In the present research, a conical solar water heater (CSWH) with an attached thermal storage tank, with or without a vacuum glass absorber, was analyzed under different operating conditions. For maximum solar radiation of the system, the collector was equipped with a dual-axis tracking system and sun sensor, which kept the system oriented towards the sun at every instant during its operation. A forced cooling system circulated fluid to remove the solar heat from the absorber surface. Performance analyses with and without the vacuum glass absorber were conducted at different mass flow rates, inlet temperatures, and solar irradiation values. The influence of the vacuum glass cover and all operational parameters on the collector efficiency, outlet temperature, and thermal stratification were investigated. The efficiency increased with increasing inlet flow rate, and the maximum efficiency was obtained at a critical flow rate of 6 L/min. When the flow rate was increased beyond this critical value, the efficiency began to decrease. The temperature rise of the working fluid with vacuum glass at a high rate of insolation was considerably higher than without a vacuum glass for all flow rates. Use of a high flow rate deteriorated the thermal stratification process in the storage tank, while it increased the efficiency of the conical solar water-heating system. It can be concluded that the CSWH operates more efficiently if the fluid is heated slightly at a critical flow rate. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.