replace solar tube

barfold

Hi can anyone recommend someone to replace an evacuated solar panel tube and any idea on cost ?
Kids broke one with a ball, easy access to roof- no need for scaffolding
Dublin 5 area Thanks

paddy147

I thought that these were unbreakable???

sullzz

Very easily broken , the slightest knock will break one .

paddy147

sullzz wrote: »

Very easily broken , the slightest knock will break one .

So the likes of a seagull landing on it,or a crow or magpie dropping something on it will damage/break it.:eek:

Dont like the sound and the thoughts of that and having the hassle of sorting it out (thank god for flat panels)

sullzz

paddy147 wrote: »

So the likes of a seagull landing on it,or a crow or magpie dropping something on it will damage/break it.:eek:

Dont like the sound and the thoughts of that and having the hassle of sorting it out (thank god for flat panels)

I dont mean to say that a bird landing on one or a twig falling on one out a birds beak will break one , but a leather football could , i find that the tubes perform better than the flat panels , but thats just my opinion ... Each to their own.

barfold

I knew they were breakable and what sold me was that at least only a tube( approx €30 I am told from plumbing supplier) as opposed to replacing entire flat panel and they do work better than the panels. Just stuck on someone to fit the tube

paddy147

I went with flat panel for a reason,that being much more sturdy,can stand on it and dont have to worry about any damage to it.Also so much less weight in it,when its on the roof (a mere 8 kilos in weight).

I suppose any competent plumber will be able to replace it for you.
What about the company or plumber that installed your solar system,can they not replace it for you??

Hope you get it sorted soon.:)

freddyuk

I think the tubes are made of a form of this: Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with the main glass-forming constituents silica and boron oxide. Borosilicate glasses are known for having very low coefficients of thermal expansion (~3 × 10−6 /°C at 20°C), making them resistant to thermal shock, more so than any other common glass. Such glass is less subject to thermal stress and is commonly used for the construction of reagent bottles. Borosilicate glass is sold under such trade names as Pyrex and Simax.

So they are very robust (not easily broken at all) but they are glass and if hit hard enough will break but it can be handled quite roughly without damage. Maybe it was a leather football?

You do not need to replace the whole tube if it has a heat tube - just remove the tube assembly from the manifold and remove the copper heat tube, heat absorber and washer inside the glass tube and replace this into a new glass tube. A simple job. A glass tube should be around €10. If you have an old water filled tube then you will need to replace the complete assembly and refill the system so not a DIY job.