Questiono on DIY solor water heater

[Bonnie Peebles]

I live in the Southern US. Temps here have been around 100 degrees F OR ABOVE for the last 2 weeks. It seems crazy to me that I have to pay for Hot Water in this heat.

Surely there is some simple way to pipe water through some black pipes on my roof and circulate it into a tank that feeds my water heater. Is something like this feasible for around $500 or $1k?

I hooked the Polaris pump on my swimming pool up to several hundred feet of heavy black hose pipe and put this on the roof of the pool house, and coupled it with a thermal blanket. I was able to raise the temp of the pool water significantly and extend the swimming season. And help cool the pool house ( though this was a subjective measurement.)

Any suggestions?

Bonnie

[trader4]

Yes, Google solar water heater

[Bill]

Sure. An electric water heater can be 30% of your electric bill!

So if you spend a couple of thousand dollars installing a solar water heater, it will pay for itself quite soon.

Also there are tax credits and some electric companies or local organizations may help to pay for the installation or provide low interest loans.

And a solar water heater will work even in the winter. It does not need to be hot outside.

But the thing with solar water heaters is that you are running all those pipes outside. Don't want to run water through the pipes as this will freeze in the winter! Instead they run a "solution" which will not freeze, then circulate that to a heat exchanger with in turn heats the water in your tank.

The best solar water heaters also have a solar electric panel and this runs the circulation pump. Look in yellow pages for solar. Ask local solar companies about tax credits, loans, etc. for your area.

[Tony]

Sorry Bill but I disagreed with you fining According to Manufacture represenetive it will take about 15 years to recover your investment not counting if you have invested that money and any repairs doing that period of time in southern parts of country perhaps might be some what beneficial but defiantly not in northern area tony

[borne]

Professionally installed heaters can cost thousands, even after the rebates and tax credits. My neighbor had one istalled - the heat exchanger type. We don't have to worry about freezing pipes here, but they tend to be cheaper cause you don't need high pressure pipes on the roof. Anyway, with his savings, he figures it will take 8 years to pay for itself. At which point I bet he will need a new pump or something.

A cheap system I've seen and thought about doing is the following:

Buy a scratch and dent hot water heater for cheap. Strip it down to the tank. Paint it black. Put it in an insulated wood box with a glass top angled at the sun. Pipe it in-line prior to your existing hot water heater. Use most of your hot water in the evening or night. You can find detailed directions on the internet for this type of simple heater.