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The two main components of the solar water heater to be considered for sizing are the collector and the storage tank.
Determining Storage Tank Size
To determine the storage tank size you need to consider how much water is needed for your household. On residential applications, an average
person uses 20 gallons of water per day. Take into consideration how many people are in your household and you can determine the size of the
water storage tank.
Example: 4 people x 20 gallons per person = 80 gallon tank
NOTE: It is important to consider future changes when sizing a solar water heater. Sizing the heater according to how many bedrooms are
in the house - as opposed to how many people - will insure the heater is the appropriate size for that home. If you decide to sell the house to
a larger family, or if your family grows in size (you never know when your daughter and her husband will come knocking at your door), the
heater will be sized appropriately.
Tank Sizing by Number of Bedrooms
1 - 2 bedrooms 80 gallon tank
3 - 4 bedrooms 120 gallon tank
5 bedrooms 160 gallon tank
Determining Collector Quantity & Size
In the sunbelt, zones A, B, and C you will need one square foot of collector for every 2 gallons of storage,
FOR EXAMPLE
80 gal of storage will require 40 sq ft of collector area.
In the remaining zones D, E, and F you will need one � 2 sq ft collector area for every 2 gal of storage,
FOR EXAMPLE
80 gal of storage will require 60 sq ft of collector area. In this case you will need two TS32
(64 sq.ft.).
The number of collectors and sizing for each system type will be determined from the sizing map.
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