solar thermal collectors help..

keano25 · 29-03-2022 1:28pm #1

Hi all,

I have a gravity feed system in my house.

I have a stove that gives us heat and hot water all winter and I have a condensing boiler which we use mainly to only heat our hot water in the summer.

Im wondering what I could get to heat the hot water without having to turn on the boiler everyday..

My tank is a 300l insulated Joule cyclone.

Car99 · 29-03-2022 1:35pm

How many coils in your 300L cylinder and how many are being used?

keano25 · 29-03-2022 2:05pm

3 coils, one for solid fuel and one being used for boiler. One free.

randombar · 29-03-2022 3:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118851576#Comment_118851576

I know the solar thermal isn't really talked about any more, if you could pick up a very cheap system it might be worth it but there is some maintenance in them to be fair.

keano25 · 29-03-2022 4:32pm

What's recommend now instead?

bunderoon · 30-03-2022 12:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118852322#Comment_118852322

If you have triple coiled cylinder then you are half way there for solar tubes. Its the cheapest way to heat water.

And the grant of 1,200 is still available

https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/solar-water-heating-grant/

What is your roof orientation? North/South East/West ?

Do you have heating zones?

I have the Joule triple coil cylinder and including boiler stove. So more or less the same setup as yourself.

I am looking to get a system this year. Have put it off for many years.

keano25 · 30-03-2022 3:33pm

Thanks..

The back of my house gets sun all day..

I have three zones, living, bedrooms and hot water.

Any idea with grant how much tubes are costing?

In relation to your stove if we had solar fitted heating the hot water the radiators would in turn heat up a lot faster.

graememk · 30-03-2022 4:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118856820#Comment_118856820

The Domestic hot water will heat up a lot faster, It wouldnt really effect the radiators much at all.

keano25 · 30-03-2022 7:02pm

Well when I light my stove the bones of the first 45 minutes to an hour is spent dumping hot water into the hot water tank.. then my rads heat up.

If I turn on the oil for half an hour heating the hot water before I light my stove my rads are warm within 30 minutes.

bunderoon · 30-03-2022 9:03pm

Your stove needs to heat its own water tank before then using the top water egress pipe at the back of the stove to gravity feed & start heating the tank. Your oil burner ( just like everyone's) will heat the water in the cylinder faster as its more direct.

Depending on the roof etc, I'd expect the grant to swallow up the cost of the installation. 1,200e which is generous.

I'm a North East/ South West facing and have a 300Ltr Joule triple coil and I have been told that I would need 40 tubes, which I understand.

A 40 tube Joule kit would be ~2300e give or take.

keano25 · 30-03-2022 10:01pm

So at that the cost for you to install solar would be around €1100 labour included?

bunderoon · 31-03-2022 1:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118858651#Comment_118858651

about that. I need to get new quotes. But its a 1 day job. So it should be more than enough for me. Depends on your house etc. You'd have to get someone out and access.

keano25 · 03-04-2022 10:24am

Ya definitely have to get someone bout to price it up.. with the weather what it is the last two weeks it would make life very comfortable to have hot water on tap

Silver Breeze · 08-04-2022 4:59pm

I have a Joule A Capella unit on the roof, installed here in Dun Laoghaire in late 2014. The installers returned a year later, checked/topped up the blue glycol, checked pressure in the system, 300 litre tank has three elements. All good. The installers have retired/gone bust/emigrated/whatever, their phones are off.

Can anyone recommend someone who can service the unit? Untouched since late 2015.

Many thanks...

solar thermal collectors help..

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