Anyone fitted their own solar panels

[JimmyM]

As the title suggests....?
Looking for prices/sources/efficiency info etc...


I didnt realise the soalr pumps we use, are actually pumps which were originally intended in solar panel installations.
www.solarproject.co.uk
Hop Bomb's post about pumps reminded me of this, but i think I looked at this site before as it all looked v familiar.

Anyway, the site makes it sound very Do-Able from a DIY point of view. I wouldnt mind trying it. I am thinking along the lines of a group buy - and dont mind being the guinea pig - i.e. do it on my house first and list the pit falls..
The guys above dont really ship the panels, it requires special arrangement. Can they be got over here cheaper than that?

[Metattron]

My uncle has them on his house.  He used to work for a company that made the panels up north a few years ago, not sure if they are still there though.  I'll ask him where he got his from and any data he has on them.

[JimmyM]

Cheers Mettatron - I thought there would be a bit more interest.... I shoulda posted it up as a method for heating your HLT!!

[Will_D]

Cheers Mettatron - I thought there would be a bit more interest.... I shoulda posted it up as a method for heating your HLT!!

With the right heat pump and a sunny day it might just work!

[newToBrew]

thers more to it than just panels though right ? - i did a little lookin about before when i was getting that insulation grant - was considering teh solar grant -but you need a noew/different water tank - a big feck off tall one - and i didnt really have the space in the house for it - or the money at the time !!!

[Damo]

Yeah, Ive got solar panels.

Cant take all the credit for fitting them myself.
My brother is a plumber, I did help with bits and pieces during installation. kinda laboured for him!

We fitted during the build so im not sure about the costs of a retro-fit. Especially when you look at the cost of a new cylinder, solar station, new pipework, controllers and all the other bits. (Ive heard it can take up to 10yrs to pay for itself)   I got mine from chadwicks for a very good price at the time, cant remember exactly what they cost but I still have invoices around somewhere.

I do know how good they are though. even on a dull day this time of year it can get the temp up to about 30ish. during the summer its always maxed out.

[JimmyM]

newtobrew look here
http://www.solarproject.co.uk/Full%20Installation%20Guide%20-DIRECT.html
And also read their FAQ
http://solarproject.co.uk/page%203%20Q&A.html
...
I thought you needed a dual coild cylinder too - but not necessarily. Instead of the hot water, that comes back from the SolarPanel, being pumped around a second coil in your fancy new cylinder, Dont buy the fancy new cylinder!

In your existing setup You basically T off the cold inlet to your tank,this feeds the solar panel via a pump. You then T off the hot outlet of the tank, and then connect that back up to the hot side of the solar panel. So the hot water from the panel is pumped back into the tank.

Thats the basic idea, its explained well enough in that link (even if the website is from the 90's).

There's a few things you need to know about - e.g. you need a temp controller to switch on the pump - you dont wanna be pumping if there's not going to be any benefit - or worse, if the water in the panel is cold and you ended up cooling your hot water tank.
Also, for similar reasons, you need to fit a one way valve on the hot side of the panel near the boiler so hot water doesnt leave the tank via "termal siphoning".
Other than that its no more difficult tahn building a small 3 tier brewery

Re price; he reckons you can installl your own system for £500! Thats for panels, pipe work all equipment required.
I think that includes a good chunk (£50-90) for the temp differential switch for the pump, but i think i may be able to handle that myself for a lot less
Then obviously some houses will require 2 panels so thats an extra ~350, but they're modular, you could see how one does you and then add another at a later stage.

Its hard to find prices here online for the panels themselves, most prices are supply and fit - and its stupid money compared to that.
Found one builders provider selling panels for over 1500 euro for their worst one.
https://www.build4less.ie/product_info.php?cPath=957_958&products_id=6542
Useless description!

[johnrm]

One thing to bear in mind that you are working woth potable (safe to drink)water here.
If you rely solely on Solar at non-peak times of year, your water temps will likely be bacteria friendly and you will need to switch on your immersion periodically to kill any bugs.

When you are tee-ing your flow and return from your standard tank, consider connecting your tees and have a pump and heat exchanger inline on the segment...

