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;
• coefficient useful action directly depends on 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. Due to this homemade devices There are very few 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.

Good owners of private houses are always looking for opportunities to save on water heating and heating costs. This has become especially relevant lately, when utility prices have a consistent upward trend almost every quarter. Nature itself comes to the rescue with its inexhaustible source of energy - solar radiation. By applying the laws of physics in practice, craftsmen find interesting ways savings by designing and assembling solar collectors, which probably any homeowner can do on their own - you just need to apply a little effort and skill.

A do-it-yourself solar collector can be made in multiple ways and from a wide variety of materials, sometimes even from those that are simply “lying under your feet.” They are constructed from ordinary old beer cans, plastic bottles, hoses or pipes, using glass, polycarbonate panels and other materials.

Some of the methods for manufacturing collectors will be discussed below, but first it is worth studying the connection diagrams - they, as a rule, are approximately common for any solar water heating systems.

Solar water collector connection diagrams

The effective operation of a solar water heating system depends not only on what the collector is made of, but also on how correctly it is installed and connected. There are quite a lot of options for connection diagrams, but you shouldn’t look for the most complex ones, since you can quite easily use the basic ones, which are accessible and understandable.

“Summer” option of hot water supply from a solar collector

This simple solar collector connection diagram is applicable both for heating water for and for domestic needs. If hot water is needed outside in a summer building, then the tank for it is also installed in the air. In the case when hot water supply is distributed throughout the house, and the storage tank is installed there.

“Summer” option for connecting the collector

This scheme usually provides for natural circulation of water, and in this case the battery-collector is installed 800 ÷ 1000 mm below the level of the tank where the hot water will flow - this should be ensured by the difference in the density of the cold and heated liquid. To connect the collector to the tank, pipes with a diameter of at least ¾ inch are used. To keep the water in the storage tank in a hot state, which it will reach from heating by the daytime sun, the walls must be properly insulated, for example, mineral wool 100 mm thick and polyethylene (if there is no roof over the boiler). But it is still better to provide a permanent shelter for the container, since if the insulation gets wet from rain, it will significantly reduce its thermal insulation properties.

Natural circulation is not very good for use in a system with a solar collector, since it creates a weak inertia in the movement of water in the circuit. And if the battery and the tank are far enough from each other, then the water, having passed this path, will gradually cool down. Therefore, to increase efficiency, a circulation system is often installed. This option is suitable for heating water only in the warm half of the year, and in winter the water from the system will have to be drained, otherwise, when it freezes, it will easily burst T t rubles

“Winter” connection diagram for solar water heating

If you plan to use the solar collector all year round, then in order to prevent the water in the pipes from freezing during extreme cold, a special antifreeze, that is, a non-freezing liquid, is poured into the circuit instead. The scheme takes on a completely different form - an indirect heating boiler is installed. In this case, the antifreeze heated in the solar collector will pass through the boiler’s heat exchanger coil, warming the water in the tank.

A “security group” is necessarily built into this system - automatic air vent, pressure gauge and safety valve designed for the required pressure. For constant movement of the coolant, a circulation pump is usually used.

Solar heating option

When using solar thermal energy for heating a house, an indirect heating boiler connected to the collector is also used, as well as for additional heating of the coolant - one that runs on solid fuel or gas. On autumn or spring days, when the sun is able to heat the coolant to the desired temperature, the boiler can simply be turned off.

A solar collector is also a good help for heating a house

If the winters in the region are very cold, then you should not expect great efficiency from the collector, since during this period there are few sunny days, and the star itself is low to the horizon. Therefore, additional heating of the coolant and hot water is simply necessary. The only way a solar battery will help you save on fuel is that the boiler will receive not cold, but already somewhat heated water, which means you will need to burn less gas or wood to bring it to the desired temperature.

You also need to know that the larger the solar thermal collector is, the more energy it will be able to absorb. Therefore, in order for such a system to generate enough heat to heat a house, the size of the collector area must be increased to 40–45% of the total area of ​​the house.

