Long gone are the days of using solar hot water heaters for basic domestic use such as washing machines and hot showers. We are now seeing more and more people using their solar hot water systems for a wide variety of uses.
Swimming Pools & Spas
A solar hot water heater is an excellent way of keeping your swimming pool or spa warm.
Maintaining the temperature of your pool can be a very expensive exercise. With a large system, you can have the solar hot water units outright heating the water, or with a smaller system you can offset some of the cost and make owning a swimming pool more affordable.
Apricus has designed over 30 custom pool-heating systems for a number of residential and commercial sites including an installation at the Woodside Barracks in South Australia. Apricus pool heating systems utilise titanium heat exchangers along with expansion tanks to ensure the safety and longevity of the system.
Efficiency of the system varies on the number of collectors. Roof space and budget generally determine the amount of collectors that will be provided onsite for residential customers. If the system is coupled with a gas booster, the system will still function and provide the required heating. Unlike the domestic range, the optimum tilt for collectors is greater than 10° above latitude, this is to ensure there is minimal overheating in the summer months and the period of hot water produced by solar is longer.
The use of pool covers and other heat retention tools greatly assists in the efficiency of heating swimming pools or spas.
Spa pools are also greatly complemented by solar hot water heating systems. A spa will take far less time to heat than a pool and is less prone to heat loss, due to its volume. Owing to a lower surface area to volume ratio, spas are in better stead to retain heat and will radiate less from the surface over time.
Commercial Production – Timber & Heavy Oil Recovery
Hot water is used in all sorts of commercial production. In most workplaces, solar hot water can replace a standard-utility gas or an electric boiler.
An example of how this can be done is found in the milling process for timber. ‘Peeler’ blocks are heated and moistened by soaking them in hot water vats, or exposing them to hot water sprays. The purpose of this is to make the debarking easier and to capture small particles.
Instead of using costly and environmentally detrimental processes for production, water can be heated using only the sun.
To increase the mobility of heavy oils, steam or hot water can be injected into the reservoir. Once again, the heating of the water itself can be achieved through the more environmentally friendly and cost-effective solar hot water system.
Commercial production tends to require more solar hot water evacuated tube arrays, but any hot water that is over-produced can be stored or used for alternative applications. If there is too little hot water, there is also a backup water heater, so your production facility can continue even when the sun isn’t shining.
How could you improve your business or lifestyle with a solar hot water heater?
Learn more about Apricus Solar Hot Water Systems or contact us to discuss your needs or organise a solar hot water system quote.