How To Connect Solar Panels To Hot Water Tank

Preheating water heater using 24 volt pv solar panels and a 24 volt dc element.

How to connect solar panels to hot water tank. What you need to know about solar thermal panel installation a solar water heating system involves pipe work a thermostat and a hot water cylinder. You can add solar thermal panels to most existing hot water systems. The kit includes everything you need to connect the solar panels to your existing electric water heater on a single story house you may need extra tubing for two story homes. But because diverters are still fairly expensive it can be cheaper to put the hot water system on a timer so it turns on during the day when solar power is being produced and use the money saved to install extra panels.

You can use a solar panel to make hot water or to keep water from freezing. Install valves and unions on the inlets and outlets of the tanks. Simply wire the solar panel directly to the dc water heating element or through a thermostat to regulate the water temperature. Some also have a drainback system to drain water from inside the solar panel when the pump is switched off.

If you have a gas water heater you ll need to add a second tank to store the solar heated water and purchase a hook up kit from fafco. Installing solar pv and using it to power an electric hot water system can be cheaper than installing a solar hot water system. A second option to explore is the use of a dedicated solar thermal hot water heating system coupled with a heat pump to make the most cost effective option on the market. A circulation pump in the line that goes to the collector keeps water moving between them.

If the heat exchanger is external to the solar storage tank you may choose to use a natural convection loop between the heat exchanger and the solar storage tank or you may install a pump to force water through the heat exchanger and tank.