Option for hot water supply and heating from a solar collector

To use a solar collector for both heating and hot water supply, it is necessary to combine both previous options in the system, and use a special boiler for water with an additional tank having a coil through which the coolant heated by the solar battery circulates. Due to the fact that the internal tank is much smaller than the main one, the water in it heats up from the coil much faster and transfers heat to the general container.

The collector can be included in common system"heating - hot water supply"

In addition, the boiler must be connected to an additional heating source - this can be either an electric boiler or a solid fuel heat generator.

The temperature instability created by the solar battery can contribute to overheating of the coolant or, conversely, to its too rapid cooling in the heating and water supply circuits. To prevent this from happening, the entire system must be controlled automatically. Installed in the wiring controller temperature, which can either redirect coolant flows, or turn circulation pumps on or off, or perform other control operations.

In the diagram presented above, such a temperature controller is designated as a regulator.

So, in general terms there is clarity with the connection diagrams (piping). But now it makes sense to consider several options self-made solar collectors.

Prices for solar collectors

Solar collectors

Solar collector made from a hose or flexible pipe

Those who have a private house with a garden or dacha, of course, they know that the water remaining in temporary light lines after watering the beds quickly heats up. This positive quality hoses or flexible pipes and were used by craftsmen, creating solar heat exchangers from them. It should be noted that such a collector will cost many times less than one bought in a store, but for the manufacturing process to be successful, some effort must be made.

On the roof there is a whole battery of solar collectors

Such a manifold may consist of one or several sections into which hoses tightly coiled in a spiral “snail” are laid and secured.

"Snail" - heat exchanger

This design can be called the simplest, both in design and installation. Its main disadvantage is that it practically cannot be used without the use of forced circulation, since if the pipe contours are too long, the hydraulic resistance will exceed the pressure force created by the temperature difference. However, solving the issue of installing a circulation pump is not at all difficult. And such a system installed in country house, will be an excellent help and will quickly pay for itself, including the costs (very minor) of powering the pump.

Similar collectors are also used to heat water in swimming pools. They are connected to a filtration system, which is necessarily equipped with a pump. Water, circulating through the collector pipes, has time to heat up before entering the pool.

In some cases By creating the entire system, you can do without installing a storage tank. This is possible when hot water is used only during the day and in small quantities. For example, a circuit of 150 m of pipe with an internal diameter of 16 mm holds 30 liters of water. And if five or six such “snails” from pipes are collected into a single battery, then during the day each family member can take a shower several times, and there will still be a lot of hot water left for household needs.

If anyone has any doubts about the effectiveness of such water heating, we recommend watching a video that shows testing a hose collector:

Video: efficiency of a simple solar collector

Materials for manufacturing

To make such a solar water collector, you need to prepare some materials. It is not at all impossible that some of them will be found in a barn or garage.

• A rubber hose or a flexible black plastic pipe with a diameter of 20 ÷ 25 mm is essentially the main element of the system in which heat exchange will occur during water circulation. The amount of hose will depend on the size of the solar panel - it can be 100 or 1000 meters. The black color of the hose is preferable because it absorbs heat more than all other shades.

It should be noted right away that metal-plastic pipes are not particularly suitable for making a collector, even if they are coated with black paint. The fact is that their plasticity in this case is insufficient - they break when bending with a small radius and thus, even if the integrity of the walls is not violated, the intensity of the water flow will decrease.

Hoses are sold in coils of 50, 100 or 200 meters. If you plan to make a large-volume battery, you will have to purchase several bays. If you plan to use, for example, 50 or 100 m of hose in each section, then you should not buy a whole 200-meter coil, it is better to purchase a ready-made measured hose. This will help save time during installation.

The hose can be laid not only in a round spiral, but also oval, and also in the form of a coil.

As a good alternative, you can try modern PEX cross-linked polyethylene pipes. They have good plasticity, but it’s not hard to figure out how to give them black color if it’s not on sale.

