Tips On selecting a solar panel system
To take full advantage of the sun your panels must be south facing at an angle of between 30 to 50 degrees.
Most of the cheaper systems on the market are not efficient.
Solar panels should give enough hot water to satisfy a household of 4 people from May to October on days with reasonable sunshine without any back up system. They should contribute to reduce the entire energy heating bill by 15 to 20 %
When using a solar pump on the roof to pump the water in the system.
This pump should not start until the water in the panel has reached a predefined heat that is grater than the heat in the cylinder otherwise it will cool your hot water.
When your cylinder gets to a set temperature of 65 to 70 degrees the system should be capable of turning itself off.
If it does not turn off, it will boil the water in the cylinder which could cause serious problems in your water heating system.
There should be at least 2 coils in your hot water cylinder, one for the solar system and one for back up heating system.
Your cylinder should reach a temperature of 70 degrees at least once per week to prevent any unwanted bacteria’s developing in your cylinder. This is generally taking care of if you choose a good computer controlled system.