Solar Water Tanks

Solar water tanks are used in solar hot water systems to act as buffer energy storage. When the sun is shining, the water will be heated in the storage tank for later use, most commonly in the evening. Most solar water tanks contain a heat exchanger to seperate the potable water from the solar heating solution (Water/Glycol), and have a great insulation value that can retain the heat for days.

Features:

• High capacity 7.8 square foot bottom Internal Heat Exchanger plus top 2nd Heat Zone heat exchanger
• Back Up 4.5 Kw Heating Element
• 2" thick foam insulation

When sizing a hot water storage tank you need to consider two important variables. First, how much draw is used per person in the house? An average household will consume 20-30 gallons per person. This includes shower & bath water, dishes, and laundry. So a family of two will normally require a 40 gallon storage tank at a minimum. Secondly, for each gallon of hot water you need the same number of square feet of collector area. It is very important that you do not exceed this number or you will find that in peak summer months your solar system may reach extreme temperature. It is better to have a system that is under powered than over powered. Our TZ58/1800-30R solar evacuated tubes have a gross area of 40 ft2, so for each collector you will need minimum 40 gallons of storage.

Pre-Heat Tank

Pre Heat only with 2nd existing Heater

The 1st and most common tank system is a Solar pre-heat tank. This type of solar heating system is used in homes with an existing water heater (electric, oil, gas, tank-less). The pre-heat tank stores the solar heated hot water which is then drawn into the main tank when the hot water faucets are opened. This type of system uses an internal heat exchanger that transfers the energy from the solar loop to the potable water. In this way ground or main line water of approx. 35° F can be preheated to say 120° F+ degrees before entering the primary heating tank. If the heating tank is set to 130 degrees it only needs to raise the water 10 degrees instead of the 95 degrees it would have otherwise had to without the solar pre heat tank.

Combo Electric Tank

Replaces existing tank with combo solar/elect

The SolarStor 80 SDCE tanks can be used as either a solar pre heat tank or as a combo tank with solar and Electric. The combo tank contains a built in heat exchanger on the bottom of the tank and also contains one upper element. The solar hot water is circulated through the solar loop into the internal heat exchanger, transferring its energy to the potable water. The top element will then add to, and top up, the tanks temperature to the desired setting. This type of system is great for new homes or replacement tanks. It is important to note that very few solar tanks found in North America meet UL or CSA certification as a combo tank, as such most European or Asian manufactured solar tanks can not be used with potable (drinking water). Northern Lights Solar Solutions tanks are 100% UL & CSA listed and can be used in any solar application in US or Canada.

2nd Heating Zone

Top Exchanger for 2nd Heat Applications

The final type of tank application is suited for dual solar heating using two internal heat exchangers. These tanks contain a bottom and top heat exchanger whereby the solar loop heats the tank from the bottom, The upper loop is found in the hottest part of the storage tank and contains the second heat exchanger. Water surrounds the upper and lower tank heat exchangers and acts as a heat buffer for storage until the upper coil has heating demand. This type of tank is designed for both heating applications and/or domestic hot water. Multiple tanks can be used to build a large scale heating project. These tanks are used primarily with glycol loops for the solar and a separate glycol loop for the heating. The larger the tank size, the more storage capacity. The back up 4.5 Kw heating element can be used for both supplementing the domestic hot water heat and the 2nd heating zone.