• If the slope of the roof on which the collector battery will be installed is steep, then special boxes are made from bars, plywood or metal sheets for the hose spirals. To do this, you will need bars 40×40 or 40×50 mm, plywood 6 mm thick, or a metal sheet 1.5–2 mm thick.

The blanks of the future module are treated (wood) or with anti-corrosion compounds (metal). Then a box is assembled from them into one or more spirals.

By the way, you can use old window frames as the sides of the box, onto which the bottom part is simply mounted.

• For pre-treatment of metal and wood, it is necessary to purchase antiseptic, anti-corrosion and primer compounds.
• Hoses (pipes) will experience considerable loads both from the mass of the coolant and from temperature changes and internal pressure. Therefore, they will try to disrupt the installation, deform, and sag, so it is necessary to provide special fastenings to maintain them in the initially specified position.

This can be a metal strip that is secured between the pipes with self-tapping screws.

Another option is a loose bundle with a tight cord or a plastic clamp-“tie” with a cross or crossbar. But still, this fastening method is more suitable for a plastic pipe than for a hose, since it can sag on the cord when the rubber expands. If a reinforced rubber hose is chosen for the collector, then this method is quite suitable for fixation.

Another fastening option suitable for a plastic pipe or reinforced hose can be nails with wide heads. They can be driven either into the bottom of the box (in this case it must have a thickness of at least 10 mm), or onto a kind of cross made of a block.

• It will also be necessary to prepare connecting elements for the hose or pipes. There are quite a lot of varieties of such fittings, but you need to choose exactly those that are intended for the one selected for production material collector.

In addition to such connectors, threaded fittings will be required to transition from a plastic or rubber pipe to a common metal one. Such a connection will be necessary if the collector consists of several modules.

To know how many connecting elements are required, you need to draw in advance schematic diagram the system being created and calculate their number on it.

• To combine all modules into a single battery, two collector - cut metal pipe. Through one of them, fixed at the bottom of the battery, cold water will flow into the heat exchangers, and in the second, fixed at the top, warmed water will be collected.

The upper pipe will connect to the storage tank, that is, go to the consumer. It should have a diameter of 40 ÷ 50 mm.

Battery installation

Having prepared everything you need, you can start working.

• First you need to treat all wooden parts of the future structure with an antiseptic.
• Next, if the bottom of the modules is made of metal sheet, it must be coated with an anti-corrosion compound. Typically, mastic designed to cover the undersides of cars is used for this.

Known to all motorists, “anticorrosive” is what you need

• After the compositions have dried on the prepared elements, single or common modules are assembled from them.
• Then the hoses are laid in them, for which the holders are secured.

• To allow pipes to pass freely through the sides of the modules, holes are drilled for them - in the upper and lower parts. Accordingly, the cold water inlet pipe is led into the lower hole, and the heated water outlet into the upper hole.
• If several modules are mounted vertically, or one common one, into which several pipe “snails” are also placed, one above the other, then the lower end of each of the spirals is connected to the upper outlet of the underlying one - and according to this sequential principle, the entire “column” is switched. The lowest end is connected to a common metal collector through which cold water will flow. All adjacent vertical rows are mounted in the same way - with a common connection to the supply manifold.

• Accordingly, the upper ends of the hoses of the uppermost horizontal row of modules are connected to a metal collector pipe through which hot water is discharged for consumption.
• The spiral-shaped collector circuit can also be mounted on a metal sheet installed not on the roof, but near the house, on its southern side, or near the pool, if it requires heating. In this case, the metal base will contribute to faster heating of water and heat retention in the pipes, since it has good thermal conductivity and heat capacity.

• Another option for a thermal solar collector can be laying the circuit on the roof plane in special boxes in long parallel rows along the entire length of the roof.

