PASSIVE SYSTEMS
A passive water heater consists of a water tank integrated into or located above a solar collector. These systems are suitable only for warm climates where there is no risk of freezing. In a passive system where the storage is separate from the collector, as water in the collector warms, water flows by natural convection through the collector to the storage tank. Water gets hotter as it progresses up through the copper tubes, and then to the tank. This pre-heated water feeding the tank causes the electricity to not need to turn on. |