DIY Solar Water Heater Review

Tom Hayden's DIY solar water heater guide is a little bit different from the other manuals listed here. It focuses solely on providing hot water using solar energy.

This may seem more limited than the other guides and to some extent it is. You will only save money on the water you use rather than all the home appliances that use electricity. And it is only using one form of renewable energy, notably the Sun.

With this said, the water supply uses plenty of electricity in the home and often makes up a large portion of your energy costs. Plus, the guide is cheaper, the parts needed to make the system are less expensive and putting it together and getting it running is far easier than any of the other systems outlined. 

The system uses heat from the Sun to physically heat up the water that you use in the home. Depending on where you live and the amount of sunshine that you receive each day, this could provide all of your heated water needs. More than likely, however, it will take a small chunk out of your energy bills which is no bad thing.

The system works by using a thermal solar collector. The solar collector is designed to maximize the amount of heat in the Sun's rays. It is designed to attract heat and insulated so that the heat is not lost. When water passes through the solar collector it gets heated.

The solar collector is connected to your boiler or water heater, which stores the heated water. If the water is already hot then the water heater does not have to use electricity thus saving you money.

The DIY solar water heater guide shows you four designs, such that one will fit into the layout and position of your home. It shows you how to build the solar collector and how it should be connected to the home's water system. In terms of connecting to the plumbing system, you can use gravity to move the water around the system or a pump. Both systems are explained in the guide but the simplest system is to use the gravity system.

The guide is well written and easy to understand. There is little to no jargon or terminology that you will not understand (and if there is terminology it is explained beforehand). The guide is well laid out. The descriptions are accompanied by clear diagrams which help.

This is a very doable system to put to together. You could be benefiting from solar hot water and saving on energy bills within a week.

There are a number of bonus ebooks thrown in to sweeten the package. The best one for the home owner is tips to save energy in the home. If you are going to start using renewable energy in your home then you want to make your home as efficient as possible so that energy does not leak out like water out of a dripping tap. So this book is a good fit for your solar projects and very relevant.

The other books are about living a more green lifestyle which may or may not be what you are interested in but they are still fairly relevant.

All up, DIY solar water heater guide is a good book and will save you money on your water bills when you set up the system. The system is easy to put together even with basic DIY skills.

Go to the official DIY solar water guide site for more details....