The solar thermal collectors consist of an electric hot water storage tank which, connected to a solar panel, heats water making very little or no use of the electrical resistances (and hence, energy), depending on the season (summer or winter, i.e. the raining season).
Solar thermal collectors fall into the water storage category. Essentially, the heating system consists of 2 parts: the collector and a hot water storage tank.
Understanding the principle of solar water heating requires some essential understanding of
physics – in other words, understanding the conversion of sunlight into heat in order to heat
water. All materials, when heated, expand in size or volume, but maintain their weight. Water
is no exception.
Thanks to the so-called thermosyphon effect, a heat transfer is established between the solar
collector and the storage tank by means of thermal fluid (normally water) circulation by
natural convection – for an illustration of this principle, see also exhibit 1 on page 25 of our
online catalog in Spanish.
Residential solar thermal installations typically fall into two groups: passive (by natural
convection such as our solar-thermal collectors JA) and active (pump-driven) systems. Both
typically include an auxiliary energy source (an electric heating element such as our hot water
storage tanks JA) that not only stores hot water, but is also activated when the water in the
tank falls below a minimum temperature setting, ensuring that hot water is always available.
(Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_heating).
No. No changes are necessary.
This question, even if not very common, is one of the more important ones as there are indeed some aspects that need to be considered to increase the efficiency of the collector.
The principal factor is to ensure that no shade created by trees or buildings that can block the sunlight, falls directly on the solar panel.
Another factor to consider is the weight of the collector, which is determined by its size. It is therefore recommended that you consult an architect or engineer in order to determine where to install it – on the roof, on your terrace, or on a custom-made scaffold.
In order to maximize the efficiency of the solar thermal collectors JA, their orientation towards the sun is another very important factor to consider.
Given the high-quality materials we use and based on past experience, it use of a solar thermal collector JA may easily exceed 15 years.
Our collectors come with a 3-year warranty for all structural parts, covering internal water leakages, breaks and defects of the thermal insulation and tempered glass. All electrical and electronic components of the storage tanks such as resistance, temperature controls (thermostat), and timers have a one-year warranty.
