Solar heating is the most environmentally friendly way to heat a private home. It is well suited for residents of the central and southern regions of the CIS countries, where the earth's surface receives a sufficient amount of radiation. Using solar heat to heat your home can help save indoor space.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Heating
This type of energy is environmentally friendly, its use is available to everyone and is not accompanied by emissions of harmful compounds into the environment. The massive use of solar heating systems in a private house will help preserve the natural resources used to heat the room: coal, wood and gas fuel. The use of solar heating structures is completely safe for residents and for the external environment. The same cannot be said about traditional types of fuel - smoke does not have a very favorable effect on the atmosphere, it can cause lacrimation and discomfort among others.
To save useful space on the site, you can install the system on the roof. Fastening of such collectors will also help to minimize the space costs for heating devices in the room itself. Another advantage is that solar panels for the home do not emit any noise during operation.
The disadvantage is that not all areas have climatic conditions suitable for year-round use of solar energy without additional heating means. In most regions of Russia, in winter, it is necessary to use parallel heaters powered by electricity or other devices of a similar purpose. Sometimes the solar system is connected only for operation in seasons characterized by sufficient illumination; in dark periods, other heat generators are used.
Features of solar collectors
Collectors differ from other types of heating systems in relation to the supply of solar energy. As a result, at night the accumulation of heat in the installation stops, however, the return to the air of the dwelling, accumulated during the day, continues. The efficiency of the system is determined by the length of daylight hours. In the warm season and in southern latitudes, the use of this type of heating shows the best results. It is least productive in December, at the darkest time of the day. This is due to the short daylight hours and the angle of incidence of the rays. When calculating the contribution of the solar system to the total heat supply of the dwelling, it must be borne in mind that its efficiency changes throughout the year. Winter heating in most regions requires electrical appliances, a stove or boiler.
Of great importance are the correct calculation of the area of collector elements required for servicing the house and the selected installation angle. It is advisable to place the devices so that the angle of inclination is equal to the geographical latitude of the settlement where the dwelling is located. The sun's energy is best absorbed by collectors whose work planes are at right angles to the incident rays. If possible, the batteries are placed towards the south.It is important to ensure that no shadows cast by buildings or trees fall on the surface.
In order for the efficiency of work in winter to be higher, the angle of inclination of the elements should be slightly larger. In the summer, in turn, productivity will be slightly lower, but this should not negatively affect the quality of life of home owners.
Heating system elements
There are several types of solar battery devices, but the principle of construction of most heating systems based on them is identical. Sometimes additional components can be added to the configuration.
Basic installation elements:
- vacuum collector devices;
- the controller responsible for managing the system;
- accumulator tank for heated water;
- pump carrying the coolant from the battery to the battery;
- TEN, powered by the electrical network.
Instead of a heating element, another detail can also act as a closer. Sometimes such a heating system is combined with a warm floor.
Types of solar collectors
The collector elements are available in several device versions. There are models designed only for heating purposes and additionally heating water.
By design and appearance
Manifold devices are available open (with unprotected tubes) and closed - with active components sealed in a housing, which can have different designs, for example, flattened or spherical. The cheapest and most durable are flat closed models. Their body is made of aluminum, copper pipes are placed inside. They can be mounted in serpentine or parallel rows. Gas, water or non-freezing liquid can circulate through them, acting as a heat carrier. On top of the body there is a coating consisting of glass and propylene glycol layers. Such models can work all year round, heat water to a temperature 30-40 degrees higher than air. But they have a significant drawback: if the collector breaks down, the entire heat absorption system fails.
Vacuum products are the most powerful. They also contain copper tubes filled with a heat absorber, lined with rows. Each such element is placed in a glass cone. The vacuum space between the walls acts as a conductive material and a heat insulator. The weak point of this design is the fragility of the hollow glass elements. On the other hand, in the event of a failure, it is sufficient to directly replace the damaged tubes.
