How Do You Design Solar Water Heating System?

Understanding Solar Water Heating System - 

 

Since the late 1800s, most commercial premises have been using solar hot water heating systems. Over the years, the solar water heating has evolved drastically and currently, these systems are powered through solar vacuum tubes ensuring optimal efficiency and maximum performance.

 

It’s estimated that around 200,000,000 solar water heaters (https://www.solartubs.com/) are available around the world and the Asia leads the way whereas Europe comes the second. Out of all the available solar powered heating kits, Northern Lights solar water heating system tops the list.

The heating kit uses an active loop technology that enables indirect way of water heating through close loop. An internal heat exchanger is present in the bottom part of a specifically-designed solar water storage tank.

The system comes with sophisticated solar differential controllers, capable of maximizing system performance. On an average, the systems are able to deliver over 2MW free heat energy for your residential water applications.

Northern Lights made solar heating kits are specifically pre-engineered and pre-designed for maximum performance and optimal level of safety. They take the guesswork from solar heating installations by providing pre-configured solar heating packages.

While designing a solar heating system, it’s necessary to make sure that you have the proper size. If you’ve an oversized system, it can actually minimize the overall performance and the payback in the long run. An oversized solar powered heating system tends to go into stagnation and switches off often than a right sized solar heating system.

It means, the solar system will stop working and offer zero contribution on solar during hot sunny days. A properly designed solar heating system is able to provide around 50-65% overall solar contribution.

Again the contribution will be more, if you’ll add a secondary heating load to the system like a hot tub, pool or home heating. When the primary system reaches its maximum capacity, the solar controller will set default to the secondary heating zone.

It will provide the solar heat energy to the zone by eliminating the probability that system gets overheated and goes into stagnation. There are so many factors necessary for designing a solar heating system. Here are some of the best reasons discussed below:

How Do You Design a Solar Water Heating System?

Location –

You should know the right location of your solar system as per the southern exposure. It can be ground, wall or roof. Generally, the location will help you know the maximum number of solar collectors – every collector requires around 8' 4" of width spacing and 6' 6" of vertical spacing. In addition, you can know the right angle as per the calculations discussed below:

For winter heating, the latitude of the location should be over 30 degrees. The latitude must be -30 degrees for heating during summer. The annual average heating depends on the latitude of the location.

Sizing of Solar Heating Package –

You have to choose the pre-configured solar heating systems (SWHs) as per the number of solar collectors for the application. Take a look at the discussed points to determine approximate number of solar collectors.

While considering the sizing of solar heating package, SWH-1 is ideal for 2-4 persons, SWH-2 for 4-6 persons and SWH-3 for 6-8 persons. Follow a rule a thumb, which states that a household with teenage kids will use more water than a house with only adults.

Make a decision on solar heating designs you need – a combo, indirect, or preheat solar layout for your residential heating applications.

Additional Heating Zones –

Consider using an additional secondary solar heating loop like solar home heating, pool heating or hot tub heating purposes. You have to increase the size of solar water heaters to accommodate to additional demands properly. For example, a 1200 square foot home for four persons with radiant floor heating requires a SWH-4, which is equaled to SWH-1 + 3 (400/1200). It will help you choose SWH-4 with in-floor heating design.

Bottom Line –

 

When thinking to invest in solar water heaters, you should look no further than Solar Tubs. We have solar heating designs like Supplemental Solar Water Heater with Internal Electric Hetaing Element for Back Up, Solar Water Heater with On-Demand Back Up Heater and Pre-Heat Solar Water Heating Design with Second Hot Water Tank. For more information about heating packages, please visit our website at https://www.solartubs.com/.