A Beasley 5MC Roofmaster tank is installed in the roof space, and is connected both to the two Beasley SP200 panels on the roof, and to the wood burning stove, via a heat exchanger in the first length of flue.
Both the solar panels and the stove are positioned so as to allow the hot water to pump itself into the tank (thermosiphon). This happens because the hot water is less dense than the cold water and so will rise as long as the outlet pipe from the panel or stove is below the tank and rises steadily.
Because of the stove, the water in the tank can get very hot and occasionally boil, and so has to be open vented rather than sealed. However the hot water for the house does not come directly from this tank, but from a heat exchanger coil in the tank, allowing both hot and cold water to be at the same pressure, which make adjusting from hot to cold in a shower more controllable.
The system also contains an electric booster element, which has hardly ever been switched on.
We have been delighted by the performance of the system, which has reduced our electrical water heating costs to less than a dollar during the 4 ½ year life of the house.
I purchased our Lopi Liberty stove and the hot water jacket that heats the water from Impressions in Castle Hill http://www.impression.com.au/ but I believe the manufacturer of the water jacket is Murray Boucher fax 03 5623 6340 mobile 0429 070 769.
