DIY Solar Water Heater Review

How do you heat your home’s water supply? Do you own a gas water heater? May be and electric? Both?  Think about it (because I know this isn’t something we think about on a regular basis), unless you’re living in a cave, your need for hot water will never go away.  But seriously, I never really thought about this growing up in a home where my parents paid the bills and I just turned the faucet on when I needed it.  As an adult, I pay the gas bill now! And in this day and age people are becoming more energy conscious than ever. 

If you’re like me and you’re interested in pursuing the idea of “grid free living”, you’ll eventually have to deal with a way to heat your home’s water supply.  Harnessing the sun’s energy is the most popular way this is done today and is the same way people have been doing it for centuries. DIY Solar Water Heater is a phenomenal product that teaches you how to build your own solar water heater.  This is the first of 2 products of this type that I’ve obtained and reviewed thus far.

As I began reviewing this product I was immediately impressed by how much detail is covered.  Here are a few of the subjects covered:

*System Components

*Passive Direct and Indirect Systems

*Active Indirect Systems

*Freeze Protection

The first thing I did was just flipped through the main instructional guide, page by page, taking notice of the different topics covered. A quick note: I recommend that you go through the guide with a highlighter so you can easily reference back to the different sections. As I began to review things, I immediately got a sense that I was in for a complete education on this subject!  What was relieving however, was how clear the author was in communicating his instructions.  Even though the guides contain such a large amount of information, they are put together in a way that is easily understood.

On a side note, I want to say that before I even purchased this product I did some research into the many solar water heater designs out there.  What’s nice about this product is that the author also gives you an overview of these, but then boils things down for simplicity into the most versatile and affordable design; a passive system.  He recommends that for a do it yourself project, this type of design would be the most practical.

On top of the main instructional guide, DIY Solar Water Heater comes with 4 FREE bonus guides.  Each one is on a unique topic, but all centered around the renewable energy market. Here they are:

1. Go Green Save Green (Over 100 ways to cut your expenses by going green.)
2. Solar Power for Energy (Everything you need to know about solar energy.)
3. Living Green (Make your carbon footprint smaller.)
4. Energy Saving Tips (Easy ways to drastically reduce your electric bill.)

Here’s something I would add before I wrap things up.  I’m not the most mechanically inclined person, so to be sure things go smoothly when I construct my solar water heater, I will be recruiting a friend to give me a hand with the project. For any of you weekend warrior, handyman type, you could probably handle this project alone.

Well there you have it.  I guess the best way I can sum this product up are with two words: Thorough and Detailed.  The author seems to have covered all his bases and then some.  I felt between the instructional guide itself and FREE bonus guides, the product is well worth the minimal investment required.  I would strongly recommend DIY Solar Water Heater for anyone who wants to learn how to truly eliminate their hot water heating bill… permanently.