Why Solar Evacuated Tubes?
Heating your water with the solar Evacuated Tube system is a very simple and very effective:
- Solar radiation is absorbed by the evacuated tubes and converted into heat.
- Copper heat pipes inside the evacuated tubes conduct the heat from within the tubes up to the heat transfer manifold.
- Water is then circulated through the header intermittently by the pump. Each time the water circulates through the header the temperature is raised. Throughout the day the water in the storage tank is gradually heated. The temperature the tank will reach will depend on the amount of solar radiation, tank size and hot water usage.
Evacuated Tubes
The evacuated tube system has been around for a while now. It was developed at a Sydney university about 30 years ago and has been used successfully ever since. Each evacuated tube consists of two glass tubes. The made of extremely strong transparent glass that is able to resist the impact of hail stones up to 25mm in diameter. The inner glass tube has the latest technology, 12 layer sputted coating which absorbs the suns rays and retains 97% of the sun's thermal energy. Between the glass tubes is the vacuum to make it very much like your coffee thermos. Inside the tube is a copper heat transfer pipe within an aluminium fin. As is mentioned above, the copper pipe transfers heat to the manifold to heat water travelling through.
Notable Facts About Solar Evacuated Tubes
No water flows through evacuated tubes and they are hermetically sealed so they don't suffer from corrosion problems. They are cylindrical, so the hours each day of solar absorption is greatly increased (as compared to a flat panel). Should there ever be a problem with any tube, they can easily be replaced individually. The cost is comparable to flat panels and they are more efficient. Unlike other solar collectors, they still provide excellent results on cloudy days. Due to the outstanding insulation properties, wind and low temperatures have minimal effects on the function of the evacuated tubes when compared to flat panel collectors.
Interested in getting solar evacuated tubes installed at your place? Find out what solar hot water rebates are available and then contact us for a quick, no obligation chat!