subject: Solar Hot Water Heaters: Direct Vs. Indirect Circulation Systems [print this page] If you're looking into solar hot water heaters in your home, that's wonderful. Using these clean systems to supply your family with a green source of energy, and decreasing your utility bills, is a great step to take.
It is vital, however, to understand the workings of those heaters to be sure that they're right for you. Here we'll describe the distinction between direct and indirect circulation systems, and what this difference means for your home.
Direct Circulation Systems
All solar hot water heaters have a collector for the sunlight that has the energy to warm your water. Where the water goes afterwards determines whether your system makes use of direct or indirect circulation. With direct circulation set-ups, there is a pump that pushes the water through the system, routing it through the collectors, and then directly into your house, not requiring a big tank.
This is a highly economical manner of heating the water and ensures that you certainly will not run out. But, the direct circulation system only works in heaters installed in climates where there's no likelihood of the water freezing within the pipes.
Indirect Circulation Systems
On the other hand, solar hot water heaters that make use of indirect circulation use a system of heat transfer to require the energy collected on the surface to heat the water on the within of a tank. The transfer of this heat is then indirect, and you end up with a tank setup. This might not be quite as efficient as the direct circulation system, however it's better for individuals that live in colder climates, where there is more danger of water freezing within the pipes therefore with disastrous results for your heater.
Speaking of efficiency, there is a myth that solar hot water heaters do not work as well as their normal counterparts, but this is absolutely not so. Direct circulation systems are highly efficient, and indirect systems oftentimes have larger tanks than those historically installed, therefore no quality is lost in making the switch.
Regardless of what reason you decide to investigate solar hot water heaters, there is undoubtedly a system that can work for your household.
