Building a solar hot water heater

With a solar system, you can create enough heat to heat water. There are not that many materials you need and the pay-off of having hot water that continues on and on is worth the effort.

One of the most important things you will need is a large water storage tank. You probably have most of these basic materials already have on hand. Cost is minimal and the output of hot water is going to last a long time.

You may have enough sunshine in your area to run a solar hot water heater for many months at a time. If not, using the solar hot water system may supplement your other hot water heating.

Here is from Thesietch where you can read more.

The tubing is 5/8” irrigation pipe I bought at Lowe’s. I bought three 100′ sections for $10 each. The concrete under is my cesspool tank cover. The glass is from a sliding door that the salesman at Lowe’s gave me (he bought a new one for his home).

The water comes out scalding hot, so I think plastic sheeting could be used instead of glass. The water enters the coil system from my water pump, and returns to the house at any hot water line.The tubing holds about5 gallons of water, but is so hot that when mixed with cold water at the shower valve I can get a pretty decent shower. I have thought of using a circulating pump and a tank to store up hot water but so far I am just using the coil itself as the holding tank.

There is no county water on my property. I buy 4000 gallons of water for $140, and store it in a tank. 4000 gallons lasts about4 months. A short shower saves on the water bill. Most of my water goes into the landscaping.

Electricity is 30 cents per kilowatt in Hawaii. I think the payback period for my solar hot water heater is about 2 weeks. After 2 months the pressure in the pipes blew out the plastic connectors between the 100′ sections. So I switched to brass barbed hose repair kits with stainless hose clamps. They cost about $1.50. Don’t use plastic fittings as they will not last.

This entire project cost about 30$ not bad considering it is used to offset a significant amount of energy costs and has already paid for itself.

In a colder environment you would need to make the enclosure more insulated, and you would have to worry about freezing, but in warm climate this set up could solve all of your hot water needs.

A Homemade “flat panel” COPPER COIL Solar Water Heater. Easy DIY. Full Instructions. super hot temps (sustained at 165F+). fast hot water. no electricity needed. easily hooks up to standard water tap/garden hose. reaches temps well over 150F (water pasteurization temp) so it works to clear/kill any pathogens (if a non-municipal source is used). it’s super portable so it’s good for camping/off-grid/emergency as well as everyday use. couple of notes: water flow rate verified with a measuring cup and a stopwatch. (roughly 1 oz. of hot water every 1 to 1.5 seconds and scaled up – one gallon every 2-3 minutes or 20-30 gallons per hour).

About the copper tubing: a 50 foot roll of tubing is much cheaper than smaller rolls connected. *only $24.95 for 50 ft (but $17 for a 20 ft roll and $10 for a 10 ft roll). the glass is just standard window glass and the paint is flat black. it’s thin flat design allows it to be easily stored in a closet, under the bed etc… *”seal it” according to your climate conditions and whether you plan to leave it outside.

Source: homesteadnotes