat turns the booster switch on or off as needed to maintain the pre-set temperature. It doesn't mean you're paying for supplementary electric or gas energy, just because your switch is on. Easy to operate, simply set the temperature desired, and the system does the rest.

This type of closed loop hot water heater is slightly different than the open loop active system. The closed loop hot water heater has the storage tank built in and directly connected to the solar collector panels, so that the solar energy collected is transferred directly to heat the water in the tank, and the tank itself uses no natural gas. A fully automated thermostat turns the booster switch on or off as needed to maintain the pre-set temperature. It doesn't mean you're paying for supplementary electric or gas energy, just because your switch is on. Easy to operate, simply set the temperature desired, and the system does the rest.