solar geyser

[noxibox]

We also had a very old geyser. Didn't see any point in keeping it when we installed the solar system. We went for vacuum tubes.

I am not convinced about the heat pump.
Solar and gas is the only way to go "off grid", sorry.
With a heatpump you still need electricity.

Only if you get a solar system that doesn't use a pump.

Ia it cheaper to only switch your geyser on when you shower or bath? compared to leaving it on whole day?

Only if there is something wrong with your geyser. If you almost never use the hot water, then that would be a case for leaving if off most of the time.

[spiff]

Ah almost forgot I had a post here.

Just an update on my solar geyser installation:

I went for a 200l - flat panel from AGSsolar ( www.agssolar.co.za ) as I know them, having worked at their factory in Killarney Gardens. System was installed on the 28th July.

total cost with all new valves / electrics / labour / vat etc. came to R16000-00. that's with the eskom rebate.

the guys came in on the saturday morning early and were done by 11am. they disconnected & drained my old (1986) geyser, then wired my geyserwise to the new geyser so I can see the actual temp and set my backup temp just in case it drops below 60deg.

up to now I've seen a high of 67deg and a low of 47deg and have not had a single day without hot water. also seen the new well insulated geyser hold its temperature way better than my old geyser - only drops a few degrees over night.

so far I VERY happy with the system its nice to shower now whenever I feel like and not have to worry about geyser times & electricity - problem now is I can't get out the shower in the mornings

[Mike Smit]

Wait till the savings kick in and you will appreciate it even more.
I save an average of R1,000 a month now. Well worth it.

[spiff]

Wait till the savings kick in and you will appreciate it even more.
I save an average of R1,000 a month now. Well worth it.

indeed anything to put eskum out of business!!

[phoneJunky]

The hottest my geyser got was 90 degrees. I had to run the taps this week to cool of the geyser. The heating element rarely gets used as I set it at a low temperature. In one week a saved about R300 on my bill. Will monitor my next bill to see how big a saving it really is.

[Sinbad]

The hottest my geyser got was 90 degrees. I had to run the taps this week to cool of the geyser. The heating element rarely gets used as I set it at a low temperature. In one week a saved about R300 on my bill. Will monitor my next bill to see how big a saving it really is.

Mine boils most summer days. You can hear it bubbling away, and spitting steam out the overflow...

And it's east facing. Could be a lot better if my house faced north

[The_Mowgs]

I am moving into a new house soon which I bought and thought of putting in a solar system but I have some questions. The house has 2 bathrooms, one with a bath and shower and the other only a bath. There are 2 geysers in the roof.

What I would like to know is, is it possible for 1 solar system to supply both geysers with hot water. The other question is MUST you install a new geysers also or can you use the one you currently have? The one geyser is fairly new but the other one might be a bit old.

Hope someone can help me with these questions

Edit to add: Or would it be better to buy a bigger capacity tank to feed both bathrooms?

[Mike Smit]

I am moving into a new house soon which I bought and thought of putting in a solar system but I have some questions. The house has 2 bathrooms, one with a bath and shower and the other only a bath. There are 2 geysers in the roof.

What I would like to know is, is it possible for 1 solar system to supply both geysers with hot water. The other question is MUST you install a new geysers also or can you use the one you currently have? The one geyser is fairly new but the other one might be a bit old.

Hope someone can help me with these questions

Edit to add: Or would it be better to buy a bigger capacity tank to feed both bathrooms?

When I had mine installed they said I could hook up my existing geyser with the new one but the cost was quite a few K extra. It worked out cheaper to just fit a 300L Solar Geyser and it supplies the whole house. 6 occupants. 4 bathrooms. Not had an issue with a 300L as yet.
I kept my old geyser with the intention of hooking it up in the future if the need arose but it does not appear I will need it.

[The_Mowgs]

Thanks for the info Mike

[The_Mowgs]

Mike, if I may ask, what did you pay for that system? Currently we will only be 2 occupents in the house so do you think I should rather buy a smaller one?

[Mike Smit]

Mike, if I may ask, what did you pay for that system? Currently we will only be 2 occupents in the house so do you think I should rather buy a smaller one?

The total was R34k then an Eskom rebate of R12k leaving me with a total R22k. 300L geyser and 2 panels.
I got mine through Teljoy Solar. I took it on a 48 month payment plan. No deposit.
6 months in I paid the settlement amount and was done with payments.
My monthly bill has dropped by around R1k PM so well worth it if you ask me.

200L should be perfect for you. I only went 300L because there are quite a few of us. Wife and 2 teenage daughters alone probably warrant the 300L
You could probably even get away with a 150L. Don't take my word for it though.

[noswal]

I got a 120 lt geyser from a company in Pretoria, cost just under R5000 delivered to Joburg, had to install it myself.. you do need some DIY knowledge to do it.

[atomcrusher]

regarding the heat pump - its supposed to be more efficient electricity wise as opposed to an electric heater element in your geyser.

some say about 70-80% more efficient?? any comments?

Many Heat Pump manufacturers seem to claim the same ... i.e. for every 1 KW electricity consumed, a heat pump will provide the water heating capacity of 3x, i.e. 3 KW

So theoretically the cost of water heating using a Heat Pump should be about 33% of the cost using an electrical heating element.

But I would like to find a scientific & unbiased study on the accuracy of the pump manufacturer's claims

[Sinbad]

Many Heat Pump manufacturers seem to claim the same ... i.e. for every 1 KW electricity consumed, a heat pump will provide the water heating capacity of 3x, i.e. 3 KW

So theoretically the cost of water heating using a Heat Pump should be about 33% of the cost using an electrical heating element.

But I would like to find a scientific & unbiased study on the accuracy of the pump manufacturer's claims

That sounds about right. I have aircons that work as heaters on the same principle. They provide 3.5kw of heating, for max energy consumption of just over 1kw.

[atomcrusher]

That sounds about right. I have aircons that work as heaters on the same principle. They provide 3.5kw of heating, for max energy consumption of just over 1kw.

I'm sure it must be about right, but to me it sounds like making 3 x 1kg loaves of bread from 1kg of dough
3 kg of dough may make 3 x loaves, but each loaf would surely weigh only about 333 grams

I'd still like to find a scientific & unbiased explanation for the seeming tripling of energy