Prices for cross-linked polyethylene pipes

XLPE pipes

Video: a simple solar collector with a linear pipe arrangement

We enhance the effect with plastic bottles

The figure shows a solar collector made of hoses (pipes), the efficiency of which is significantly increased through the use of ordinary plastic bottles. What's the "trick" here? And there are several of them at once:

The effect of a plastic bottle as a casing - schematically

• The bottles act as a transparent casing and prevent air flows from taking away heat during absolutely unnecessary mutual heat exchange. Moreover, the air chambers themselves become a kind of heat accumulators. There is a greenhouse effect, which is actively used in agricultural technology.
• The rounded surface of the bottle acts as a lens, enhancing the effect of sunlight.
• If the bottom surface of the bottle is lined with reflective foil material, you can achieve the effect of focusing the rays in the area where the pipe passes. Heating will only benefit from this.
• Another important factor. A transparent plastic surface will to some extent reduce the destructive negative effects of ultraviolet rays, which neither rubber nor plastic “like”. This circuit should last longer.

To make such a solar collector you will need:

1 – Rubber hose, black metal or plastic pipes – as a heat exchanger.

2 – Plastic bottles that will become a casing around the circuit pipes.

3 - In the bottles, in their half, which will be adjacent to the base, foil or other reflective material can be inserted. The reflective part should face the direction of the sun.

4 – It will be quite easy to mount the stand from a block or metal pipe.

5 - Storage tank for heated water, which must be connected to the point of collection - tap, shower, etc.

6 - A container for cold water that can be connected to the water supply system.

Solar collector installation

The assembly of the option shown in the top diagram is as follows:

• To begin with, a stand is mounted from a metal pipe or bar. If it is made of wood, then it must be coated with an antiseptic composition, but if it is made of metal, then it must be treated with an anti-corrosion agent. It is necessary to calculate the length so that an even number of bottles are installed between the two racks.
• On racks, at a distance width of the bottles, horizontal strips are fixed on which additional fastening for the coil can be made. In addition, they will give the frame additional rigidity.
• Next, the required number of plastic bottles is prepared - the bottom part is cut off from them so that one bottle, with the side of the neck, fits tightly into the resulting hole.

• Take a hose (pipe) of the required length, which will be sufficient for installation coil circuit on a ready-made frame-stand.

Stepping back 100 ÷ 150 mm from the edge of the hose, mark the place where it is attached. Then, through this edge, the required number of prepared bottles is put on the pipe, which will be enough to completely cover the area to the opposite rack. The bottles are placed tightly next to each other, so that the neck of the second one fits into the hole cut in the bottom of the previous one.

• When the section of pipe for laying the upper section of the coil is completely covered with a box of bottles, its edge is secured on top of the left frame post. For fastening, you can use clip holders for plastic pipes with a latch of the desired size.

• If necessary, the position of the bottles is adjusted so that the foil half of them is at the bottom, near the collector frame.
• The pipe is then given a smooth turn and snapped back onto the clip.
• The next step is to put bottles on the pipe again, and it is fixed on the left rack. This pattern is continued until the entire frame is filled with the collector coil.
• Now all that remains is to “pack” the fittings through which the resulting collector will be connected to the cold water supply and to the hot storage tank.

This is what can happen in the end - it couldn’t be simpler!

Such a collector, as can be seen, absolutely not complicated in manufacturing, but it can become a good “helper” in a private home, taking on the functions of heating water.

By the way, solar energy can be used not only to heat water, but also to supply heated air to rooms. For example, you can find out how to make it yourself by following the link to a special publication on our portal.

Video - DIY solar power plant assembly

In this article we will talk about such an invention of mankind as a solar water heater, we will make it with our own hands, and we will learn how to use it. But first, let's talk about why this device is relevant in our time.

Many owners of dachas and cottages would like to have more than just a shower with hot water. It is generally impossible to imagine human life without such convenience as hot water. Lucky are those who have a gas pipeline located near their home and have the opportunity to supply gas to their home, as well as those whose home is connected to a central hot water supply.

But what if you live in a village and have neither gas nor central heating? Would a primitive barrel on the roof of a shower stall frame in the yard help? Of course, boiler houses are being built in large villages. But this is not always beneficial for the common man. The fuel it consumes is quite expensive. Consequently, the payment for hot water will not be cheap.