If the contribution of the solar system in winter is important, it is better to connect vacuum collectors. They retain heat longer and heat gases and liquids to higher temperatures. It is possible to assemble the structure directly on the roof of the house. The tubular shape allows you to collect heat during daylight hours without connecting additional mechanisms that monitor the movement of the sun.
By the principle of work
This criterion describes the collector elements in terms of autonomy. Some types do not need electricity. This makes them a good option for a holiday home or for use during a certain season. Devices with a forced circulation mechanism must be connected to the mains before use. They function due to the pressure of the pumping mechanism.
Seasonality
Some consumers prefer to connect solar panels only during the warmer months. In collectors designed strictly for this form of operation, water acts as a coolant. At temperatures below zero, it turns into ice, therefore, with the onset of cold weather, such installations are dismantled. Other models are suitable for year-round use. In the warm season, they are able to provide the consumer with hot water, and in the cold season, they maintain the air temperature at a certain level.
Making a collector with your own hands
When purchasing a ready-made kit, the solar panel connection diagram is usually indicated in the accompanying documentation. But some residents prefer to assemble a homemade collector at home. A simple unit is made from scrap materials using a serpentine structure removed from an outdated or broken refrigerator as a basis.
To make a collector, you need to prepare:
- foil and glass sheet;
- a coil from the refrigerator (it is also possible to dismantle the connecting clamps from it and use them in a new unit);
- rack elements for creating a frame;
- scotch tape;
- fasteners - screws and screws;
- rubber mat;
- liquid tank;
- supply and drain pipes.
The coil is first washed from dirt, dust and traces of freon, and then wiped dry. The slats are trimmed to fit the dimensions of the serpentine structure so that it fits into a frame mounted from them. Then you need to connect the rails to each other. The rubber carpet must match the dimensions of the frame. If necessary, cut off excess. In the process of connecting the rails, small holes need to be made in the walls so that the coil tubes can pass there, if they need to be removed.
The rug is covered with a layer of foil on top. If you have to use small-sized cuts for coating, they are connected with tape. Then a rack and pinion structure is laid, and after that a coil, which is fixed with clamps. The latter must be fixed on the opposite side with screws. It is also used to nail the rails to make the configuration more rigid.
If gaps are found between the slats and the foil, they should be sealed with tape. This will ensure that heat losses are kept to a minimum and increase the efficiency of the finished installation. When the unit is ready, a glass cover is placed on it. Then it is glued with tape around the entire perimeter of the product.
To make the collector as tight as possible, the glass is reinforced with screws. It will also make the device more reliable. After that, the resulting element can be strengthened on the supporting structure.
How the system works
To use the energy of the sun as efficiently as possible, you can act in different ways. The principle of the first is based on direct heating of the collector elements by the rays of the sun. Accumulating heat, the devices transfer it to the liquid heat carrier located in the heating and hot water supply circuits. A resource can be spent on both of these goals, or just one. The action of the second method is based on the introduction of solar panels into the heating system, converting the accumulated energy into electricity, which is then transmitted to the consumer.
When using a device made of a coil, in sunny weather, you can heat the water up to 60-65 degrees. At the same time, the system is autonomous, the coolant circulates in it in a natural way, homeowners rarely have to intervene in its work. The cycle of movement looks like this: the heated liquid becomes less dense, due to which it rushes upward - into a prepared container (for example, a tank). Dense cold water is directed to the lower area of the collector. In addition to the tank, several pipes are required to install the system. Heated water is supplied and drained through them and cold water enters the collector. You also need 4 valves: drain, shut-off, make-up, pressure relief in the system.
It is advisable to dismantle water collectors in winter, since this coolant tends to freeze, which makes operation useless. Models that are designed for year-round use need regular cleaning of stubborn snow.The latter tends to reflect the rays of the sun, which seriously reduces the efficiency of the collector.
Solar heating systems can be connected not only in the southern regions, but also in areas with a temperate climate. Even with a small number of sunny days in cold seasons, ultraviolet light coming through the clouds is able to at least partially warm the home. In this case, one cannot do without additional heating devices, but the environmental friendliness of the work and the free energy resource make these installations an excellent choice for private houses.
