How does a vacuum tube solar water heater work?
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Question by bpase: How does a vacuum tube solar water heater work?
Once the vacuum is created is liquid added or is it air only?
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2 Responses to How does a vacuum tube solar water heater work?
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There is no air in a vacuum.
Dr. Strangelove
July 12, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Evacuated tube collectors are made with multiple tubes. There are several different designs, but generally there is a special solar fluid put in the inside tube and all of the air is sucked out. Then that is inside another vacuum tube for insulation. That fluid heats up to very high temperatures from the sun. A heat exchanger, a metal piece that heats up from the hot fluid, transfers that heat to your water. The fluid and your water never touch, it has the heat exchanger between them.
The tubes are vacuum sealed at the factory, they should never be opened. Once the vacuum is lost, they are useless.
Flat plate collectors are also an excellent choice for solar water heating, and are generally less expensive and often made locally (evacuated tubes are mostly made in China). They are simply a bunch of copper pipes and plates inside a metal box with a glass top. The fluid inside the pipes heats up and transfers the heat to your water, same as evacuated tubes. In areas where it never freezes, you can actually run your water through the pipes, and not use a heat exchanger. It’s a less expensive option for those in hot climates. You can see more about them at http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Water-Heaters/c402/
Amy
July 12, 2012 at 3:03 pm