In modern life there are no dead ends, there is always a way out. You can have hot water not only in the hot summer. Cloudy autumn and cool spring will also give off their heat to solar heaters. And you don’t have to incur extra costs for this. After reading step by step instructions on how to make a solar water heater with your own hands and purchasing necessary materials, You can make this device without any problems.

Types of heaters

First, let's figure out what types of water heaters there are, which will help you understand what their efficiency depends on.

Systems for heating water by the sun are divided globally into two types - storage and flow-through. But, if we look at it in more detail, we can note:

• Stationary water heaters. In this system, cyclic (periodic) water replenishment occurs.
• A solar heater that water circulation occurs naturally. The sun's rays pass through the collector. The sun gives off its life-giving warmth. Thermal energy heats the water.
  There is a so-called thermosiphon effect. Cold water is pushed out by hot water and moves naturally to the heating site. In this design, a pump is not required at all.
• Solar heater, the design of which pump connected. Due to the operation of the pump, water circulation in this system is forced.

Depending on the situation and available materials, you can make a solar water heater of the desired design.

Design and operating principle

A solar water heater using the principle of the “greenhouse effect” is a completely simple design. A front chamber, two collectors, a storage tank - that’s the whole heater circuit. Some solar heater elements are purchased in specialized stores, but can be found in scrap metal.

The storage device is most often a steel barrel with a volume of 200 liters. Thermal insulation of the barrel will help keep the water warm for a long time. Therefore, place the barrel in a wooden box, and it is necessary to lay heat-insulating material in the empty spaces that remain on the sides.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a water heater

So, it’s time to describe step by step how to make a solar water heater with your own hands:

1. First you need to drill a hole in the bottom side.
2. Next, install the outlet pipe.
3. A shut-off valve must be screwed onto this pipe. Additionally, you can mount a shower head.
4. Next you need to cut a hole in the top side of the tank.
5. Calculate and make a lid to size, which can be of any design, the main thing is that no debris gets into the water.
6. The outside of the tank is painted with dark paint so that the heat stays inside longer.
7. Next, the tank must be connected to a water supply to supply cold water, which may require additional holes in the tank. There should also be a pipe running from the tank that returns the heated water. There should be constipation everywhere.

The operating principle of such a water heater is simple: open the valve, fill the tank, then close the valve.

Making a collector with your own hands

The collector is a tubular radiator, which is assembled from steel pipes. To create such a device you need the following materials:

• Sealant;
• Sheets of copper;
• Copper or steel tube;
• Large pipes;
• Insulation in rolls;
• Glass (window will do);
• Corner;
• Plugs, screws, fittings, dowels;
• Dark and white paint.

It is usually enclosed in a wooden box, and on one side this box is made of glass. Thermal insulation is laid on its bottom, and a galvanized metal sheet is attached to the top. It and the collector pipes are painted black, but the outer sides, on the contrary, need to be painted white, which will avoid heat loss (heat radiation).

DIY solar water heater diagram for pool and home

It is reasonable to place the water heating collector on the roof of a barn or house, preferably on its south side. The recommended angle is 30-40 degrees relative to the horizon. In this installation, the “captured” thermal energy is stored for quite a long time (accumulated).

Creating a forecamera

The forward chamber serves to create excess pressure in the hydraulic system (within 80-100 cm of water column). It is made from a suitable vessel, for example, from a milk can (40 l.). The feeding device allows the front camera to operate in automatic mode. Here, an ordinary float valve, which is widely used in flush tanks, has found its application.

Install the front chamber so that the water level in the storage tank is 0.8-1 m less than in it. Before installing a pre-chamber and a storage tank in the attic, be sure to make sure that the ceilings are strong, because the amount of water that can accumulate is quite large.

This solar water heater system is quite efficient and the efficiency is very high.

Video instructions

The rise in cost of traditional energy sources encourages private home owners to look for alternative options for heating their homes and heating water. Agree, the financial component of the issue will play an important role when choosing a heating system.

One of the most promising methods of energy supply is the conversion of solar radiation. For this purpose, solar systems are used. Understanding the principle of their design and the mechanism of operation, making a solar collector for heating with your own hands will not be difficult.

