Entries Tagged 'Installation' ↓

Here you need to consider a number of factors, such as the size of your house (how many rooms?), the size of your household (how many residents?), your lifestyle choices (long hot showers?) and your budget.

You also need to consider any likely changes to any of these factors in future years (growing families, possible sale of house, children leaving home etc).

Household hot water consumption can vary from 70 litres per day to several hundred, depending on usage patterns.

If you under-invest, you are likely to need excessive electric/gas boosting which will end up costing you more than your saving in capital cost.

If you over-invest, you may produce more solar heat than you can use up and will also increase your payback period.

The difference in price between a 20-tube system and a 30-tube system is approximately $300, so if there is doubt and you can afford it, it is generally better to opt for the larger system.

In Tasmanian conditions for a typical household (3 people or more) it is generally recommended to install a 30-tube system.

Remember that solar hot water cylinders are normally designed to store water for use over 2 days, rather than one, thus allowing you hot water even if the following day is cloudy.

In Summer months you can expect most of your hot water supply to come from the sun (about half the year).

But the technology works well in cooler climates too, and you will get significant heat even on cooler days that have light cloud cover, so expect solar gain throughout the year.

While evacuated tube technology works efficiently even on very cold sunny days, keep in mind that the solar intensity is 5 times less in Winter than in Summer.

For this reason, it is best to optimise your system for Winter conditions by tilting the solar tubes to a slope of 45 degrees. By doing this you will get maximum efficiency in Winter whilst avoiding excessive heat wastage in Summer.

Low cost stainless steel frames are available if your roof is not steep enough.

(In Summer, you can expect to get 25kWh of heat per day from a 30tube array, whereas in July you can expect 5kWh per day on average. Even in the winter, it is possible to preheat the water to 40C or more if the sun comes out. The booster will then take it up to your desired temperature.)

There are several reasons for this.

Ideally, as close to the solar panel as possible — to limit heat losses.

You will need to identify a route for the hot water pipes to get from the solar system down to your household plumbing. Your plumber may advise on the best way to do this.

If the distance between solar panel and hot water cylinder is greater than 12 metres, then it may be necessary to purchase an optional larger (3 speed) pump.

Care must be taken in transit and during installation, because a severe impact (dropping) can shatter them. However, once installed they are as durable as your house windows are.

The evacuated glass tubes are constructed from a special, tough borosilicate glass and will withstand all normal day-to-day environmental hazards such as hailstones and animals.

In the event that a tube is broken it can simply be removed and replaced with a new one. The tubes are inexpensive and the system will carry on working (at slightly lower efficiency) if any tubes are removed.

Are spares available?

Yes, spares are always available at short notice, should you need them.

Yes, you can significantly reduce installation costs by fixing the solar system toyour roof yourself, or a handyperson who can assist.

The system is very easy to fit, comes with a comprehensive installation manual (or download) and anyone with basic building skills can carry out a DIY installation, Follow the instructions carefully and you can’t go wrong.

You may require a registered plumber to connect the pipes or to qualify for solar rebates.

Warning: do not take risks. If you are not competent with heights then it would be unwise to self install.

You will need to organise your own plumbing installation.

Any competent plumber can install the Apricus system, so if you have a friendly plumber, talk it over with him/her.

Some plumbers have installed a number of these systems and are already familiar with them, and this experience can reduce installation costs.