Smart Solar Box Review
shiramaryWhen you install a water heater that captures rays from the sun, you will need some specific equipment: storage tanks and solar collectors. You'll have your choice of type types of collectors which are active (with pumps and controls that circulate) and passive (which don't circulate the water). Your storage tank will have to be well-insulated and it will need specific connections to your solar collector.
If you have a home, there are certain types of solar collectors made specifically for you. The flat-plate model is weatherproof and extremely well insulated. Its box design contains an absorber plate and a couple of covers made of plastic or glass. (Other models that are specifically designed to heat pools contain plates made out of metal or polymer and generally don't have any type of cover.)
Another type of collector you might have as a homeowner is called an integral collector-storage system. This type of system is set up with tanks or tubes which are located inside of a well-insulated box that has a glazed finish. The solar collector heats cold water first and then it is sent along to a standard water heater. The last type of residential solar heating unit is called an evacuated-tube collector. It has rows of transparent tubes made of glass that lie parallel to each other that heat cold water as it passes over them.
Other types of active solar heating systems that are sometimes installed in homes are direct circulation systems and indirect circulation systems. The first type (direct) is well suited for warmer climates and basically just circulates water - first through the collectors and then directly into your home. Indirect circulation systems work very well in cold climates because they circulate a fluid that is non-freezing before the water is actually sent into your home.