MY-PV DC Off-Grid Hot Water Production Solar Panel Kit

A water heater that produces no hot water may not be getting power, or it may have a tripped limit switch or one or more failed heating elements. First, check the water heater’s circuit breaker in the service panel to make sure it hasn’t tripped. If the breaker has tripped, switch it off, then switch it back on again.

Solar water heating systems use solar panels, called collectors, fitted to your roof. These collect heat from the sun and use it to heat up water that is stored in a hot water cylinder. A boiler or immersion heater can be used as a back up to heat the water further to reach the temperature you want.

• Compared to photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels only heat water.
• Solar heaters require sufficient roof space to accommodate them.
• Solar water heaters require direct sunlight to function.
• The system does not function on cloudy, rainy, or foggy days.

Immersion heaters use electricity to heat water, which is considerably more expensive than gas. For example, 1 kW of gas will cost you around 4p, while 1 kW of electricity will cost around 15p. That means a 6 kW immersion heater would cost 90p an hour to operate, substantially more than operating a gas combi boiler.

In “hard water” areas it is recommended that the thermostat on the immersion heater is set to 50°C. If you have a twin immersion heater the top element should be set to 50°C and the lower one to 60°C. In “soft water” areas set a single immersion heater and twin immersion heaters to 60°C.