I have a garden that is very water efficient, so it looks great in the warmer months, but it can become a little overgrown and wild in the colder months. I might not spend as much time out there in winter, but I still like it to look good. I have been working on the garden design to help it look good all year round, and I have found that with the right plant selection and preparation, the garden can look great throughout the year. This blog has tips for other homeowners who are looking to improve the appearance of their garden when the weather gets wet.
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If you live in a climate where you enjoy lots of sunshine for most of the year, you might be considering installing a solar collection system to provide you with cheap hot water. If so, you'll need to bear in mind the following helpful information to ensure that you get the best performance from your investment in solar collectors. This information is applicable whether you choose to have solar tubes or solar panels installed.
Read on for some helpful hints on how to get the most from your solar collectors.
Positioning your solar collectors
To get the most from your solar collectors you must position them so that they enjoy maximum exposure to direct sunlight. For this reason you should install them on a roof that faces south, which isn't overshadowed by other buildings.
If you have a roof that faces east to west, you can still enjoy the benefits of solar collection, but you'll need to have collectors installed on each side of the roof to catch the sun all through the day.
If you are using panel collectors, you'll need to set the frame kit provided at an angle of between 30 and 45 degrees from horizontal. This ensures that the panels are angled such that they receive maximum sunlight during daylight hours. If you would prefer to use evacuated tube collectors, these can be installed at an angle of between 0 and 90 degrees from horizontal. Each tube collector can also be rotated as necessary to ensure full exposure to the sun.
Any trees or bushes that overhang the roof where the collectors are to be situated should be cut back to allow maximum sunshine exposure throughout the day.
Suitability of the roof
Solar collectors can be quite heavy so it's important that you have your roof surveyed for suitability by a professional installation firm before you commit to having a solar collection system installed.
The pipework
If you're installing the solar collection system yourself, you'll need to ensure that you only use copper pipes with compression or brazed fittings. Alternatively, you could use flexible stainless steel pipes. Never use soft solder as the high temperature of the system would cause it to melt. To ensure that maximum energy is derived from the collectors and transferred to the hot water cylinder, you must lag all your system's pipework with high temperature, UV-stable lagging.
If you're considering installing a solar collection system for solar hot water or other reasons, you should give consideration to the helpful tips given above, and ask your local solar system supplier for more information and advice.
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