Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Water Heaters
Q: Does Solar only work when the sun is shining?
A: Solar works all year round – and even in Winter it will help to give you hot water,
because vacuum tubes absorb energy efficiently in all different weathers
conditions and all year round.
Q: Where are the panels fitted?
A: Ideally to a south facing roof or slight deviations of about 15 – 30° from
that. The inclination / pitch of the collector is equal to the geographical
latitude. So if you live at 45° latitude north the ideal pitch is about 45°.
Once again slight deviations are not a problem and will only slightly effect
the solar yield.
Q: What are the savings?
A: Savings of up to 50 – 70% annually on the heating cost for your hot water
and/or heating. Once you have the panel installed that amount of energy is free
for you. The main percentage of your water heating cost is done away through
the use of the solar panel. Over time, your savings will increase as the price
of oil / gas / electricity and other fossil fuels will increase in the future.
Solar also reduces the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions helping to protect the
environment from being polluted. CO2 is one of the largest single contributors
towards global warming.
Q: We have a large building – is there a suitable system to use solar thermal in a
commercial setting?
A: The collectors can be integrated with your existing system to provide hot water
throughout the building for toilets / showers etc in fact anywhere large
quantities of free hot water can be used i.e. Hospitals / Leisure Centers and
all other commercial applications.
Q: What
maintenance is required?
A: No collector maintenance is required. The glass tubes are round and perfectly
smooth; any dirt or dust is carried away by the wind and/or rain. There are no
moving parts to wear out. All components are made from high-grade stainless
steel, aluminum, copper or non-corrosive materials.
Q: What
does installation involve?
A: Thermomax collectors are light and modular and can usually be installed by a
qualified professional in 1-2 days. They are supplied with an aluminum frame
and, being lightweight, they will attach easily to your existing structure. The
solar tubes allow air to circulate around them and will not trap moisture or
debris.
Q: Do I
need to take any precautions when going on holiday or leaving the system
unattended for long periods?
A: A well-designed and sized solar system should provide you with the right amount of hot water.
Even when going on a holiday the system will still work and feed the energy
into the cylinder. There the losses will at some stage level out with the
energy provided. This will just lead to a slightly higher cylinder temperature.
