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Solar Hot Water System

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With hot water solar heating panels that heat a copper cylinder with no pump, to an internal heating coil, does the "flow" from the solar heating panel run to the top of the coil in the copper cylinder or the bottom, bearing in mind that with a gravity system hot water rises?

Z.

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    It is possible to have an entirely gravity driven solar system - some of the early systems worked like that. As OM says it's necessary to have the panels lower than the cylinder and have low resistance pipework, The panels need to have a "vertical" flow - so that rules out modern vacuum tube (heat pipe) types as the water flow is entirely horizontal in them along the top. Generally the performance is better with a pump and thermostatic controls. Agree too that the flow from the panels goes to the upper tapping on the cylinder - in effect the solar water cools as it gives up heat to the cylinder so wants to fall.

       - Andy.

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    It is possible to have an entirely gravity driven solar system - some of the early systems worked like that. As OM says it's necessary to have the panels lower than the cylinder and have low resistance pipework, The panels need to have a "vertical" flow - so that rules out modern vacuum tube (heat pipe) types as the water flow is entirely horizontal in them along the top. Generally the performance is better with a pump and thermostatic controls. Agree too that the flow from the panels goes to the upper tapping on the cylinder - in effect the solar water cools as it gives up heat to the cylinder so wants to fall.

       - Andy.

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