Collectors in active systems do not have to be integral parts of the building.
Collectors are produced to be placed on the ground or on any other, flat building surfaces (terrace, roof). With an unfavorable roof inclination, they can be mounted on special brackets above the roof, leaving the appropriate distance between the roof and the bottom of the collector - min. 15 cm. The third way is the most advantageous for many reasons, is the incorporation of collectors into the roof slope. It is then obtained:
- roofing savings, when collectors are also protective elements,
- good thermal insulation of the attic,
— reduction of thermal movements of the housing, when the collectors are not subjected to external temperature fluctuations over their entire surface.
Keep this in mind when placing collectors on the roof structure, that their weight is from 30 do 40 kg/m² and to prepare access to them for washing or making repairs.
Another problem is the location of the hot water tank, which for a domestic hot water preparation system. has a capacity of 500 do 1000 dm3, so its weight exceeds a ton. An architectural and structural solution of the building is recommended that allows the storage tank to be placed above the collectors, allowing natural circulation of water without a pump or automation. This solution is possible in newly designed houses. In existing facilities, it is possible to place a small battery in the basement of the building or a larger one outside in a bunker, below the surface of the earth. Due to the inevitable heat loss, the battery should be placed indoors.
The above remarks apply only to domestic hot water preparation systems., because active systems for heating buildings and preparing hot water. as an integral part of the system, have more extensive energy storage