Sun’s energy is available for everyone, and the most common use of solar energy is in solar panels and solar water heaters.
The solar water heaters are used to generate hot water using the sun’s energy.
These heaters can be easily installed and used in both residential and commercial buildings.
To understand the working of the solar water heaters, we must first understand the construction or the parts of the same for the better understanding of its functioning Parts of solar water heater Rheem solar water heater comprises of two parts viz., solar collector and a storage tank, which stores the water heated by the solar collector.
All the solar water heaters are backed by backup heaters to supply hot water when the sun’s radiation is no enough.
This is also the main component of the solar water heater.
Types of Solar water heaters: Usually, there are two types of solar water heaters available in the market. One is Flat plate collectors, and the other is the Evacuated tube collectors.
As we discuss Rheem solar water heaters, we will consider the flat plate collectors in this post. Flat Plate collectors Flat Plate Collector, also referred to as FPC, is usually a flat insulated box covered with glass and many tubes.
These are required to heat the water by harnessing solar energy.
The Working The collectors or the insulated box of glass and tubes are placed on the rooftop facing the south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere.
The glass and the aluminum fins gather the sun’s radiation and convert it into heat transferred into the water that flows in the copper tubes placed in the collector.
The water is transferred to the storage tank either through the pumps, controlled by the solar controller, or if the tank is placed on the top of the collectors then through thermosiphon (hot is lighter thus rises, cold is denser, heavier thus settles down).
In case of non-sunny days, fluctuation in hot water demand, or when the sun’s radiation is not available for a longer duration and the available water cannot be heated up to the desired temperature, Rheem solar water heater is backed up by an auxiliary heater at the outlet end of the collector, that heats the water to the desired temperature before the water moves to the storage tanks.
These backup heaters depending upon the users’ choice and demand.
It is always recommended to install a thermostatic mixture in the solar water heater to prevent scalding if the water temperature changes exceptionally.
The main difference and the edge that the Rheem solar water heater has above the conventional solar water heaters is the backup heater location.
In the conventional heaters the backup heaters are placed at the starting end of the collector which heats the water before to reaches the collector for sun to heat the same.
Rheem solar water heaters have backup heaters at the rear end, which works only when the solar energy is not enough to heat the water to desired degrees.
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