Solar water heating

[KKOB]

On the 2 occasions I forgot to switch it off, hot water was shooting from the roof like a steamy firework and I'm always being told the immersion can 'burn out' if left on too long.

Either you haven't got a thermostat on your immersion heater or it's set far too high for your needs.

[davybill]

We didn't have an emersion heater were we used to live, so we had to have a electric shower fitted during the winter
friends of ours on the complex said if they left their emersion on said it would overheat and burn out.

[stoop]

Having searched the net it looks like it's either poor fitting or a dodgy valve that is allowing the hot water to rise back up into the panels and lose the heat into the night air.

We can check this by going in the loft at night and seeing if either of the pipes above the tank are hot. They should both be cool. A hot pipe indicates a fault with the valve and it's letting the hot water rise back into the panels.

I'll let you know what Engin says when he come back again.

[Menthol]

On the 2 occasions I forgot to switch it off, hot water was shooting from the roof like a steamy firework and I'm always being told the immersion can 'burn out' if left on too long.

Either you haven't got a thermostat on your immersion heater or it's set far too high for your needs.

I'm sure you are right KKOB.

[Liz 101]

Looks like a dodgy fitting to me. I have tanks on the roof & despite there being naff all sun y'day, I've still had a lovely hot shower this am

[stoop]

Well we've had cold water all day yesterday. Seems the tank in the loft might be the reason. It could be allowing the hot water to rise back into the panels and cool.

No emersion either!

Will sort tomorrow I hope.

[Jim Fraser]

Stoop are the panels higher than the tanks.

[stoop]

That was my thought. It's hard to see. At worst I think they are about level. I can see the pipe from the tank does slope down but I can't be sure where the top of the panels are in relation to the tank. It is raised up but there is still room for it to be raised more.

[stoop]

Having looked round the site 99% of the houses with solar (all tanks in the loft) have the pressure release tank virtually at the top of their roofs. Ours is about two foot lower down.

So following on - their tanks are right in the apex where as both Ron and I know that ours is lower.

I think this is the main reason why we are losing the hot water overnight.

Any thought anyone?

[stoop]

We did mention this to Engin and said we thought the tanks should be moved higher. His fitter seemed to say it wasn't possible due to the roof layout or something.

Maybe we need to have yet another word.