Solar panel service phone call

Cathy Makes Cards

I just received a phone call regarding servicing of my solar panels (tubes for hot water heating).

The installation company (we'll call it xxxCo) are no longer in business and this person claimed to have received a list of their customers from the tube manufacturer.

He stated that unless the tubes were serviced every two years the warranty could be invalidated. (Mine were installed just over two years ago).

I really would appreciate some advice - do they need to be serviced every two years?

I am a little concerned about the call as it was a bit 'hard sell' promising that this is a special price as you were a customer of xxxCo and won't last long.

Thanks.
Cathy

ccsolar

Cathy Makes Cards wrote: »

I just received a phone call regarding servicing of my solar panels (tubes for hot water heating).

The installation company (we'll call it xxxCo) are no longer in business and this person claimed to have received a list of their customers from the tube manufacturer.

He stated that unless the tubes were serviced every two years the warranty could be invalidated. (Mine were installed just over two years ago).

I really would appreciate some advice - do they need to be serviced every two years?

I am a little concerned about the call as it was a bit 'hard sell' promising that this is a special price as you were a customer of xxxCo and won't last long.

Thanks.
Cathy

Hi Cathy
Do you know what make of tube ? (Pm if necessary)
You should be looking at a service every 5 yrs unless you notice any problems with the performance.
I've a feeling that this guy has worked for the previous company and has come up with this idea to make some handy cash.
All would be revealed with just 1 call to the manufacturer...
Either way I would keep clear of this guy.
Cc

Cathy Makes Cards

Thank you so much for taking the time, ccsolar. I can't find the manufacturer's name in any of the documents (I have a vague idea that they might be Bosch????) but think that you are probably right about the guy. I will take your advice and contact a local contractor in a couple of years as they are working really well.

Again, many thanks!
Cathy

Hollywood130

Hi Cathy

I am thinking about installing solar panels, I'm wondering how you are getting on with yours? Are they worthwhile? Have you had any problems with them? Is the water always hot enough?

Many Thanks

Cathy Makes Cards

Hollywood130 wrote: »

Hi Cathy

I am thinking about installing solar panels, I'm wondering how you are getting on with yours? Are they worthwhile? Have you had any problems with them? Is the water always hot enough?

Many Thanks

In a nutshell, I'm delighted with them. Here's why and my general information. I live in a bungalow with one bathroom (standard over-bath shower). I have a grown up daughter. My house faces more Northwest than West (important for placement of panels or tubes as best placement is wherever gets the most sun i.e. South). I have 25 tubes on the front roof. Since the end of April I have heated water no more than four times. The rest of the water was heated by the tubes. This is a massive saving for me as my daughter would put on the water (gas) for two hours before her shower. We can get both showers consecutively and probably another one from the tank and she takes AGES.

So I basically don't heat water for May to early September unless we have a run of very dull weather. I've had them two years now.

Make sure you check out the installer thoroughly. Your needs will be different and the solution should be tailored for you.

Hope this helps.

Cathy

Hollywood130

Cathy Makes Cards wrote: »

In a nutshell, I'm delighted with them. Here's why and my general information. I live in a bungalow with one bathroom (standard over-bath shower). I have a grown up daughter. My house faces more Northwest than West (important for placement of panels or tubes as best placement is wherever gets the most sun i.e. South). I have 25 tubes on the front roof. Since the end of April I have heated water no more than four times. The rest of the water was heated by the tubes. This is a massive saving for me as my daughter would put on the water (gas) for two hours before her shower. We can get both showers consecutively and probably another one from the tank and she takes AGES.

So I basically don't heat water for May to early September unless we have a run of very dull weather. I've had them two years now.

Make sure you check out the installer thoroughly. Your needs will be different and the solution should be tailored for you.

Hope this helps.

Cathy

Hi Cathy
That helps alot, can you tell me what brand yours are?
One plumber so far we need only 14 tubes, we'll have 3 bathrooms in a 5 bed house, will have to look into that end more.
Is servicing costly?

Cathy Makes Cards

Hollywood130 wrote: »

Hi Cathy
That helps alot, can you tell me what brand yours are?
One plumber so far we need only 14 tubes, we'll have 3 bathrooms in a 5 bed house, will have to look into that end more.
Is servicing costly?

I have not had a service yet (see further up this thread).

Cathy Makes Cards

Hollywood130 wrote: »

Hi Cathy
That helps alot, can you tell me what brand yours are?
One plumber so far we need only 14 tubes, we'll have 3 bathrooms in a 5 bed house, will have to look into that end more.
Is servicing costly?

Sorry - forgot to say that I don't know what brand.

Hollywood130

Cathy Makes Cards wrote: »

Sorry - forgot to say that I don't know what brand.

No worries, I seen you mentioned that!

freddyuk

Hollywood130 wrote: »

Hi Cathy
That helps alot, can you tell me what brand yours are?
One plumber so far we need only 14 tubes, we'll have 3 bathrooms in a 5 bed house, will have to look into that end more.
Is servicing costly?

Your plumber maybe wrong.
Get in someone who knows what they are talking about. 14 tubes means nothing. There is a rule of thumb idea but you need to specify what "tubes" are being specified. Your usage and storage is critical so you can have 10 bathrooms but how much hot water do you use on average? How much storage for hot water do you have? These are the critical factors. On good days you want to be able to store all the free energy somewhere for use on the bad days.
If you need some advice post details of what you have /need.
You will not get piping hot water every day but the water you use will be being heated all day every day to some degree so even if it is not 55c it only needs a tickle from the boiler to bring it up to temperature thus saving you oil/gas cost. Servicing is minimal on a correctly installed system.

Hollywood130

We are in the process of trying to pick a plumber at the moment, we've had 3 out so far, still waiting on prices from 2 so still not sure who we are going with. I'd love some advice, at the moment only the first fix plumbing is done. We need to put in radiators (19-20), we are putting in a triple coil as we are putting in a stove with a back boiler. It will be a presssurised system running 3 showers (not power ones) just the normal pump ones. We'll have one small tank in the attic I think is for the over flow and the other tank will go in the hotpress. Now one plumber said 2 tanks would have to go in the hotpress, this I'm not sure of either... the house is a dormer