Q. Is my house suitable for solar water heating?
A. Sundwel can design a system to suit most houses with apex or flat roofs. You should always check your roof to ensure that it is not heavily overshadowed by trees or other buildings.
Q. What size of solar system should I install?
A. The size of the system is determined by the amount of hot water being used and the amount of solar radiation available. You must have sufficient area of solar collector to absorb heat energy that can be transferred to the water. As a rule of thumb, an average household in the UK with 2 adults and 2 children would require 180 litres of hot water per day which relates to a 4m2 system, as recommended by British Standards BS5918. Other factors may also need to be taken into account such as the size of the property and roof orientation.
Caution. It is false economy to install too small a system, as the price of an extra collector is a relatively small part of the overall cost of the installation. Beware of systems claiming to only require 2 or 3m2.
Q. How long will my system last?
A. One of the most important aspects of any solar system is its longevity. The installation of solar energy is a long-term investment and therefore the durability and reliability of the system as a whole must be paramount. Sundwel use the best components and materials available and our systems are known to be operating effectively after more than 20 years.
Q. What does the control regulator do?
A. The control regulator monitors the temperature in the collectors and the temperature at the bottom of the solar cylinder. When the temperature of the water in the collectors is few degrees greater than that of the cylinder, the controller switches on the pump and the hot water energy is transferred from the collector to the cylinder. Our control regulators have a digital readout that lets you know what temperature the water is at the top and bottom of your solar cylinder.
Q. What does it cost to run the system ?
A. Running costs for both the controller and pump should be less than £5 per year.
Q. What maintenance will I require?
A. With no moving parts, no plastic to degrade, no vacuum seals to leak and no materials to rust or rot the Atlas collector require little or no maintenance.
Further Questions:
Sundwel are committed to providing a high quality product that is tailored to suit your individual requirements. We welcome enquiries from domestic and commercial clients who would like to discuss how they can benefit from solar water heating.
