Closed Loop Water Heater

A hot water loop uses a small pump to circulate hot water between a water heater and a distant bathroom or kitchen.

Closed loop water heater.

Closed loop solar heating system here s how a solar powered water heater works. When the controller senses that the sun is shining and your tank needs a warm up it signals the pump to send water through the black collector panels. Overview of closed loop water system. This is only an example.

Closed loop solar water heater systems sometimes referred to as anti freeze or glycol systems include the heat collectors insulated piping a circulating pump an expansion tank a hot water storage tank a heat exchanger solar fluid usually a solution of water and nontoxic propylene glycol antifreeze a controller valves and gauges. However doing so in a way that doesn t waste a lot of energy is a little trickier. Glycol or some equivalent antifreeze fluid fills the collector and associated routing pipes. This is called a closed loop heating system with domestic water.

Tankless water heater as a heat source with domestic hot water. The water from the boiler to this heat exchanger flows 24 hours a day in a closed loop making the heat exchanger continuously active i e. Most new solar homes feature a variation of one kind or another. A closed water heater system means that the hot water cannot expand beyond the valves and mix with the municipal water.

The advantages of a continuously active heat exchanger loop are twofold. This is an example of how to set up a tankless water heater as a heat source and for your domestic hot water. A special water heater tank incorporating a heat exchanger works in conjunction with one or more flat plate roof mounted collectors. The critical difference between these is the amount of exposure the water has to the air.

Actual layouts vary from job to job. The valves that are usually found in the closed systems are the check valve pressure reducing valve mixing valve backflow preventer and other. Each has its advantage when part of a cooling or heating system. Cooling or heating systems that use water can have one of two main types of systems for dissipating heat acquired by the liquid closed loop or open loop.

Creating the loop is fairly easy. Closed loop liquid phase hot water or glycol solution systems are an excellent choice for indirect process heating up to approximately 300f. Closed loop and drainback solar water heaters drainback and closed loop systems provide freeze protection for year round operation in cold climates. Whenever needed the storage tank draws heat from the heat exchanger and maintains a constant tank temperature.

A continuously operating pump is clearly wasteful. They are more complex but within the capability of many diyers.