Solar hot water is now installed and ready to boil some water! Well...not boil the water, but come close. I think Seth said it comes off the roof at about 180 degrees. Many people have asked me what the tank looks like and the answer is more simple than you'd think. The tank is actually a conventional electric water heater tank. The only difference is there is a 9 gallon drainback tank mounted above. The electric coil is only needed when there is no readily available supply of hot water at the pre-determined temperature which is regulated by the thermostat.

This system is designed to provide 95% of all the home's hot water needs and is actually a much bigger energy saver than one would think. A typical solar hot water system will had paid for itself in only about 3 years. Good stuff!