News — DIY

Now that the holiday season is arriving, solar water heaters are being put to use in your home (or if they aren't, see what the solar water heater can do for you). If you live in an area that's known for extreme temperatures, chances are it's pretty cold and snowy around this time. But how cold can the tubes get before they break? Because the tubes can hold a temperature of up to 100F overnight, it is unlikely that they will freeze. However, the aluminum fins inside have been known to crack and break if the tubes are not full...

In the large market of solar water heater systems, there are a diverse arrange of ways solar water heater systems keep their heat. One of these is by using a heat transfer fluid.  Heat-transfer fluid operates very similarly to anti-freeze in your car. They carry heat through solar collectors and a heat exchanger to the heat storage tanks (FYI none of these are needed for your heat streamer solar water heater kit) in solar water heating systems. In a cold climate, solar water heater systems require fluids with low freezing points, whilst in a desert climate they should have a...

The solar water heater kit isn't the only thing solar energy can do. Check out this amazing project from musician and composer Craig Colorusso. These are 20 different speakers powered by photovoltaic solar panels with a different guitar sample in each box.  So buy your photovoltaic solar panel today! 

You've purchased your solar water heater, and winter is coming. How do you make sure leftover/standing water doesn't freeze inside the system? This is where a drain back system comes in. Drainback systems are closed-loop, indirect, active systems. A heat-transfer fluid (HTF, usually water) contained in an unpressurized, closed loop is pumped through the collectors and is separate from the end-use water being heated through a heat exchanger. When the pump is off, the HTF drains out of the properly sloped collectors and pipe, leaving them empty and protected from freezing.  While this article will primarily focus on residential domestic...

We here at Clean Republic are proponents of doing whatever you want. We want our customers to have the materials necessary to create DIY solar water heaters. Of course, doing whatever you want can be overwhelming, so we're going to help you out a little bit.  How big of a water storage tank do I need?  This is a common question we're asked when customers want to purchase a Heat Streamer Solar Water Heater Kit. For larger projects, we recommend 30-50 gallon water storage tanks like those pictured to the right. Smaller projects can use anywhere from 10-30 gallon tanks:...