Thread: Solar Hot Water ?

I run an Australian designed and manufactured reverse refrigeration system. Made by Quantum near Newcastle. No solar panels but works great. Jim

I installed a heat pump or reverse refrigeration type of HWS a few years ago. I also had an earlier heat exchange type for 10 years when I lived near Yass and a Solarhart when I lived in Yass.

I have been pleased with the performance of the heat pump HWS. They have some advantages over other solar systems.

There is nothing to install on the roof. If the current system is outside or even if it is in an enclosed space at least the size of a double garage, installation can be as simple as taking out the old electric system and reconnecting the water and power.

My old electric HWS was inside the laundry, so the water and power had to be extended slightly to get the unit outside.

With one of these HWSs, it can be snowing in the middle of the night and it can still be making hot water. It extracts heat from the atmosphere and doesn't need sunshine.

In the right situations, they can be the most efficient form of HWS.

This is the one I have now.
Dux Airoheat Heat Pump | Heat Pump Hot Water Systems

Originally Posted by vnx205

I installed a heat pump or reverse refrigeration type of HWS a few years ago. I also had an earlier heat exchange type for 10 years when I lived near Yass and a Solarhart when I lived in Yass.

I have been pleased with the performance of the heat pump HWS. They have some advantages over other solar systems.

There is nothing to install on the roof. If the current system is outside or even if it is in an enclosed space at least the size of a double garage, installation can be as simple as taking out the old electric system and reconnecting the water and power.

My old electric HWS was inside the laundry, so the water and power had to be extended slightly to get the unit outside.

With one of these HWSs, it can be snowing in the middle of the night and it can still be making hot water. It extracts heat from the atmosphere and doesn't need sunshine.

In the right situations, they can be the most efficient form of HWS.

This is the one I have now.
Dux Airoheat Heat Pump | Heat Pump Hot Water Systems

Is it silent? The heat pump ones installed in Motels etc are quite noisy..

It isn't silent, but neither is my fridge.

Where mine is located, I can't hear it inside the house. I have a vacant block on both sides of the house, but if I did have neighbours, I bet they wouldn't hear it if they were in their back yard.

The noise is the fan, a bit like the outside unit of a split air conditioner.

I think the commercial ones may have more powerful, noisier fans.

I just replaced my HWS 3 weeks ago. I did a lot of research into what to buy, and the whirlpool.net forum au was very informative. I only have single phase power at the house, on gas cylinders, and am shaded a fair bit. What good solar roof space I do have will be taken up by solar panels soon.

I really liked the Therman Solar, but the cost was too much for installation and purchase. I was quoted over 7k up here in FNQ. I ended up with a Stiebel Eltron heat pump unit. Cost a little over 3k installed, and I get almost $900 back from the govt. So $2.2k vs $7k it was a no brainer.

I went with the best heat pump unit available up here. I here there is an Aussie made CO2 gas one with a SS tank, that gets good reviews, but was not available up here.

Rule: Stay away from the cheap ones, as they are nothing but trouble!!!

Good luck,

Ken

Yep, Evacuated Tube solar is the way to go.
We had a Solahart panel system installed some years ago and as soon as the 5 year warranty expired, the panels started rusting away. (They're only made of mild steel and rely on the anti-rust properties of the ethylene glycol mix in the panels to stop them from rusting).

We then threw away the panels and installed a "Hills Endless Solar" evacuated tube array, hooked up to the original Solahart tank.
The tubes are a doddle to install. Need to assemble a stainless steel frame on the roof, (or not, depending on the pitch of your roof), then bolt on the manifold at the top of the frame, and connect up copper pipes from the HWS tank to each end of the manifold. (Making sure there's an upward slope from the manifold to the tank to get the thermosiphon system working. (Alternatively you have an on-ground tank and plumb in a small low energy circulation pump to circulate the water into the manifold.
Once that's done, just clip in each evacuated tube, and you're done!.

Our system actually operates in parallel with a slow combustion stove in the house. So in winter the stove supplies most of the heat and in summer the evacuated tubes do all the work. No valves or pumps...just sorts itself out by thermosiphon.

Wit the evacuated tube components, there's nothing heavy to lift onto the roof...easily done via a ladder, there's nothing to rust or corrode, the whole thing is frost proof, and it's super reliable, plus more efficient than a panel system.

There are quite a few evacuated tube systems on the market now, so it may pay to shop around and compare prices.

Alan

Better move quickly before the Abbott's Government's inquiry into the RETs results in them being scrapped, which is expected to raise the cost of a 5Kw solar power system by $3000, I read.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

Hi mate,
how are things? Well, I cannot tell you about this particular brand but the vacuum tube system by itself works great, even at our latitude. Just think of how they will do in sunny QLD... You will have to make sure you get the correct size for your installation, though. If you oversize, you will need something to take off the excess heat. A swimming pool would be ideal for this purpose.
An alternative concept might be to get some photovoltaic panels on the roof and let these power an electric heater for getting warm water. These are a bit easier to steer after demand. But in the end it all comes down to the actual cost, especially if there is governmental funding involved, as some sorts of installation might make you eligible for funding whilst another may not.
Cheers