Flows and returns may not be 100%, but you get the idea.
I have something similar to this but the Heat source is a horizontal Geothermal collector, not a solar panel.

One other consideration is that there is a potential scald risk in peak Sun if teeing directly to the tanks Hot out when coming directly from the panel.

[newToBrew]

hey Jimmy - interesting alright - should have realised taht the Irish Govs way would be the most extravagant and expensive method !!  I think I will follow your initial suggestion and let you be the guinea pig on this one !!

I will be following your blog with avid interest !!!!

[JimmyM]

One thing to bear in mind that you are working woth potable (safe to drink)water here.

No im not - I wouldnt drink anything that came down from my attic
The input to the soalr panel is taken from the input to the cylinder, which is the output of the storage tank in the attic - dunno about you, but generally i wouldnt rely on water from this tank as drinking water. Mine isnt covered, but i believe some people cover it and deem it safe to drink.


NewToBrew... when i was suggesting I be the guinea pig - I meant we buy a pile of them, and ill install my one first so that the other people involved in the buy would benefit from my bad experiences
Access to my brain will be restricted, based on how many fivers you have in your pocket

[Stitch]

One thing to bear in mind that you are working woth potable (safe to drink)water here.

No im not - I wouldnt drink anything that came down from my attic
The input to the soalr panel is taken from the input to the cylinder, which is the output of the storage tank in the attic - dunno about you, but generally i wouldnt rely on water from this tank as drinking water. Mine isnt covered, but i believe some people cover it and deem it safe to drink.


NewToBrew... when i was suggesting I be the guinea pig - I meant we buy a pile of them, and ill install my one first so that the other people involved in the buy would benefit from my bad experiences
Access to my brain will be restricted, based on how many fivers you have in your pocket

Though the water is not safe to drink, generally solar heating will put the vessel into the zone were legionella will multiply. This is only a problem when aerosolised and most modern shower fittings (supposedly) do not allow this. Heating up o normal cylinder temperatures (60-70DegC) will not kill the bacteria. You need to heat cycle for about 1 hour at 80DegC to kill.

Legionella is very serious (speaking from experience - had it once confirmed by HSE!!!!) though the idea of the solar panels is to simply preheat the water. I have only ever seen them achieve 45DegC on a really good day.

Also keep in mind if you are using (and I guess you are) evacuated tube solar panels then their efficiency drops when their is water sitting on them

Hope this helps.

[JimmyM]

Cheers stitch.

So re bugs and legionares disease - the same could be said if you only turn your heating on for a few minutes  a day - i.e. the water in your tank only heats up a little bit making it ideal for them to multiply. But with solar, there is a constant "only heating up a little bit" each day - so is more susceptable to this problem.

i.e. what i'm getting at is its not individual to the system proposed in the links i posted, its a problem in general.

So whats the general solution?
What do people with solar do to stop it happening. Heat to 80C periodically? how often is required?
Re "put the vessel into the zone were legionella will multiply. This is only a problem when aerosolised"
So washing your face isnt a problem with infected water coming out your taps? What about your teeth?

...
Yes the ones i linked to above are evacuated tube solar panels, but im open to sugeestion as to what ones to use, but price is a big factor.
Maybe ill fit a set of wipers up there

Lots of questions, thanks for the replies

[Metattron]

Checked with my uncle and his were supplied and installed by Nutech in Warrenpoint, ask for Mark Forkin
 
NuTech Renewables Ltd
Unit 11, Warrenpoint Business Centre,
Newry Road, Warrenpoint, BT34 3LA

Tel: 048 4175 3031
http://www.nutechrenewables.com/

[johnrm]

BTW, the heat exchanger in my image above is the same device as a we call a Wort Chiller.

[JimmyM]

Just for anyone else looking at this - I found this site - they seem very competative in their prices, and they advertise their prices online, which i think is always a good thing - avoids what I call the gob-shite tax, the amount they add on when giving you a secret quote, its proportional to how thick they think you are.

Anyway, http://ecologics.ie/solar-packages-2/

Elsewhere on the site I found supply only prices in the attached PDF