Evacuated Tube Solar Hot Water Repairs

8 things you should know about evacuated tube solar hot water system repairs.

1. The primary cause of evacuated tube solar hot water system breakdowns is overheating. Overheating results in leaking threaded joints, deterioration of collector sensors and sensor wires, deterioration of the automatic steam relief valves and the insulation and burnt out pumps.
2. Overheating occurs because the evacuated tube collectors have not been installed at the right pitch of 45-55 degrees. It occurs because pump speeds are too low or the pipe between the collectors and sensor has not been installed correctly.
3. The secondary causes are pump failure and controller failure. These will lead to similar symptoms as those experienced when collectors are too flat. Failure of pumps and controllers can be the result of poor quality and poor installation techniques.
4. When a fault occurs in an evacuated tube system it compounds into further failures. The longer a fault is left, the more expensive the repair becomes. For example, a broken pump or faulty sensor could result in frozen flow and return pipes. These may cause a burst pipe in the ceiling resulting in water damage to your home.
5. 80% of evacuated tube solar hot water systems we visit in Canberra are not working as efficiently as they should. 5% are not working as solar hot water systems at all and rely on continual boosting.
6. If you break an evacuated glass tube you do not need to panic. The glass tube is not filled with water and the copper insert will not leak. Most evacuated glass tubes are replaceable. At Canberra Solar Hot Water Repairs we can provide replacement tubes to suit most evacuated tube solar hot water systems.
7. For safety and efficiency all hot water systems require periodic servicing. This will help to reduce expensive repairs. Evacuated tube solar hot water systems should be serviced by an experienced technician at least once every 5 years. This will ensure the system works as efficiently as it did the day it was installed.
8. Solar hot water spares are hard to source for some brands. For example, the popular Hills evacuated tube solar hot water systems are no longer made. We have been able to source parts for these systems. When we cannot get solar hot water parts we can readily adapt parts from other solar hot water brands. In most cases this allows us to make solar hot water systems work more efficiently.