To make a solar powered water heater you are going to need three main things. Well actually you will need a few more than three, but it is good to break it down in our heads the stages.
The first thing we need is a bright light… Yes that is right the Sun will be our bright light.
Second we need a medium to change that light into heat, either a surface or a fluid can accomplish this by absorbing the sunlight, which is why black is always best.
Thirdly we will need something to store this newly created hot water.
Our solar powered water heater will be connected to the hot water tank of your house. The basic idea is that we are going to run water over a black surface that is collecting the sun’s rays and changing that light into heat. One way to do this is to pass water through black PVC pipe, or by running water through close contact with a black panel.
As the cold water heats up, it rises in the pipes and returns to the water tank already in your house. Now not every solar powered water heater will be completely self sufficient. What I mean by that is that sometimes it is necessary to give the hot water tank a burst of heat from either a gas source or electric.
When you make a solar powered water heater you may not totally eliminate the cost to produce hot water for your home but you can certainly offset the cost of your hot water bill every month. If you could use solar to heat 80% of the water in your home and your hot water bill was $50/month, then it would be reduced to just $10 per month. After only 2.5 months you would have paid off what it cost to build your solar water heater. And even better is the fact that you will greatly reduce your carbon footprint.