VOA慢速英语:How to Make Your Own Solar Water Heater

Solar water heaters are used around the world and are not very difficult to build. The system we are going to describe is based on a design developed some years ago in Afghanistan. Since then, it has been built and used in many countries.
太阳能热水器在世界各地被广泛使用，而且这种热水器制造起来并不困难。我们今天将要描述的这种系统是基于几年前阿富汗发明的一种设计。从那时起，许多国家建造和使用了这种技术。

It can heat seventy liters of water to sixty degrees Celsius. It can do this between sunrise and noon on a clear day with an average air temperature of thirty-two degrees Celsius.
它可以将70升水加热到60摄氏度。在一个平均气温在32摄氏度左右的晴天,它从日出到中午这个时段中间都可以完成上述功能。

There are two parts to the solar water heater. One part is made of a sheet of metal painted black. Black surfaces become hotter in the sun than surfaces painted any other color.
这种太阳能热水器由两部分组成。一个部分由染黑了的金属薄片制成。染成黑色的表面在太阳光下比染成其他颜色的表面更容易吸收热量。

This black metal plate is called a collector. The collector is placed in contact with the water.
这个黑色的金属板叫做收集器，收集器与水接触。

There are several kinds of metal sheets that can be used for the collector. Corrugated metal will work very well. Corrugated sheets are often used as roofs on housing.
有几种金属片可以用于制作收集器。波纹状的金属效果非常好。波纹金属片通常用作房屋的屋顶。

Once the water is heated, it is kept hot with insulation material. This allows the water to stay warm for a long time.
一旦水加热后，需要用绝缘材料保持热量。这可以让水长时间保温。

The second part of the solar water heater holds the water for the system. This storage tank can be a container that holds about one hundred liters. Two rubber pipes are attached to the water storage tank. One pipe lets water flow into the system. The other lets water flow out.
太阳能热水器的第二个部分是储水系统。这个储水箱可以是一个容纳100升水的容器。将两条橡胶管连接到储水器上。一条水管用于将水注入热水器中，另外一条用于水流出。

When the water heater is working correctly, water will flow from the storage tank to the collector and back again. You can use the hot water at the top of the tank for washing and cleaning. You can change the flow of water so that the temperature is hot or warm as desired.
热水器正常工作的时候，水可以从储水箱流入收集器，然后再循环回来。你可以使用储水箱顶部的热水来清洗。你也可以像前面描述的那样改变水流来调节水温。

This solar water heater is easy to build and operate. It will last about two years before the rubber pipes need to be replaced.
这种太阳能热水器很容易制造，也很容易操作。大概可以使用两年的时间，之后可能需要更换橡胶管。

There is also something else you will need to make the solar water heater work -- the sun. As you might expect, the heater will heat water only on sunny days.
要让太阳能热水器正常工作还需要一个因素——太阳。你可以想象，热水器只有在阳光明媚的日子里才能给水加热.

You can get more information about solar water heaters and other projects from EnterpriseWorks/VITA. This group works internationally to fight poverty. The website is enterpriseworks.org. Choose the link for News & Resources, then click on Publications.
你可以从EnterpriseWorks/VITA了解关于太阳能热水器和其他项目的更多信息。该组织在国际上致力于帮助人们摆脱贫困。该组织的网址是enterpriseworks.org。选择News & Resources链接，然后点击Publications。