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How to Install a Solar Water Heater——Step Two :Plumbing

【Step Two:Plumbing】


  • We need to shoot the plumbing straight into the attic and then over to the water heater that we're preheating. In another case, you could take the plumbing up and over the roof.

  • Now we get to the conventional natural gas water heater downstairs that we're preheating for this plumbing schematic. The easiest way to kind of illustrate how this works is to trace the cold line which is basically the cold water and its path. So we break that old cold connection by unscrewing it. The cold water now goes from the city main and then branches off to the mixing valve which then goes to the expansion tank down below, finally ending up at the solar water heater. So, sending cold water up to the solar water heater with the valve being closed is what forces that water up there.



  • We also have the drain valve for draining the solar water heater if necessary. The hot or preheated water comes back from the solar water heater to the conventional water heater bypass. So, we're actually bypassing this natural gas water heater. Only the middle valve is open so that means the water from the solar water heater goes straight into the hot side of the mixing valve and then onto the house from there.



  • We just have to toggle the three ball valves to preheat the water heater again. It's really easy to switch back and forth between solar preheating, solar only or conventional only thus it's a really versatile way to plumb the system



How to Install a Solar Water Heater——Step Two :Plumbing