Solar Hot Water

Thermosiphon Roof Mounted Systems Streamline Split System

6 Reasons Why Solar Hot Water Makes Sense

Thermosiphon Roof Mounted Systems

Solahart's roof mounted tank systems save space at ground level and their elegant simplicity make them efficient and reliable.

All Solahart solar hot water systems, where the tank is roof-mounted, use the Thermosiphon principle to collect heat from the sun and transfer it to your hot water. The Thermosiphon principle is based on two naturally occurring phenomena:

Dark objects absorb heat
Hot water rises

Solahart solar collectors are coated with a dark, heat-absorbent surface. This coating absorbs the energy from the suns rays and heats the fluid in the collectors. As the fluid heats, it rises to the top of the collectors and into the tank where it displaces cooler fluid which flows in to the bottom of the collectors where the process is repeated.

The greater the temperature difference between the fluid in the solar collectors and the water in the tank the faster the flow between them.

In open circuit systems the fluid in the collectors is water while in closed circuit systems a special antifreeze fluid, called Hartgard, is used.

When heated in the solar collectors, the Hartgard is circulated in a jacket around the tank to transfer the heat to the water inside. Closed circuit systems are recommended for frost prone areas or in situations with poor water chemistry.

In this way Solahart solar water heaters constantly soak up the sun's energy to maximise your energy savings.

With a Solahart thermosiphon solar hot water heating system you can choose from a range of boosters including in-tank electric or in-line gas boosters to ensure you always have hot water on tap even on cloudy days.

To find out which Solahart solar water heater is best for you contact your nearest Solahart Expert for your FREE solar home assessment.

L Series Brochure (Open Circuit)

OR for areas prone to frost or harsh water:

SP/SC Series Brochure (Closed Circuit)

Streamline Split System

Solahart's split system solar water heaters are designed to give you the maximum flexibility of installation locations.

The low profile and unobtrusive Solahart solar collectors are mounted on a roof facing the equator, whilst the storage tank is mounted at ground level out of sight. The electric boosted model can even be installed inside your home. This minimises the visual impact of going solar, while maximising the potential savings from the sun.

How the Split Systems Work

With open circuit split systems the water is circulated from the tank at ground level through the solar collectors by an electric pump called a 'circulator'.

Cooler water is circulated in a continuous cycle from the bottom of the tank and through the solar collectors where it absorbs the heat extracted from the sun before being returned to the tank.

A control unit on the water heater regulates the circulator. When the controller senses an 8°C differential in temperature between the top of the solar collectors and the bottom of the tank, the circulator is activated until the temperature differential falls to 2°C. This ensures the optimum use of the sun's free energy.

In closed circuit split systems, which are recommended for frost prone and poor water chemistry situations, Hartgard antifreeze fluid is used to circulate through the collectors. The heat harvested from the collectors is transferred from the fluid to the water in the tank by a heat exchanger.

With a Solahart solar hot water split system you can choose from a range of boosters including in-tank electric or in-line gas continuous flow boosting to ensure you always have hot water on tap even on cloudy days.