Antifreeze Solar Panels

A special water heater tank incorporating a heat exchanger works in conjunction with one or more flat plate roof mounted collectors.

Antifreeze solar panels.

The antifreeze is normally non toxic propylene glycol as opposed to toxic ethylene glycol. Recommended dilution 40 providing total volume of 12 litres for use in solar systems. Solar thermal panels are a closed system of tubes that contain a solution similar to antifreeze. Should be sufficient for most single and double panel systems.

Using an antifreeze solution. Solar panels can also directly heat water by heating water filled pipes within the solar panels or by heating a transfer fluid such as antifreeze usually propylene glycol. Most new solar homes feature a variation of one kind or another. Propylene glycol pg has become the most common heat transfer fluid used in closed loop solar heating systems that contain antifreeze.

Most solar thermal systems use antifreeze as the liquid to transport heat from the solar panel to the cylinder. However you should always mix as much water as possible with your choice of glycol product as simple water is the ideal solar fluid. Glycol or some equivalent antifreeze fluid fills. Solar thermal panels collect solar heat and transfer it to hot water tanks.

The photovoltaic solar panels or pv solar panels convert the sun s energy into electricity which then can be used to heat water. Closed loop active antifreeze systems are the most versatile and failsafe of all the solar supplemental water heating systems. The industry standard for solar fluid is a mix of propylene glycol and water. It s non toxic biodegradable and relatively stable.

Antifreeze fluids degrade over time and normally should be changed every 3 5 years. Solar water heating systems that use an antifreeze solution propylene glycol or ethylene glycol as a heat transfer fluid have effective freeze protection as long as the proper antifreeze concentration is maintained. What type of solar system do you have is it sealed or drainback a correctly installed drainback system should not require antifreeze sealed systems require a good quality antifreeze that will not break down with the high temperatures of solar it should also be a premixed antifreeze it is no good injecting a small quantity of antifreeze into the system as it will not mix and so will not. Neat propylene glycol with additive package.

Garrison advised that electrical hot water tanks work the best for solar hot water use. It has a long track record over many decades in this application and is widely available from a number of sources.