Making your own solar hot water system is not that hard to do and can be done by DIY people. With a set of plans you would have the means to accomplish it.
Basics of a Solar Water Heater
By Josh Stevens
The oldest method of making hot water with the sun is probably the passive solar hot water systems. Back in the early 1900's they could be seen on roofs of homes mostly in the warmer areas of the country.
Today they are still a very popular way to use the sun to heat water. Passive systems have no moving parts only the holding tank for the water which is usually in a box with a glass front to take in and hold the heat. The holding container is painted black to absorb the heat from the sun.
Think of the inside of your car on a hot sunny day, you can see how it could get pretty warm in the box. Even in the winter your car can warm up inside when the sun is up so making hot water in the winter with a passive water heater is possible in some places. Your major concern in the winter is your water freezing in the pipes. For this reason you hay want to keep the pipes as short as possible.
The kind of temperatures you can get from a passive solar water heater can vary depending on the amount of sun, air temperature, insulation and the temperature of the water feeding into the heater. Under best conditions you might expect a temperature of up to 180 degrees by the afternoon. If you use a lot of hot water in the morning or early in the day, the heater should warm up more water by the afternoon.
You can get plans for a DIY system at Solar Water Heater.
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Alternative energy sources can help reduce your energy costs and help the environment.
