Homemade Solar Water Heaters

Solar water heaters are finally making a comeback as people try to find ways to reduce power usage and many are going off the grid. Solar water heaters are a great way to provide domestic hot water to your household and are not expensive to build if you are handy and have access to recyclable components.

What You Can Use to Build Your Own Solar Water Heater

Solar water heaters have been made with old windows, plywood and foam board insulation, repurposed hot water tanks, copper tubing and old refrigerators. There really is not limit to what can be used. It's up to you to be creative.

There are some great books and web sites that offer plenty of ideas, and you can see homemade solar water heaters in use on YouTube videos. Learn from others' experiences and use your own ideas, too.

Before You Design Your Homemade Solar Water Heater

What you have to keep in mind is that your solar water heater needs to face true south. There will be days that there is not enough sun to heat the water, too, so you'll need a back up plan. If you live in the north, the water can freeze and burst exposed tubing. These things must be compensated for in the design.

The Basics of Homemade Solar Water Heater Design

Water is stored in a tank for heating by the sun. It is enclosed in an insulated box of some type. An old refrigerator works well. The front of the box is covered with Plexiglas or glass, sealed with a rubber gasket and placed in a south-facing direction. Cold water is fed into the bottom of the tank because hot water rises. Your hot water will be at the top where it is siphoned off for domestic use. So, you'll need the cold water supply line at the bottom and the domestic supply line at the top. The rest works on the thermosiphon principle.