How it works

 

1. Solar collectors …

captures the energy of the sun and convert it into heat. There are two types of collectors: Flat Plate and Evacuated Tubes. In New Zealand’s climate they are about equally efficient and the choice comes down to durability, serviceability and aesthetic considerations.
We offer world leading Chromagen Flat Plate collectors.
Since these may be mounted at a tilt angle down to 20 deg they can be mounted parallel to many roofs, thereby providing good integration with the house.

2. The hot water cylinder …

is possibly the most overlooked but most important system component.
It needs to be correctly sized to make the most of the hot water produced by the collector(s). Generally, a solar hot water cylinder should be larger than a standard hot water cylinder for the equivalent amount of hot water.
The system is boosted by an electric element, this element needs to be correctly positioned within the cylinder. ( not at the bottom of the tank )
For residential installations we offer Chromagen cylinders that come in two standard sizes: 200 & 300 litres.
It is possible to use an existing hot water cylinder but it is almost always desirable to upgrade to a purpose-built cylinder in order to avoid compromising the system’s efficiencies.
Frost protection and water quality are important considerations.

3. The heat exchanger ...

Solar collectors, instead of heating water directly, heat a glycol/water mixture which passes through a heat exchanger in the hot water cylinder, thus heating your water indirectly.
This is a ‘closed loop’ system. There are two important benefits to a Closed Loop system:
-it provides in-built frost protection (important throughout New Zealand).
-it protects your collector against the clogging that ‘hard’ water can cause and which reduces collector life as well as impairing its efficiency.

4. The pump station...

Using a pump to circulate the liquid through the system creates a forced circulation system and allows the collector(s) and the hot water cylinder to be separated.
It also allows your collectors to work at a lower temperature.

5. The controller …

keeps the whole system in balance by starting the pump when water in the collector is heated, turning on the booster when there is insufficient solar heat, and turning off the pump when the collector water is not hot enough.

There are times when there won’t be enough sunshine to heat as much hot water as you require.

6. The hot water …

what it is all about, hot water power by a renewable energy.