Abstract Experimental investigation of heat transfer, friction factor and thermal performance of thermosyphon solar water heater system fitted with helical twisted tape of various twist ratios has been performed and presented. The helical twisted tape induces swirl flow inside the riser tubes, which increases the heat transfer and pressure drop. The empirical correlations developed for Nusselt number and friction factor with various twist ratios ( Y = 3, 4, 5, 6) are fitted with the experimental data with a discrepancy of less than ±4.54% and ±6.13% respectively. The results are compared with a plain tube collector at the same operating conditions. Conclusions made from the results show that heat transfer enhancement in twisted tape collector is higher than the plain tube collector with minimum twist ratio and gradually decreases with increase in twist ratio. The overall thermal performance of twisted tape collector is found to increase with increase in solar intensity.