We will tell you about the design features of solar systems, offer a simple assembly diagram and describe the materials that can be used. The stages of work are accompanied by visual photographs, the material is supplemented by videos about the creation and commissioning of a home-made collector.

Modern solar systems are one of the sources of heat. They are used as auxiliary heating equipment that converts solar radiation into energy useful to home owners.

They are able to fully provide hot water supply and heating during the cold season only in the southern regions. And only if they occupy a sufficiently large area and are installed in open areas not shaded by trees.

Despite the large number of varieties, their operating principle is the same. Any one is a circuit with a sequential arrangement of devices that supply thermal energy and transmit it to the consumer.

The main working elements are solar collectors. The technology on photographic plates is somewhat more complicated than that of a tubular collector.

In this article we will look at the second option – a solar collector system.

Solar collectors still serve as auxiliary energy suppliers. It is dangerous to completely switch home heating to a solar system due to the inability to predict a clear number of sunny days

Collectors are a system of tubes connected in series to the output and input lines or laid out in the form of a coil. Process water, air flow, or a mixture of water and some kind of non-freezing liquid circulates through the tubes.

Circulation is stimulated by physical phenomena: evaporation, changes in pressure and density from the transition from one state of aggregation to another, etc.

The collection and accumulation of solar energy is carried out by absorbers. This is either a solid metal plate with a blackened outer surface, or a system of individual plates attached to tubes.

For the manufacture of the upper part of the body, the lid, materials with a high ability to transmit light are used. This can be plexiglass, similar polymer materials, tempered types of traditional glass.

In order to eliminate energy loss, thermal insulation is placed in the box on the back side of the device

It must be said that polymer materials do not tolerate the influence of ultraviolet rays quite well. All types of plastic have a fairly high coefficient of thermal expansion, which often leads to depressurization of the housing. Therefore, the use of such materials for the manufacture of the collector body should be limited.

Water as a coolant can only be used in systems designed to supply additional heat in the autumn/spring period. If you plan to use the solar system all year round, before the first cold snap, change the process water to a mixture of it and antifreeze.

If a solar collector is installed to heat a small building that has no connection with the autonomous heating of the cottage or with centralized networks, a simple single-circuit system with a heating device at the beginning is constructed.

The chain does not include circulation pumps and heating devices. The scheme is extremely simple, but it can only work in sunny summers.

When a collector is included in a double-circuit technical structure, everything is much more complicated, but the range of days suitable for use is significantly increased. The collector processes only one circuit. The predominant load is placed on the main heating unit, running on electricity or any type of fuel.

Home craftsmen have invented a cheaper option - a spiral heat exchanger made of.

An interesting budget solution is a solar system absorber made of a flexible polymer pipe. Suitable fittings are used to connect to the devices at the inlet and outlet. The choice of available materials from which a solar collector heat exchanger can be made is quite wide. This could be the heat exchanger of an old refrigerator, polyethylene water pipes, steel panel radiators, etc.

An important criterion for efficiency is the thermal conductivity of the material from which the heat exchanger is made.

For self-production, copper is the best option. It has a thermal conductivity of 394 W/m². For aluminum, this parameter varies from 202 to 236 W/m².

However, the large difference in thermal conductivity parameters between copper and polypropylene pipes does not mean that a heat exchanger with copper pipes will produce hundreds of times larger volumes of hot water.

Under equal conditions, the performance of a heat exchanger made of copper pipes will be 20% more efficient than the performance of metal-plastic options. So heat exchangers made from polymer pipes have a right to life. In addition, such options will be much cheaper.

Regardless of the material of the pipes, all connections, both welded and threaded, must be sealed. The pipes can be placed either parallel to each other or in the form of a coil.

The coil-type circuit reduces the number of connections - this reduces the likelihood of leaks and ensures a more uniform flow of coolant.

