Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Calis Beach Forum => Calis Beach Questions and Information => Topic started by: stoop on May 19, 2016, 08:12:19 AM
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This might seem a daft question but here goes anyway.
We've just had it fitted and we are using it this week for the first time.
My question is - if, like yesterday, it was sunny, we showered only once each at 11am then used no further hot water as we were out all day - would you expect the water to be cold at 9am this morning (no sun on panels until around 10am).
I would have hoped any water heated yesterday would have stayed hot overnight. Our tank is in the loft.
Thanks peeps.
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You mean... you shower?
Feck me, learn something new every day.
JF
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I would have expected it to still be hot. Ours needs 2 days without sun before it is too cool to shower with.
But how long has it been since it was fitted. If only one day then maybe the tank had not fully heated up, also if new there may be airlocks in the heat transfer piping so would lose efficiency.
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It was fitted last October but this this is the first week we've used it.
When it's hot it's really hot but having not used it since 11am yesterday I didn't expect a cold shower this morning.
Engin is on his way to check it with the fitter.
Silly question but take it we don't need to leave the emersion heater on? Sort of defeats the object I guess?
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The problem with the tanks out here is that there are many different qualities and some hold their heat better than others,also the night time temp is still chilly for this time of year even if it is in your loft,i am sure it is not insulated.Try wrapping the tank with an old duvet or buy some of the foam they use for lounger cushions and cover it.
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If the thermostat on the immersion heater is functioning properly there'd be no harm in leaving it on a medium setting.
As mac2010 says above, insulating the tank will make a big difference.
While they're up there, get them to check the antifreeze in the panels too.
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Most of the tanks are on the roof, so as well as being heated via the panels the tank also heats up with the heat from the sun. Even so the water should be still hot this morning if your tank is big enough.
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When you say "we" - how many people?
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This might sound silly, but did you let the hot water run long enough to get the hot water to your shower? We always get water through hot the next day, but sometimes the water takes a while to run through.
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Single tank systems have a smaller / inner tank (which your immersion heater is fixed to) and the volume of hot water they hold is not sufficient for a family of say 4 all taking a shower one after the other hence why the twin tank systems are more popular for family homes and individually cheaper to replace.
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Hi again,
I was told yesterday the tank was good quality and insulated (on the inside as I can't see any on the outside). Maybe the cold nights aren't helping.
Only two of us here.
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Only two of us here.
Ah - but are you both very, very big people as your picture only ever shows your head from an aerial view ;)
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(http://previews.123rf.com/images/yupiramos/yupiramos1207/yupiramos120700216/14374981-ouch-explosion-pop-art-style-vector-illustration-Stock-Vector.jpg)
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Seriously, Stoop, think something wrong here. I live in Fethiye all year round and have hot water from solar most times even in the winter. No insulation as far as I know. If I lived in Ovacik I would expect less hot water through this system, but where you are? Can't see that myself. And why would you use an immersion when it is not needed? I would never leave mine on, use it just a few times a year.
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Thanks - I suppose it also depends how soon the sun shines on the panels in the morning. This time of year it's about 10am before ours get it. Maybe that, coupled with heat loss at night, is the problem?
It's hot by 11am.
Maybe lagging is required as temps are quite cold at night right now.
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You haven't got the solar panels in the attic with the tank by any chance have you.?? That could affect the performance. ;)
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Ha ha - nope!
Same today. 8am - ran hot water for 5mins but still cold.
Will have to get them back again.
Strange it was very hot through the day and last night but cold in the morning. Suggest maybe poor insulation or could the heat or hot water be escaping any other way?
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Sounds more like a dodgy installation - either that or the tank is way too small.
Ambient heat loss is gradual, not sudden as in going from hot to cold instantly.
JF
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Stoop
Ours is just the same and always has been.
That's why we had an electric shower fitted
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I live in Ovacik. Half way up the mountain. I put the immersion heater on for half an hour this morning at 7am for our showers.
I maybe have to do this about 20 times a year throughout the cooler months.
I would never leave my immersion heater on much more than an 1 hour. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Stoop are the panels higher than the tanks.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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Providing the pressure relief / header tank is above the cylinder it should function ok. The height of the cylinder could effect
the water pressure in your property but it shouldn't account for the loss of hot water. I think the fault is in the system somewhere.
My cylinder and header tank are 4 foot above the apex of my roof in a colder district to yours Stoop and work fine. May be a restriction
somewhere.??
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Cheers - they've been back a few times and say it's normal.
I don't suppose our water pressure is causing it? We have really high pressure here in Koca Calis ATM.
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I thought the difference in height of the water tank to the panels affected the flow of hot water out of the tank at night, once the air outside becomes colder than the water in the tank?
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Maybe we need to have yet another word.
Maybe you need another solar system fitter...?
JF
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Maybe John but we've paid good money for this so expect it to be rectified. Maybe Engin needs to supply another fitter?
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I know he's very protective of his reputation and we have always found him to be honest and reliable but we seem to be banging our heads against a brick wall over this.
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Personally, I wouldn't use him again.
So, what you've got is a solar water heating system that doesn't give you hot water. If there *is* an issue with header tank height and availability of placement then they shouldn't have proceeded with the install as it is - that said, I've seen solar systems of a variety of configurations over the years in Turkey, some look so bizarre you wonder who the hell fitted it. But they all have one thing in common, if they get the sun... you get hot water.
JF
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Any update on the missing hot water.
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Sorry Jim I missed your post!
