If you get 4-5 hours of good sun you can build a simple solar water heater to
use independently or tie into your existing hot water system.

The easiest and cheapest to build is a batch water heater. An old water heater
tank works well. Remove any hard water deposits and replace the diodes if badly
corroded.

Paint the tank with flat black spray paint. Use the existing water inlet and
outlet and I use pex pipe to attach this to my house plumbing. Cold water goes
in bottom outlet and hot water comes out top outlet to mix water.

Build an insulated box big enough to hold the tank and insulate around the
bottom and sides of tank leaving only the surface you want exposed to the sun
uninsulated.

The box top should have a 45 degree angle from back to front to get more
sunlight to the tank. Cover the top with a double or single pane of glass. An
old storm window works well for this and can be hinged for tank access.

Insulate all pipes as this is where heat is lost and freezing will happen.

HOW IT WORKS:

Place the batch heater so it gets direct sunlight. In 4-5 hours of good sunlight
the water will be warm. In 6-8 hours it could be very hot.

If your batch heater is attached to your existing water heater it will reduce
the electricity or gas needed to heat your water. If using independently it will
give you an adequate stream of warm water for showering and washing dishes.

large volumes of water hold heat along time and generally will not freeze
quickly.

Batch heaters are generally only used seasonally in cold climates but you may
get use out of it by covering the box with an insulating blanket on cold nights
to hold heat inside.

People use batch water heaters all over the world with great results.

Note: These instructions are a rough idea of building one and not step by step
directions. If anyone is using solar hot water please tell us your experience ?

LaMar
www.simplesolarhomesteading.com