Month: April 2009

Utilizing the Sun in Solar Water Heating

Solar hot water heating units are becoming more popular as energy costs have risen over the last ten years. Technology for solar water heaters has also become more advanced and efficient, as well as the fact that the cost of the devices has lessened, thus becoming more of a viable option for an expanded base of people. These solar water heating units utilize the sun’s power to heat up the water before it comes into the home. They are often used in combination with a traditional water heater so that the water is pre-heated before it enters the traditional heater, thus saving on energy cost, but still providing nice hot water to the home.

Types of Heaters

There are two main types of solar water heating systems: one uses a circulating pump and controls and the other does not. Both types of solar water heating units require high insulation so that the benefits of the sun’s heat do not get lost out the sides of the water tank while awaiting use. There are also two types of systems that are used: one only has a single tank which combines the solar water heating with the backup heater, and the other system has a solar heating tank that pre-heats the water before it goes into the traditional water heater.

There are several different types of solar collecting materials that are used in solar water heating. One is a flat plate collector which is a glazed, water proof box that contains an absorber plat that is under some glass or plastic covers. Another type is the ICS or Integral Collector Storage system which also uses a glazed box, but this type of system contains black tubes or tanks in the box rather than an absorber plate. This allows the water to pass through the solar collecting system so that it can be heated on its way to the backup water heater.

In active solar water heating, the water is moved through the home by the system. In the direct circulation system, the water moves through the solar collectors into the home through the use of pumps. In a passive system, the water flows through the system because of the natural heating of the water, since the colder water sinks to the bottom and the warmer water rises to the top. There are other types of solar water heating systems in both the passive and active types that are used commercially and for specialized situations such as the heating of pools.

Celebrating Halloween

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays and for good reason. It is loved by children and adults alike. The kids get to go out on Halloween and dress up and go around from house to house collecting candy which is something that all kids are of course thrilled about, and for the adults they get to dress up and hang out with their friends at parties.

Halloween is a great holiday, but do you know how it actually originated? It is a very interesting story, one that is sure to make you appreciate the holiday that much more once you have heard it.

The Story

Halloween actually started out as a religious festival of the Celtic people. Every culture has their own way of celebrating holidays and Halloween decoration came along with it. People dressed up for the holiday and it began off quite small and only celebrated by that particular culture. However, as time went on, more and more people began to get in on it all and wanted to be part of the holiday.

Halloween is definitely very different from all the other holidays, which is one of the main reasons that we love it so much. It allows you to get dressed up and really be someone else for the night, which is great. It is so much fun and the kids especially have the time of their life. There are a few things that as a parent you are going to need to keep in mind however.

Sure this is a holiday and you are supposed to be spending time with your child and having fun, but there are pretty scary things that you need to think about too.

You need to be very careful when you are going around trick or treating for one, and make sure that you stay with your kids and that you are only going to houses that are in busy areas. You want other trick or treaters to be around you, just to be careful and to be safe. You also are going to want to not let your child eat any candy until you get them home and have inspected it all.

There are some real sick people out there and so you need to be careful and never just assume that all the candy your child has collected is going to be okay for them to eat. Other than that they should have a fantastic time and is probably one of their favorite holidays.