Update is that we found other problems caused by the plumber and his shoddy work. Firstly Jim went up in the loft and noticed that the plumber had tried to stop a leaking joint but couldn't - so he put a tray under the leak and filled it with insulation fibre (probably hoping it would soak up and then evaporate before it overflowed). I have pictures somewhere on my ipad.
Engin, to his credit, did come back and the pipework was all changed for metal rather than plastic. The leak was stopped but the fact is it should never have happened in the first place. Shoddy work by the 'plumber'.
The water is still not hot in the morning even if we don't use any in the evening! We are still losing all that lovely hot water that the sun provides as soon as night time arrives. We have to wait until about 11am before it's hot again.
Engin insists this is normal as his is the same at home. I think our only option is to get a professional plumber in the sort it out - if we want hot water first thing in the morning.
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Give Paul Cherry a ring and ask him to have a look at it for you. We use Paul all the time and he is very good and has a good reputation in the area.
Incidentally, we had the solar panels renewed and increased on our roof a couple of years ago and we always have hot water from first thing in the morning to last thing at night.
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Thanks Jacqui - we might just do that when we are out next summer.
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Well we are having solar fitted here. I,ll let you know how it goes. Didn't realise there wasn't Any! We also had mains water fitted,didn't even realise it had been installed, we had been to fethiye and it had all been done while we were Out! He had had a jcb up here n all sorts. We phoned him to say hadn't got any water could he help, and his reply was I haven't turned it on yet. He was here in 5 mins, checked all taps inside. Tell you, we bless the day we met this man.
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Can't believe you have not had hot water in the mornings given the weather we have had this year, or rather the amount of hot sunshine hours!
Sorry, but I just would not believe what Engin says about his being the same at his home.
I would also ask Paul Cherry, as Jacqui suggested. Hopefully from him, you will get a straight answer.
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Maybe we need to have yet another word.
Maybe you need another solar system fitter...?
My advice still stands. You need someone out who knows what they are doing.
JF
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Maybe we need to have yet another word.
Maybe you need another solar system fitter...?
My advice still stands. You need someone out who knows what they are doing.
JF
Seems you were correct JF. We will re-visit this next summer.
Cheers everyone.
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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.
Stoop are you referring to Engin of Fethiye Property Services ??
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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.
Stoop are you referring to Engin of Fethiye Property Services ??
Yes
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I agree with Lissa Stoop our water is boiling hot from our solar panels lasts all day shower in morning and evening washing machine on loads of other stuff, even on a cloudy day we can just about get by with a quick shower each still not going completely cold from the 'sunny' days hot supply...
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I agree with Lissa Stoop our water is boiling hot from our solar panels lasts all day shower in morning and evening washing machine on loads of other stuff, even on a cloudy day we can just about get by with a quick shower each still not going completely cold from the 'sunny' days hot supply...
To be honest that's what we expected. It seems our system has been fitted wrongly in some way. Maybe the tank is too low or the panels too high - we will attempt to find out from a professional; next spring.
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From my experience here in the UK with plumbers there is no such thing as a professional plumber but they will tell you they are.So good luck with that Stoop. :)
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From my experience here in the UK with plumbers there is no such thing as a professional plumber but they will tell you they are.So good luck with that Stoop. :)
Sorry but that's crap! I have three very professional; plumbers that I can call on in York. :)
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After receiving my electric bill for 49 freaking quid for A WEEK, my solar will be fitted this week. Yes folks, I, m not mistaken, FORTY NINE ENGLISH POUNDS. Had visitors,extra showers n stuff but wtf :( ??? :-[
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Bernie, I am amazed that your place does not have a solar water heater on the roof. I always thought that all the house had one installed as standard when they were built.
Jamesuk, Do you really think that every Plumber in the U.K. Is not a professional?? I find that a very naive thing to write. I would also say we had a wonderful professional plumber fit us a whole new shower room here in Calis. A man who took great pride in his work and even brought our neighbours in to see the lovely job he had done....from fitting the sanitary ware to tiling the room from top to bottom.
He also put a new solar system on our roof, which works perfectly.
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I know Jacqui. Because the family only use it for a month every year they don't bother. It was one of the first to be built up here. The water tank was only filled once for them. It cost us 90 lira a Week! Getting sorted now,and have every faith in Kadir to fit me the best solar system and not be chasing the tank down the top road in the height of winter : :) ;D
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I am sure you will find the solution Stoop must be really frustrating for you!
Sorry what a ridiculous third post from Jamesuk our boiler man in uk is a registered plumber and has kept our boiler going long after weve expected to have to buy a new one!
I really hope me saying this does not jinx my boiler as i am aware of being a bit of a jinx lately!
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I know Jacqui. Because the family only use it for a month every year they don't bother. It was one of the first to be built up here. The water tank was only filled once for them. It cost us 90 lira a Week! Getting sorted now,and have every faith in Kadir to fit me the best solar system and not be chasing the tank down the top road in the height of winter : :) ;D
I said in my experience. We do have what I would say is a professional. But in the past we have had one to a boiler service and all he did was get the hoover out and hoover the inside of our back boiler. Cost was £80 Had another put in a power shower for us and we had to get him back 4 times to put things right. Another who lives 200yds from us went to prison for 4 years. The reason he installed a boiler system for an elderly couple and it caught fire. They were lucky to walk away. It turned out this professional plumber was not Corgi register so was not allowed to install gas appliances legally by law
I believe it isn't called Corgi but Gas Safe now Those are as I say my experience of plumbers and I am not saying all plumbers are like those I have mentioned.
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Err what's that gotta do with my post? Am I missing summat?
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My Mistake Bernie .. I meant to quote Jacqui's post. Sorry.