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Step 1
Determine your water needs. The average use is 30 gallons per person per day. Scrounge for a discarded electrical water heater tank big enough to meet your water needs. You may find one at the local dump or may be able to get one from a local plumbing company.
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Step 2
Plan a location for the solar water heater on the side of the house with southern exposure for maximum sun. Also, installing it at ground level is the simplest method.
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Step 3
Paint the water tank black with flat black paint. The black paint will help the tank absorb the energy of the sun.
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Step 4
Build a plywood box for the water tank. Create an incline in the box so that the water heater can be placed upright. This position produces hotter water. Insulate the interior of the box with fiberglass insulation to reduce energy loss.
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Step 5
Install the water tank in the box.
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Step 6
Attach plumbing fittings and pipes to the bottom of the tank. These pipes carry water from the house, which would normally go into your regular water heater, to your solar water heater. Connect another set of pipes from the top of the solar water heater. These pipes will run back to the regular water heater in the house, which serves as a backup unit and keeps the water warm until needed.
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Step 7
Put insulation around the exposed pipes to keep them from freezing in cold weather. While insulating foam can be used, wrapping fiberglass insulation around the pipes is more effective. Cover the box with window glass or clear plastic. This will help keep the heat within the box. A patio door glass is about the right size for a 40-gallon tank.
Comments
jull14 said
on 6/28/2009 As always a great article with so much information. Excellent steps and very easy to follow, thank you so much for helping us learn everyday more. This is a very good article, thanks
honkytime said
on 9/4/2008 Pretty cool idea...how hot will it get?