Active solar heating system
Active systems have a pump to transfer the fluid from the collector to the tank.
The collector is usually mounted on the roof and the hot water storage tank inside
the building.
Controllers are used to measure the temperature of the fluid in the collectors and
compares it with that in the tank. When it senses the collectors are hotter it activates
the pump which moves the fluid around the system so transferring the heat more quickly
to the storage tank to heat the water.
If you really want a system that is totally environmentally friendly, it would be
worth while thinking about installing solar electric panels so if pumps are used
they can be powered from Solar Energy.
The collector most commonly used on these systems is the insulated glazed flat panel.
It is normally made from sheet steel and painted black. Copper pipes are attached
to take fluid from the collector to the water storage tank.
The fluid can be the actual water that is being heated, but in pumped systems, it
is more usual to have a separate loop in which can be antifreeze and a corrosion
inhibitor. This is pumped along the pipes and into the hot water storage tank where
it flows through coils of copper tubing to form a heat exchanger.
To avoid the use of antifreeze, it is possible to arrange the pipes so that they
are sloped to such an extent that when the pump is turned off, the water drains
back into the tank, thus eliminating the risk of water freezing in the pipes.
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