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Pipe Size and Fluid Volume in Solar Thermal Systems
When you're designing your solar thermal installation, you'll need to choose an appropriate pipe size – one which fits the needs of the system and the available installation space and complexity.
What are Solar Thermal Storage Tanks?
It doesn't matter whether you're installing a huge solar thermal system to heat the water for an entire community or a small residential setup to lower your power bills: you'll need a storage tank to keep hot water in. And since the sun has an annoying tendency to be weaker in winter and disappear at night, that tank needs to be insulated to keep your water hot as long as possible.
Solar Thermal Storage Tanks
Tanks with Integral Heat Exchangers
Pumps for Solar Thermal Systems
The pumps used in solar thermal installations come in both AC and DC models. It is important to choose a model that not only fits your electrical supply but which is also compatible with the rest of the system, in terms of construction materials.
What Types of Pipes Does my Solar Thermal System Need?
It's important to make one thing very clear when discussing piping materials for a solar thermal installation: copper or stainless steel are currently the only sensible choices.
It may be tempting to try to use a flexible material like rubber or Pex, but it won't work: there's a very good chance you'll have to replace all your piping within the first year of operation because it simply cannot withstand the constantly high operating temperatures of the system.
Large Hot Water Storage Tanks
If you're planning a solar thermal installation for a large building or a communal property such as apartments, you may need to consider a very large water storage tank. This is also true if your project is solar space heating – both of these installations require outsized tanks. Think big: we're talking between 300 and 500 gallons, here.
Tanks and Collectors for Solar Thermal Systems
When you install a solar thermal system, you always need a collector (the bit that does the heating) and often need a tank (unless you're able to use a simple "batch system"). The tank is pretty simple but the collector format and setup is more complex.