Solar Hot Water Repairs

8 Things you should know about Solar Hot Water Repairs

1. With solar hot water systems, small problems can turn into big problems overnight. A broken sensor wire can turn into a frozen and split manifold in winter. It could cause your components and pipe joints to cook and deteriorate in summer. The same results could occur from a faulty pump or flow meter. The end result is large sums of your money being wasted.
2. The smallest fault can severely impair the efficiency of your solar hot water system. A faulty valve or an incorrectly adjusted valve could reduce efficiency and cause excessive boosting, wasting a considerable amount of money in energy or water every year.
3. Like your car, all hot water systems require ongoing repairs and maintenance to keep them safe and operating efficiently. It is worthwhile looking over your solar tank and solar control station to check for leaks and fault warning lights or error codes. Check for bare wires and torn insulation. If you can do it safely climb onto your roof and inspect your collectors at the same time.
4. We see many electric hot water tanks that were once connected to solar collectors. The collectors have been disconnected or the pump turned off because of a minor reoccurring fault in the system. If the systems had remained operating as the manufacturer intended, the owners would have saved thousands of dollars in energy costs. In too many cases the fault was easily and cheaply fixed once and for all.These cases can mostly be attributed to inexperienced repair people. The truth is many plumbers, gas fitters and electricians know very little about solar hot water systems.
5. Some solar hot water brands are no longer available in Canberra or Queanbeyan. We have been able to source solar hot water spare parts for these brands. We have also learnt which brands that we can adapt parts from for these obsolete brands.
6. Some brands are not worth repairing. This is not because solar spare parts are no longer available, it is because the technology they use will never stand up to Canberra’s extreme climate. We can advise you of alternatives in these circumstances.
7. Most plumbers have rudimentary solar hot water experience. When seeking solar hot water repairs and solar hot water servicing look for experienced, dedicated solar hot water repairers. This will ensure that you have reliable, cheap hot water and it saves you time and money.
8. To ensure your repairs are done properly your solar hot water repairers should have – Plumbers, gasfitters and restricted electrical qualifications.