I remember when I was a child, most families took a bath in the traditional way of burning hot water. But with the invention of solar water heater , people feel that it is indeed more convenient than boiling water.
So, every household has installed solar water heaters. More than ten years ago, it was popular all over the country. Whether in towns or rural areas, they are enjoying the convenience brought by solar water heaters.
However, I don’t know if you have noticed that now that there are fewer and fewer people choosing to install solar water heaters for decoration. There has even been a case where some owners abandoned the solar water heater configured by the developer and instead modified the electric water heater or the gas water heater .
Why is the once popular solar water heater now "falling from the altar" and gradually being neglected?
In this issue, Xiaodong will objectively talk about the advantages and disadvantages of solar water heaters, hoping to help everyone avoid pitfalls!
Let’s take a look first, what are the advantages of solar water heaters?
1. High energy saving
Solar water heater relies on sunlight to heat the water in the water pipe. After absorbing sunlight, the light energy is converted into heat energy, which can provide hot water for 24 hours. You should know that sunlight is inexhaustible. To put it bluntly, as long as the weather is clear, hot water can be used for free.
Although some electricity is needed to assist heating when the light time is short and the light is not strong in winter, it is obviously more energy-saving than electric water heaters that rely entirely on electric energy. Compared with gas water heaters, you will not use natural gas , which can save a lot of money on energy consumption.
2. Save indoor space
At present, different types of water heaters will have certain restrictions on installation conditions and environment. For example, the common water storage electric water heater and gas water heater generally need to be installed in the indoor kitchen, balcony, or bathroom.
However, the conditions for installing solar water heaters are exactly the opposite. Because it needs to absorb sunlight to achieve the desired heating effect. Therefore, you need to choose a location that can shine enough sunlight, such as the yard of your home or the roof. This saves indoor space.
3, high security
This is easy to understand, because solar water heaters are heated through solar energy. Therefore, it is usually installed on the roof, and there are also high-rises that are hung indoors. In short, it is a place that people cannot touch. This avoids the risk of electric shock.
Compared with gas water heaters, there is no emission of gas pollutants, there will be no carbon monoxide poisoning problem that is insufficient combustion, and there will be no risk of gas flash explosion. Therefore, solar water heaters are more safe and can be used with confidence.
4, long service life
Solar water heater not only saves electricity, but also has a long durable life, and is not easy to damage under normal use.
Generally speaking, the lifespan of household electric water heaters is generally about 8 years, while the lifespan of gas water heaters is about 6 years. Even if these two kinds of water heaters are regularly maintained every year, they will have problems with internal parts aging over time, so they must be replaced with new ones after the age of time, otherwise safety hazards are likely to occur.
However, the service life of solar water heaters will be very long. They are generally used for about 10 years. If they are regularly repaired and maintained, they can basically last for more than 15 years, or even longer.
Let’s talk about why solar water heaters are “not popular” and what are their disadvantages?
1. Inconvenience in use
The advantage of solar water heater is that it saves energy and does not consume electricity, which is also a point that everyone recognizes.
However, after all, it is also something that relies on "day" to provide heating. To put it bluntly, the efficiency of solar heating depends entirely on the quality of the weather. In summer, when the light is strong, the water temperature is high. When it comes to rainy weather, the cool water is basically released. In winter, there are very few times when it can be used.
Some people may say that today's solar water heaters also have electric heating auxiliary devices, which can be heated with heat energy when there is insufficient light. But the problem is that the cost of solar electric heating is very high. Generally, solar water heaters with a 200-liter water storage capacity have too long heating time, high energy consumption, and are not obvious at night, which has led many people to give up on it.
2. Waste water, not strong comfort
We all know that most solar water heaters are installed on the roof, and the indoor water pipes need to be connected to the top floor water heater to provide hot water. Therefore, this leads to the pipeline being too long and there will be a lot of water inside. Therefore, before using each time, you must first release the cold water before there is hot water.
In addition, it is the poor comfort of using hot water. Because the water temperature of solar energy depends on the weather, this leads to unstable water temperature, which is so hot that it will be dysfunctional in summer and so cold that it will be dysfunctional in winter.
Also, since the maximum hot water of solar water heaters can reach 100℃, the temperature difference from the cold water is very large. Especially when taking a shower, others generally cannot use hot or cold water. Because once used, it will affect the water pressure changes of hot and cold water, and the phenomenon of "frequently cold and hot" will occur.
3. The maintenance cost is high. Because it is installed on the roof, it is often exposed to wind and sun. Therefore, regular maintenance and maintenance are indispensable, otherwise problems will occur after a few years of use. For example, maintenance of water pipes, replacement of seal rings, etc., the labor cost for repairing one time plus replacement of damaged parts, generally speaking, as few as a few hundred or as many as a thousand, is also a considerable expense.
4. Post-maintenance
plus the working principle of solar energy, it will often cause silt and sand residue in the water pipe when used. This impurity is inside the water pipe for a long time and will cause slight damage to the machine, so solar water pipes need to be cleaned regularly.
However, its internal structure is relatively complex and generally requires professionals to maintain it. If it is a remote township user, it will cause maintenance inconvenience, so the usage rate will be greatly reduced.
5. Too many alternative products
With the development of technology, more different types of water heater products have poured into the market. The most common ones are electric water heaters and gas water heaters, both in terms of use and installation.
And, no longer troubled by problems such as weather and water storage, it truly solved the big problem of being able to take a bath at home every day. Therefore, this allows families who need hot water to directly choose them.
To summarize:
Overall, solar water heaters are energy-saving and environmentally friendly, and hot water is convenient, which is actually a good product. But its disadvantages are too obvious, and it relies too much on weather and light, which leads to inconvenience in users.
Moreover, due to the limited installation environment, this also causes very troublesome maintenance and maintenance in the later stage. These problems cannot be solved, and they are gradually replaced by products such as electric water heaters and gas water heaters.
