Solar water tanks are mostly used in thermal heating systems (SWHs) to serve as buffer tanks. With them, it becomes easy to expand the solar heating package at anywhere and anytime without using any expensive equipment. When there is bright sunshine, the heat energy absorbed by solar collectors will be transferred to the water present inside the solar water tanks for use later, most frequently in the cold evenings and nights. Many of these tanks include a heat exchanger to heat up water to a point so that it can be used for washing utensils, clothes and maintain personal hygiene. Additionally, they offer good insulation effect that would help retain the heat value for days.

The functional efficiency and capacity of solar water heating system demands an increased number of pipes to carry the heat trapped by solar collectors and addition of a solar water tank to keep the hot water inside for future use. The whole heating system is insulated effectively to reduce heat-loss. Water is then made to circulate through the collectors several times to bring a rise in the temperature. There are electric pumps to push water through the SWH, but it will add to the cost. Instead, thermosyphon mechanism can be used to make water flow through the pipes without the need of an expensive pump.

Thermosyphons work around the principle that hot water moves to the top, leaving cold water in the bottom. In passive solar heating systems, the solar water tanks are always placed above the collectors. When the water starts to heat up in the pipes, it keeps moving to the top section of the tank, making cold water to flow down into the pipes from the bottom area. The flow of water keeps on until the temperature of water in the tanks and the pipes become the same. There are also one-way valves to prevent hot water flowing back in another way especially when the temperature falls drastically in cold nights.

Benefits of Solar Water Tanks

• The pre heat solar tanks are capable to heat up the chilly ground water much before it flows into the normal water tank.
• The expansion solar tanks suit close loop solar heating systems and can survive high temperatures while expanding their heating capacity.
• Solar water storage tanks can be used along with any existing gas, electric, oil or tank-less system.
• When solar water tanks are used in proper size, they can deliver enough of hot water for dish wash, shower bath, laundry and other household utilities, helping you save fuel energy and avoid global warming.

How to save on your solar water tanks

1. Focus on the size of water tank: A big size tank will hold water hot for long time. Residential water tanks cost less than commercial tanks.
2. Choose for solar collectors with larger surface area: When your solar collectors have larger surface area to get exposed to the sun, it can result in faster and better heating results in every climate condition at reduced price.
3. Use of copper tubes and aluminum fins in collectors: No matter whether commercial or traditional, your solar collectors can provide the best heating performance when they are fitted to copper tubes along with heat absorbing aluminum fins.
4. Maintain optimal orientation and tilt angle of collectors: The solar collectors should be mounted in the Northern hemisphere facing south and in the Southern hemisphere facing north, and with optimal tilt angle which should match the latitude of your geographical location to give the best possible heating performance.  
5. Long and cheap coil heat exchanger materials in water tanks: In stead of costly copper heat exchangers, you can use more reasonable pex or pex/copper heat exchanger with large size coil to heat water effectively.

If you have some concerns regarding the utility, pricing or features of solar water tanks from Latitude51 Solar can be visited at 18003179054 to get things clarified in an easier and effective manner.