Flat Plate Collector Parts
Flat plate collectors are the simplest type of solar thermal collector. They consist of several basic parts, as described below.
Flat plate collectors are the simplest type of solar thermal collector. They consist of several basic parts, as described below.
As you might expect, a drainback installation for space heating is much like a similar solar thermal system for hot water. However, the space heating setup has three main options.
The simple answer to this question is "No", but the reality is a little more complicated. It is actually possible to heat a domestic water supply with an air-based solar thermal system... it's just a very bad idea.
These systems have the following advantages:
It's also important to consider the disadvantages:
Since evacuated tube collectors are, by necessity, a closed system inside their collector box, many of them use a neat technological idea called a heat pipe. Instead of simply passing the gathered heat out along a piece of metal to the manifold (and thence to the storage tank to heat your water), they use a two-stage approach.
These systems have three major advantages:
It's also important to consider the disadvantages:
These systems have two main advantages:
It's also important to consider the disadvantages:
These systems have three main advantages:
It's also important to consider the disadvantages:
With any solar-powered heating system, whether it's for the domestic hot water supply or space heating, a diversion load can be essential to safety and the system's lifespan.
If you think a drainback solar hot water system fits your needs, you must consider a wide variety of rules, limitations and requirements, as outlined below.
The choice of collector array for drainback systems is more complicated than for a pressurized system: some evacuated tube collectors cannot be used at all (check with the manufacturer) and any collectors that use serpentine riser tubes are also ruled out.