embodiment 800 which is equipped with both a desiccant plug 810 and vent tube 808 covered at one end by a screen 811 and with a charging system including a charging tube 809 valve stem 830 and access cover 824 with insulation 826 so as to provide the operating options described above referring to fig9 there is shown a partial cross section view of a solar collector 900 having an absorber plate 906 conductively incorporating heating tubes 938 for a hot water or fluid circulation heating system a solar collection assembly 920 comprises a glass outer layer 904 that is sealed to the absorber plate 906 in a spaced apart parallel relationship by an expandable silicone gasket 914 which in various embodiments is a rubber gasket or a gasket of other suitable material so as to form an expandable sealed chamber 902 the solar absorption assembly 920 is attached by its top edge to an insulated collector base 916 so as to form a plenum 918 therebetween and suspend the absorber plate 906 from the expandable gasket 914 within the plenum 918 the chamber 902 is configured with at least one small chamber charging system including a charging tube 909 piercing the absorber plate 906 and the backside 922 of the base 916 by which the chamber 902 may be filled and or purged with air or with another gas the charging system is configured with a valve stem 930 that can be used to seal the chamber 902 after it.