Wet Back Connections
| The Ultimate Solar Hot Water System to connect to a Slow Combustion Fire. Model U-SHE - smart on energy efficency. The U-SHE is the only Australian Standards Approved roof mounted evacuated tube solar hot water system available that can be connected to the wetback on a slow combustion fire or wood fired stove. A Wetback enables you to capture and use excess heat energy from your slow combustion fire and has been traditionally used to heat water inside a hot water storage cylinder for a very long time. Most slow combustion fires and stoves have a Wetback. |
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If you are about to buy a slow combustion fire, make sure it has a Wetback, if you're thinking of connecting to a solar hot water system to boost water temperature.
If you already have a slow combustion fire that is not equipped with a Wet Back we have available a Flue Adaptor Kit which you can easily install to capture excess heat from the chimney flue and direct that heat to your hot water system to heat water.
Both the wetback and the flue adaptor systems use the same laws of physics to naturally circulate water between the solar hot water system and the slow combustion fire and is known as Thermosyphoning.
A pipe connected to the bottom of the solar hot water system's storage cylinder is connected to the Wetback on the slow combustion fire.
Cooler water from the bottom of the storage cylinder is syphoned down to the Wet Back of the slow combustion fire where the water in the Wetback is heated. Once heated it rises and returns to the storage cylinder (see diagram below)
As the heated water returns to the storage cylinder it displaces the cooler water in the bottom of the storage cylinder and the cycle continues without the need for a circualting pump or any other operating valves.
For high efficiency the positioning of the Flow and Return pipes are critical.
Very effective circulation (Thermosyphoning) between the solar hot water system and the slow combustion fire is achieved by maximising the difference in height between the outlet (Flow) and the inlet (Return). This makes for a faster heating of water.
This is simple system is a standard feature on the U-SHE models and is guaranteed to give you hot water even on cold wet days.
Below is a schematic of how easy it is to connect your USHE model solar hot water system to your heater.
It's basic plumbing - pipe up and pipe down.
The U-SHE model is the only solar hot water system to use a Solar Powered Water Saver which is a automatic tank refiller and water level monitor.
This important piece of equipment maintains the pefect water level inside the storage cylinder so that there is an air cavity where the steam generarated by solar energy and the slow combustion fire can cool inside the cylinder.
This saves you thousands of litres of water every year from being needlessly wasted from the overflow and is proven to be a much better option than a Header Tank, also known as a Makeup Tank, which can't mantain the air cavity inside the storage cylinder and therefore minimise water waste.
