Apricus 30 Tube Solar HW System Is Being Installed Next Week!

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Apricus 30 Tube Solar HW System Is Being Installed Next Week!

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Started 2 years ago by GJOESQ
Latest reply from pummers

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dymonite69
Member

Greenozi's concern (as pointed out in the article I referred to) is the possibility of significant heat stratification in the lower part of the tank during a part of the day which will allow Legionella can proliferate. The top layer might be hot enough to be bacteriocidal but this not reflect the range of tank conditions.

This can occur for a number of reasons e.g. increased demand, element located at the middle of the tank, themostat position, source of heating etc

The study I quoted was Canadian - perhaps tanks in Australia are better designed to prevent this problem from occurring.

Posted Tuesday 13 Oct 2009 @ 9:13:04 am from IP #
Greenozi
Member

Dymonite69. That is true for open system when water is circulating inside cylinder. I have mention isolated system where water for use is kept inside copper coil and don’t have any contact with water inside cylinder. Water in cylinder is used as heat accumulator.
Any bacteria from cylinder have no access thru copper pipe. Any suggestion for restriction for such system?

Posted Tuesday 13 Oct 2009 @ 10:08:04 am from IP #
Sunshine
Member

If water is drawn from near the top of the tank where the water is the hottest, there shouldn't be a risk of bacteria, as the water will be above 60 degrees..

Posted Tuesday 13 Oct 2009 @ 10:35:32 am from IP #
Greenozi
Member

Sunshine, no I am talking about completely different system. Cylinder you can fill with glycol or other nasty stuff. Then thru this cylinder is going 30m long copper pipe bend into coil. Fresh water is going thru this coil collecting heat from solution in cylinder. Another circulation for this glycol from cylinder to solar collector panel.
Two separate circuits. And water inside coil has no physical contact with glycol in cylinder.
Is there is still obligation to heat this glycol to 60C every day?

Posted Tuesday 13 Oct 2009 @ 11:03:14 am from IP #
Sunshine
Member

The glycol would need to be heated to 6o degrees to heat the water to 60 degrees as well.
The glycol won't get the bacteria (even if it did it wouldn't matter), but the water would need to reach that temperature at least once a day.

Posted Tuesday 13 Oct 2009 @ 11:47:52 am from IP #
gully
Member

Yuck. Glycol. Stay away from it. I would never get a flat plate indirect system (glycol-based). Nothing like seeing green rainwater flushing your toilet from your tank when the flat plate cracks

Posted Wednesday 24 Mar 2010 @ 5:06:30 am from IP #
micko
Member

Just come across this thread and wanted to make a few important comments:

1. DIY solar systems are not a good idea, and you will not be able to get rebates. Any systems must be Australian Standards approved (AS2712) and be listed with ORER.

2. Legionella: The Australian Standard AS3498-2009 related to plumbing products requires that:

"For a storage water heater, heat pump heater or solar water heater, at least 90% of the stored water is heated to 60oC for at least one single period of not less than 32min each 7 day period."

So as long as you heat the whole tank up to 60oC once a week, you are fine, as Legionella take some time to grow to dangerous levels. If you have a system with a mid element, and solar is not able to heat the whole tank to 60oC at some point during the week (maybe in really poor weather) then you will need to heat the tank daily to kill Legionella. In reality for most domestic solar systems if you are being provided with hot water from solar and/or boosting then you are going to be pretty safe, as the tank will be reaching 60oC right to the bottom on a regular basis.

Posted Thursday 22 Apr 2010 @ 2:45:49 am from IP #
Mark Robbo
Member

Hi to everyone.
We installed an Apricus system (22 tubes) on our plumber's recommendation when we built our straw bale house 2 years ago.
Just the 2 of us, and were reasonably satisfied with the amount of hot water we were getting, though my wife always maintained that the solarhart on our previous house did a better job.
A couple of months ago, we stopped getting hot water. At best, after a sunny summer day, it would be just warm enough for a shower, but only just. This morning at 10am after an hour or so of bright sun, it was stone cold.
Now our plumber tells us that it's probably the pump, which is apparently out of warranty and will cost us $300 to replace.
We're not heavy users - short showers, cold laundry wash, so feel very disgruntled that not only have we got a useless system after only 2 years, but we're using gas for all our hot water needs.
Two years ago we were happy to be installing the Apricus but somewhere along the line we feel diddled.

Posted Thursday 17 Jun 2010 @ 4:08:45 am from IP #
LanceTurner
Key Master

Mark, as I said in this post http://www.ata.org.au/forums/topic/insufficient-hot-water it is becoming a common problem with split systems. The added complexity and maintenance of pumps and controller etc is making for a lot of dead systems and unhappy customers...

Posted Thursday 17 Jun 2010 @ 4:17:54 am from IP #
pummers
Member

I recently spoke with the Apricus guys at the renovators show in Sydney and they told me that they were assessing some new Grundfos pumps. My plumbing connections tell me that this is the best pump available for hot water and is widely used in commercial application.

Mark, make sure your plumber uses a Grundfos pump.

I will be ordering a 30 tube system shortly and will be insisting on a Grundfos pump, if it isn't supplied i will be asking for a system with out a pump and fitting it independently.

Posted Friday 6 Aug 2010 @ 1:24:06 pm from IP #
Enviropoint
Member

Hello Pummers,

Before you order. Check out Sky Solar. Thier the smallest and probably the most powerful of all solar collectors.
The collectors use up allot less roof space which can be extremely important for some people who want to maximise the roof space

Posted Saturday 7 Aug 2010 @ 1:27:04 am from IP #
pummers
Member

Has anyone looked at the AAE Systems? http://www.aaesolar.com.au/index.html

Posted Tuesday 10 Aug 2010 @ 12:33:04 pm from IP #
gully
Member

Yep. Myself and olfella and others on these forums have these. They use grundfos pumps and you can't notice them in use, they are dead quiet.

micko: thanks for citing that info. Reading it - i'd be suprised if any plumber physically tests this when installed, but i'd imagine manufacturers have to prove the standard install will do this to get approval for AS3498-2009.

Posted Tuesday 10 Aug 2010 @ 2:40:49 pm from IP #
pummers
Member

Had this link forwarded to me tonight after a TV add on WIN TV. Does anyone have any thoughts on these systems or the Solar Science brand?

http://www.fxlarkin.com.au/page116792.cfm

Posted Sunday 24 Oct 2010 @ 10:26:47 am from IP #

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