Ideal for projects, developers and local residential installations. Easy to install with our professional approved installers. Available as a Direct or Indirect Thermosyphon solar geyser system. Very competitive price that makes this system great valve for money.
Flat Plate Collector
Frame – Powder coated, profiled aluminium
Hail resistant
Anti Freeze [Indirect system]
Low Maintenace
Conditional 10-year warranty
SABS approved
Dry Weight 43,7 kg
Tank
Indirect – Double Jacket specifically designed for solar applications
Highly Efficient
Magnesium Anode
Back up 2kW Element
99% South African Content
Manufacture in South Africa
Conditional 5-year warranty
SABS approved
Mounting System
Evenly Distributes the Weight of the solar geyser
Easy Installation
Materials durable – aluminium and galvanised
Rust Resistant
Ideal for pitch and flat roofs
Roof Type – Tile, IRB and clip lock
Warranty 1 year
Installation Types
Thermosyphon - On Roof System
A Thermosyphon system relies on the physics of nature to circulate the water [direct system] or glycol [indirect system]. As hot air rises so does hot water because hot water is lighter than cold water. No mechanical or electrical process is required to transfer the heat. The heat generated in the solar collector is transferred directly to the water in the tank [direct system] or through heat exchanger [indirect system].
The tank and the collector are installed on the roof. A thermosyphon system is highly efficient and requires less maintenance than a pumped system.
Thermosyphon - Split System
A thermosyphon split system works on the same physics of nature as a thermosiphon on the roof system. Whereas the collector is installed on the roof but the tank is installed inside the roof. This installation requires the tank to be installed at least 300mm above the collector. The pitch of the roof needs to be steep and a height of two meters is required inside the roof for the thermosyphon to work efficiently.
Pumped Split System
A pumped split system has the collector installed on the roof but the tank is installed anywhere below the collectors. Therefore the thermosyphon can’t work.
One needs a pump and a controller to regulate when the pump needs to pump.
There are two options with the kind of pump to choose. One can either install an AC or DC pump. An AC pump consumes electricity but tends to be more efficient and its lifespan for some reason or another is longer than a DC pump. The advantage of a DC pump it consumes no electricity. It has its own solar panel. When the sun is up it will pump as regulated by the controller.
What is Q-Factor?
Solar water heaters generate heat through the solar collector with the heat transferred through the solar collector and stored in the water vessel or tank. This solar thermal process is substituting the electricity used in heating water through an electrical resistance element. The performance of a solar water heater is tested by the South African National Standards. SANS 6211 measures the energy collected and stored during a day, using 6 representative sample days of different solar irradiation. This represents a sample performance of the typical weather in South Africa over a period of a year.
SANS 6211 results in a 'Q' test result. Dividing the 'Q' by 3.6 results in the deemed saving equivalent in kWh's as calculated at 20MJ irradiation, which is the average across South Africa. A maximum performance is stipulated as 10MJ per 50 litres of water per day under SANS 1307, and a minimum performance of 5MJ per 50 litres.
The minimum and maximum Q factors allowed are:
Volume
100 litres
150 litres
200 litres
250 litres
300 litres
Min Output - “Q”
10
15
20
25
30
Max Output - “Q”
20
30
40
50
60
The minimum and maximum electrical savings output in kWh is, therefore:
Volume
100 litres
150 litres
200 litres
250 litres
300 litres
Min Output - ‘kWh’s’
2.77
4.16
5.55
6.94
8.33
Max Output - ‘kWh’s”
5.55
8.33
11.11
13.88
16.66
The ‘Q’ factor is, therefore, an extremely important indicator of the performance of the solar water heating system chosen. Much in the same way as kilometres per litre of diesel or petrol vehicle, it provides a measure of performance, but it is not the only criteria for choosing an SWH system. With the purpose of a Solar Water Heater being to heat hot water and save electricity, the efficiency of the solar water heater is an important factor in choosing the SWH system. In reality, no SWH system can be 100% efficient due to weather, but some systems come close.