The top of the box in which the heat exchanger is located is covered with glass. As an alternative, you can use modern materials, such as an acrylic analogue or monolithic polycarbonate. The translucent material may not be smooth, but grooved or matte.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Manufacturing process of a basic solar collector:

How to assemble and commission a solar system:

Naturally, a self-made solar collector will not be able to compete with industrial models. Using available materials, it is quite difficult to achieve the high efficiency that industrial designs have. But the financial costs will be much lower compared to purchasing ready-made installations.

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Making a solar water heater yourself

Every day our earth is illuminated by the sun, and this is a huge amount of energy. If you use at least part of it, you will have hot water for free; to do this, you just need to make a solar water heater with your own hands.

Diagram of a solar collector: 1 – tubes with liquid (water, antifreeze), 2 – heat-insulating body, 3 – reflector, 4 – stiffening frame, 5-6 – tanks for cold and hot water.

Using the Heating Tank

The simplest water heating system, which people have been using for many years, is a tank that is heated by the sun's rays. Despite the fact that this is a simple design, it is quite effective and is often used in private homes for a “summer shower”.

If this design is equipped with a reservoir where warm water will be stored, its efficiency will increase significantly.

In order to make a solar water heater with your own hands, you need to know that the most important part in it will be the heating tank. You can use a metal barrel, but a special polyethylene tank with a capacity of about 200 liters is better. It is more convenient because it does not corrode and does not require painting, unlike a metal structure, it is lightweight and easier to install on the roof.

During the day, under the influence of sunlight, the water in such a tank heats up to 40-45 ºС and this is enough for domestic needs. But if you don’t use all the water during the day, then it cools down overnight and you won’t be able to use it around the clock. In order to minimize heat loss, you can either insulate the tank itself or collect warm water in an insulated container.

Many people living in private houses use electric and gas boilers to heat water. They can be used to store water heated during the day. This solar water heater has a simple design. And it consists of a tank, boiler and tap. Water is supplied from the water supply to the tank, after which the water supply is shut off. The warm water that was not used during the day is drained into the boiler in the evening and can be used further. If the heating tank is not used, then water from the water supply directly enters the boiler, the whole process is regulated using taps.

This solar water heater has a simple design, but it has two serious disadvantages:

• every day you have to fill and drain water from the heating tank;
• warm water can only be used on days when the weather is sunny and the air temperature is at least 20 ºС.

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Passive solar water heater

To be able to receive warm water even in cloudy weather, the heating tank must be replaced with a solar collector.

In order to construct such a solar heater, you first need to make a collector. In order for it to work reliably, be easy to assemble and have a low price, it is necessary to choose the right material for the manufacture of the collector. Thin-walled copper or metal pipes are considered the most reliable material, but they are difficult to install and are heavy.

A simpler and more convenient option is to make a collector from metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes, but in this case there is a high probability of leaks due to damage. If you use an ordinary garden hose, then all these disadvantages disappear, and all that remains is to twist it in the form of a spiral. Its flexibility allows the structure to be made into one whole; there are no connections, and the water is connected directly from the collector to the house.

The simplest garden hose solar water heater consists of the hose itself, window glass, polystyrene foam for thermal insulation and base. The water is heated by the sun's rays that fall through the glass onto the water hose. After the hose heats up, the heat from it is reflected by the glass and is used again to heat the water. In summer, the optimal angle of inclination of the collector is 35º, and in autumn-spring it is 40º.

Before starting work, air is forced out of the solar collector, after which it is connected to the boiler. Under the influence of the thermosiphon effect, water from the boiler flows into the collector. To turn it off, you just need to turn off the tap.

The disadvantage of this design is that it is necessary to periodically regulate the water supply to the solar collector.

To calculate such a water heater, it is necessary to take into account that a m of hose with a diameter of 25 mm at an air temperature of 25 and clear weather heats 3.5 liters of water per hour to a temperature of 45 ºС. If the hose length is 10 meters, then 35 liters of water will be heated in an hour. In summer, the sun shines for 8 hours, so we get 280 liters of hot water.

You can use such a heater until the air temperature is below 8 ºС. At sub-zero temperatures, the water from the collector must be drained.