Location Guide: Apricus Solar Thermal Heating >> FAQ

1. Is solar water viable as an alternative to heating a home using gas or electricity?
Solar Thermal Heating systems should not be seen as a alternative heating system, but it is a supplement to your primary water heating system. Solar cannot entirely replace your main heating system, as there are sometimes days when there is insufficient sunlight. Averaged across the course of a year, a solar thermal heating system can generate 60%-70% of a your hot water needs, providing that it is the correct size.

This will reduce your heating fuel costs, regardless of how you obtain your main water heating. But you do not need to have your prinicple heat come from fossil fuels, you could use a bio-mass boiler which means that you can generate all of your heating from carbon neutral sources. This is especially efficient as it means you have less demand on the biomass heating during the summer months.

2. How long will it take to pay for itself?
Our solar heating systems are far more affordable than most other solar hot water heaters. For most households the cost of a full system, including installation, would not be too much more than a new electric or gas boiler. Depending on where you live (due to varying sunlight levels) and how much hot water you use, the annual saving on your primary fuel bill will differ. However a household where 25% of the electricity usage is on hot water will recoup the cost in 4-5 years of reduced bills, gas heating may take up to 10 years. But this means you will make a considerable saving over the life of the solar heating system.

3. Will these solar collectors work if it cold?
Oh, yes. Apricus solar heating collectors will work even if the outside temperature drops to -30°C so long as the sun is shining. Performance is greatly reduced in extremely cold conditions. But good heat output performance is generated during even typical British sub-zero conditions.

4. What about if one of the solar collector tubes gets broken?
These tubes are very tough and not easy broken, but should the worst happen, Apricus solar tubes are very easy to replace. The tubes themselves are quite inexpensive and can be supplied though your local Apricus distributor. Our solar collectors systems will operate just fine with even several tubes broken, but the you will notice a drop in efficiency. Sowe recommend that any broken tubes are replaced immediately.

5. What about cloudy days, will I still get hot water?
Yes. Although your solar heating collector will not operate at its best when it is overcast, you will still get hot water from it. The more heavily clouded or raining it is the more boosting may be required from your primary heating system to get the water up to the required temperature. The whole system will be fully automated so you will not have to worry about running low on hot water when it rains.

6. Will this solar heating collector system work with my existing hot water system?
Normally yes. We install simple retrofit valves to connect to the solar heating collectors to your the cold water inlet of your existing system. If your hot water tank cannot accept the solar input directly, or you don't have a storage tank, then we will need to install an tank. This can be installed to pre-heat water prior to entering the existing tank or boiler. This gives you the full benefit of the system.

7. Are the solar collectors going to be very noticeable on my roof?
The collector array should blend well into the roof design. Apricus solar collectors are in fact very thin, so we can mount them flush with the roof. From a distance they will look like a skylight.

We recommend that you check with your local council planning authority regarding any restrictions before installing your solar collector. Especially if you are in a conservation area. Click here to view installation photos.

8. Can these solar collectors be mounted onto a flat surface?
Yes. We can install an Apricus solar heating collector onto a flat roof or even the ground if needed. We will use a stainless steel 'Flat Roof Frame' to elevate the tubes to at least a 20^o angle. This ensures that the heat pipes operate efficiently.

9. Do I need to protect my solar heating system from sub-zero temperatures?
If you live in an area where sub-zero temperatures are likely, then a freeze protection system must be incorporated as part of the installation. In the UK this means circulating warm water through the collectors if the manifold temperature ever drops below a certain temperature. This is usually set to 5°C (40°F) although this will only be reached when the external temperature drops to wll below freezing due to the insulating nature of the collector pipes. A pump will circulate warm water from the storage tank. This will run periodically to prevent the heat pipes from being damaged by the cold. The frequency of this will depend on the outside temperature.

10. Will the solar heating collector become a fire hazard during especially hot or dry weather?
No, we take great care with the materials and quality of our products. The components of the Apricus solar heating collector are all rated for high temperatures and are non-flammable. This means that even during very strong, direct sunlight when the circulation pump is turned off (stagnation), the system will be safe from catching alight or producing any sparks. The vast majority of the collector's components are made from stainless steel, aluminium, glass or glass wool making it resistant to fire. We recommend that the outlet on the mainfold be fitted with a temperature controlled relief valve, this will prevent the manifold temperature from passing 99°C (212°F).

11. Can an Apricus solar heat collector make water hot enough?
Yes during, good weather, an Apricus solar collector will be able to bring water up to boiling point. Obviously this is not generally necessary, so the system should be designed for providing a daily temperature rise of around 25° - 30° C (45° - 54°F) throughout the summer. Installing a domestic system which is designed to bring cold water up to 60°C (141°F) every day is not a logical way to work. Simply because the hot water is not going to be used every day. So on following day, the water in the system will boil and dump hot water through the relief valve. This means you will be wasting both energy and water.

12. What maintenance will the solar collector require?
On a day to day basis the system will require absolutely no maintenance. Because of the shape of the tubes, rain and wind will keep the tubes clean. If any of the tubes ever get broken, it should be replaced. This is an inexpensive and easy job for anyone with some basic DIY skills.

13. Can an Apricus solar heating collector system be used for on large scales?
Absolutely. Apricus solar heating collectors are perfectly suited to being connected in series or parallel networks to provide hot water for a commercial or large scale settings (schools, hotels, office buildings, etc). The total size of the system is unlimited. However, it must be laid out correctly as collectors in banks of more than 150 tubes in series must be avoided, or the water will boil.

14. Can I heat a swimming pool or spa using an Apricus solar heating collector?
Apricus solar heat collectors are designed as high temperature collectors. This makes them ideal for spas where the volume of water is relatively small and the temperature needs to be raised a considerable amount. However, swimming pools need a much larer volume of water and a temperature rise of only a few degrees. So the size of collector bank to heat a pool may be prohibitive unless it is a large scale swimming pool. Apricus collectors may be an extremely viable option to supplement to gas or electricity heating of large scale pools.

15. Are solar heating tube collectors more efficient than flat plate solar collectors?
At peak efficiency levels a flat plate collector works better. But peak efficiency means hot days and strong sunshine. For the UK evacuated tubes perform far better than flat plate. This is primarily down to the fact that tube collectors do not lose so much heat.

16. Can Apricus solar collectors be used in a drainback configuration?
Yes. The Apricus solar collector comes in an end port version which is well suited to drainback use. The solar collector will not be damanged, however, simply by turning the pumps off and leaving the system to stagnate (as in a straightforward simple installation). Even in strong sunlight as each collector has been designed to withstand stagnation temperatures.