To calculate the efficiency of a system take the Q test figure at 20MJ and divide by the Q factor for 100% theoretical efficiency. For example Size of System in (litres). Electrical Consumption from Cold to Hot (kWh). Q factor required for 100% Efficiency. Q Factor on SWH system (illustrative) Efficiency Rating in %
People often ask me, “Do I really need to service my solar geyser?” A service on a solar geyser is mainly preventative maintenance, if done on a regular basis. I am going to list what we do and show some photographs of systems that were not serviced regularly.
The tank needs to be flushed to remove a build-up of water sediment and sludge. The condition of the tank is looked for decay, inside and outside.
An Indirect system can need the glycol refilled because there is loss from evaporation.
A direct system needs the water to be flushed to cleanse the collector from any sediment build up. From the picture below one can see the dirty water being released.
The thermostat setting is checked that it is set at a maximum of sixty degrees, in our opinion it lengthens the life span of thermostat if not set on the maximum. If the thermostat is malfunctioning or damaged, it is replaced. The picture below, one can see there was an electrical short that damaged the thermostat that had to be replaced.
The Element connection is checked, that it is power at the element and working properly. It will be replaced if damaged or not working.
The Flange gasket is replaced if damaged. From this picture one can see the flange gasket was torn and this will cause water leaks.
Excessive dust build up on the collector is removed.
Lagging is checked for perishing from the UV rays of the sun that damages the lagging. The damaged lagging will be replaced.
The timer is checked to see if it working properly. The settings are checked. To ensure the minimum water temperature is not too high. Ideally the timer should run between two hours and a maximum of four hours per day.
The solar geyser is checked for any damage or potential problems. From the photograph below, one can see water was leaking onto the electrical element, that we noticed during a service.
Brackets are checked to ensure the tank is secure, that there are no screws that are badly rusted or broken.
The anode by design are sacrificial to prevent the element from being damaged from the chemicals in the water. The anodes are checked for wear & tear and replaced if required.
Electrical wires are checked for any lose connections or if any terminals are badly rusted that could cause a problem. The below controller box that had an electrical short and burnt out the PC board in the first picture. The second photograph is an example of rusted terminals that cause a communication error to the controller.
There is natural wear & tear on the valves, this is checked to see if there is any malfunctioning of a valve. Valves & shut off valves are checked for any leaks and tighten if required. Broken & damaged valves are replaced if necessary.
Summarize
Why does one service a solar geyser?
Solar geysers have working parts and if it is not serviced yearly, the geyser could possibly stop working, a valve leaks or gets stuck open.
Preventative maintenance always costs less than emergency call outs and repairs.
Don’t you want to prevent the inconvenience caused from a solar geyser that is not working due to a failure that could have been prevented?
Preventative maintenance allows you to have the full financial benefit from your solar geyser all year round.
GeyserWise
GeyserWise Controller
This intelligent controller is designed to manage your Hot Water needs to your best advantage from both an energy and economical point of view. It uses professional techniques and the control system is managed by a computer microprocessor. It is a user-friendly system.
Characteristics
Display controller indicating the water temperature, time, day, heating mode.
Malfunction warning Error Code Alert [code E1 to E9].
Physically able to see if the element is using electrical power.
Auto or manual element heating setting.
Override timer setting if power supply required outside setting times.
Easy temperature setting to your requirements (30°C - 65°C)
• Operating voltage 230VAC / 50HZ. • Main Relay contact rating 30AMP (Max 4KW). • Secondary relays pump and solenoid 5Amp. • Operating voltage range 160V – 250V AC. • Earth leakage protection at 25MA action time H 0,1 second. • Temperature display range 0 - 99°C (“-5” when below -5°C “OE” when above 99°C). • Temperature setting ranges 30 - 65°C. • Maximum temperature 85°C. • Heat failure – when increasing at a rate of less than 4°C per hour. • Thermal Cutout 90° C • Dry Heat detection – Empty Cylinder. • Temperature tolerance ± 2% • Temperature differential setting 1°C. • Switching differential 6°C. • 2nd temperature probe for solar • Solar differential 7°C • Temperature probe failure detection for both collector and tank • Temperature probe range for geyser is -30 to + 130° C. • Temperature probe range for collector is -30 to + 260° C • Isolate both L + N when in off state. • Collector antifreeze protection
Flat Plate
So How Do Flate Plate Solar Collectors Work?
