Solar Hot Water & Heating Manufacturer – Merisolar
Q: How does a solar thermal system work?
A: A solar thermal system consists of a number of components – a solar collector, a pump, a controller and a hot water storage tank.
The solar collector, located on the roof, collects the sun’s thermal energy and transfers heat to the water-filled storage tank. The storage tank allows the heated water to be used at night or in the morning.
Q: What is the life expectancy of a solar thermal system?
A: The life expectancy of our systems is more than 20 years.
Q: Are solar thermal systems cost effective?
A: Solar hot water systems can save the homeowner or business a substantial amount of money and drastically reduce global warming. At current energy prices, these systems can pay for themselves in 2-5 years, depending on the application.
Q: How long will it take to install a system?
A: On average it takes less than a day to install a complete solar thermal system.
Q: How much maintenance and service is required?
A: Our solar technology requires virtually no maintenance of the system except for occasionally wiping the collector’s surface if it has collected dust. We do, however, recommend that the system be checked annually to ensure that you are getting the best possible efficiency out of the system.
Q: What happens if an evacuated tube collector is broken?
A: On our Evacuated Tube Heat Pipe Solar Collectors, the system will remain operational, however the efficiency of the system will be reduced slightly. Replacing a broken glass tube is a very simple and inexpensive operation.
Q: Will a solar hot water heating system work on a cloudy day?
A: Yes. Although the heat output of the solar collector is reduced on overcast days, it will still be able to provide heating. Approximately 25-30% of the sun’s energy penetrates the clouds and is usable.
Q: Can I use a solar hot water heating system with my existing hot water system?
A: Yes. Merisolar manufactures a special conversion valve to change your normal geyser into a solar geyser.
Q: What are the advantages of Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors over Flat Plate Collectors?
A: Merisolar Evacuated Tube and Merisolar Flat Plate Solar Collector products are both of very high standard and offer superior performance when compared to other brands on the market. There are many different arguments about which type of collector is better. Our measurements have shown that our evacuated tube collectors provide a more constant output throughout the year, and are frost resistant. The life expectancy is also longer on the evacuated tube collectors. Our flat plate collectors are slightly cheaper, however, and if installed with the correct controller system, frost is not a problem. Our conclusion is therefore: Installing a flat plate collector is good, installing an evacuated tube collector is better.
Q: How does a domestic heat pump work?
A: A heat pump works like an air conditioner in reverse. It uses a relatively small amount of electricity to extract heat from the surrounding air and then heats water with this energy.
Q: How much money will a heat pump save me?
A: A domestic heat pump with a COP of 4 (efficiency of 400%) will save you 75% of the electricity currently used with a normal electrical element. For example, a family of 4 with a 200L geyser is currently using R480/month to heat their water. If a heat pump with a COP of 4 is connected to this geyser instead, then they will only use R120/month to heat their water.
Q: How long does a heat pump take to heat water?
A: A Merisolar 4.7kW heat pump will heat water slightly faster than a 4kW electrical element typically found in 200L geysers. The Merisolar 4.7kW heat pump produces 4.7kW of thermal energy under specified conditions while using as little as 1.2kW to do so.
Q: Are heat pump systems cost effective?
A: Heat pump systems can save the home owner or business a substantial amount of money and drastically reduce global warming simultaneously. At current energy prices, these systems can pay for themselves in 1-3 years, depending on the application and water usage.
Q: How long will it take to install a heat pump?
A: On average it takes less than half a day to install a complete heat pump system.
Q: How hot can a heat pump system make the water?
A: Merisolar heat pumps are designed for a maximum temperature of 60°C. The heat pump can produce these temperatures even with an ambient temperature below 0°C.
Q: How much maintenance and service is required?
A: Our heat pump technology requires virtually no maintenance of the system except for making sure the evaporator is clean from dirt and leaves. We do however recommend that the system be checked annually to ensure that you are getting the best possible efficiency out of the system.
Q: Can I use a heat pump water heating system with my existing hot water system?
A: Yes. Merisolar manufactures a special loading valve to change your normal geyser into a heat pump geyser.
Q: What are the advantages of heat pumps over solar collectors?
A: The main advantages of a heat pump are the ability to re-heat a geyser a few times per day and that it can work day and night, rain or shine. A solar system will save you more money than a heat pump but only if the system has much more capacity than the demand, and also depending on the usage pattern. The main disadvantage of a heat pump is that it is dependent on an electricity supply, so during a power failure you would need a backup generator.
Q: What is the life expectancy of a heat pump system?
A: The life expectancy of a heat pump is more than 10 years.
Q: How does a heat pump work?
A: A heat pump works like an air conditioner in reverse. It uses a relatively small amount of electricity to extract heat from the surrounding air and then heats water with this energy.
Q: How much money will a heat pump save me?
A: A swimming pool heat pump with a COP of 5 (efficiency of 500%) will save you 80% of the electricity currently used with a normal electrical element. For example, to heat a 50,000L pool with an electrical element could currently cost about R1500/month. If a heat pump with a COP of 5 is connected to this pool instead, they will only use R300/month to heat the water.
Q: Do I still need a pool blanket?
A: Yes. The thermal loss on the surface of a pool is significant, and even a slight cool breeze blowing over the pool can drastically cool it down. It is therefore very important to always use a thermal pool blanket to cover the pool when not in use even if it is an indoor swimming pool. If a thermal pool blanket cannot be used, we typically recommend that the heat pump be 3 times bigger. In other words, due to the heat loss, you would need to spend about 3 times the amount on electricity per month.
Q: How long will it take to install a heat pump system?
A: On average it takes less than half a day to install a complete heat pump system.
Q: How hot can a pool heat pump system make the water?
A: Merisolar heat pumps are designed for a maximum temperature of 40°C/104°F. The heat pump can produce these temperatures even with an ambient temperature below 0°C/32°F.
Q: How much maintenance and service is required?
A: Our heat pump technology requires virtually no maintenance of the system except for making sure the evaporator is clean from dirt and leaves. We do recommend that the system be checked annually to ensure that you are getting the best possible efficiency out of the system.
Q: What are the advantages of heat pumps over solar collectors?
A: The main advantage of a pool heat pump is that it can heat water year round and independent of weather condition. The black spaghetti pool solar panels that you often see covering the roof of a house are very cost effective and work well to extend the usable season of your pool for a few months (if you do not have a lot of cold wind in the area).
Q: What is the life expectancy of a heat pump system?
A: The life expectancy of a heat pump is more than 10 years.