The Solar Flat Plate Collectors are probably the most fundamental and most studied technology for solar-powered hot water systems. The overall idea behind this technology is pretty simple. The Sun heats a dark flat surface, which collects as much energy as possible, and then the energy is transferred to water, air, or other fluid for further use.
A Solar Flat Plate Collectors typically consists of a large flat heat absorbing plate, which is painted or chemically etched black to absorb as much solar radiation as possible for the maximum efficiency. This blackened heat absorbing surface has several parallel copper pipes running lengthways across the plate which contains the heat transfer fluid namely glycol[indirect system] or water[direct system].
These copper pipes are soldered or brazed directly to the absorber plate to ensure maximum surface contact and heat transfer. Sunlight heats the absorbing surface which increases in temperature. As the flat plate gets hotter this heat is conducted through the copper pipes and absorbed by the liquid flowing inside the copper pipes.
The pipes and absorber plate are enclosed in a lightweight insulated box made from aluminium with a sheet of glazed glass on the front to protect the enclosed absorber plate and create an insulating air space. This glazing material does not absorb the suns thermal energy to any significant extent and therefore most of the incoming radiation is received by the blackened absorber.
The air gap between the plate and glazing material traps this heat preventing it from escaping back into the atmosphere increasing the flat plate solar collectors efficiency. As the absorber plate warms up, it transfers its heat to the fluid flowing within the collector but it also loses heat to its surroundings.
There are several different ways to heat water for use in the home or commercially. Solar thermal water heating systems that use liquid flat plate collectors to capture the suns energy can be classed as either direct or indirect system by the way in which they transfer the heat around the system. In order to heat your water successfully and use it during both the day and the night, you will need to have both a solar collector to capture the heat and transfer it to the water and also a solar hot water tank to store this hot water for use as needed.
The solar thermal collector is usually connected to a water storage tank either on the roof directly above the panel or on the roof. With flat plate solar hot water collectors, the hot water can flow back and forth, in and out of the tank, which continuously heats the water.
Below are the datasheet specifications from local supplied flat plate collectors that we sell.
Protection
Summer is on its way where the African Sun will reach thirty degrees plus daily. The wind will blow in Cape Town and the surfers will enjoy the waves at our beaches. Solar geysers function at the optimum when used daily. With the days being so hot & sticky, how one uses hot water changes. Colder showers are a great way to freshen up after a hard day’s work.
The end result is that the mixture of hot & cold water starts to lean more to cold water usage. The sun’s heat is transferring its energy to the solar water collector where the water temperature is reaching extremely high temperatures.
With a decline in hot water usage and increase in energy from the sun, the water inside the tank starts every day at a higher temperature. Until eventually the temperature of the water in the tank becomes dangerously hot. There are safety valves that will be automatically activated to prevent the water from reaching boiling point. The extremely hot water will be dispersed and cold water flows into the tank, which automatically reduces the overall water temperature.
With this inevitably action there are water losses in the name of safety.
The valves life cycle is reduced from the extreme temperatures. How can this be avoided?
Cover the collector completely or partially from the sun’s rays, thus indirectly the sun will be turned off.
When I go on holiday what do I do with my solar geyser?
If you intend going away on holiday and leaving your solar geyser home alone, you will need some action to avoid overheating of water. Without the hot water being used the temperature will increase until the valves disperse of the high-temperature water.
However, what happens if valve malfunctions and fails to work? The excessive high temperatures will most likely damage the tank, thus shorting its life cycle.
The worst scenario could be a burst tank.
What is the alternative solution?
The solution is quite simple. The collector will need to be covered to block out the sun’s rays. Either completely or partially to prevent the sun from overheating the water in the tank.
Thus the sun’s energy will be turned down.
Introducing the Solar Power Protector
We have the product that will be able to turn the sun’s power off.
Made from 550grams PVC which is the same strength as used on truck tarpaulins
Solar Power Protector covers, dimensions are 2050mm*1310mm with eyelets in each corner and reinforced hems. Thus easy to attach to a collector with elastic cord.
