Solar geysers - Diamond Series, Separated system
This solar heating system is made up of:
- One 22 tube heat collector solar panel (for a 200litre tank) or two 18 tube heat collector solar panels (for a 300litre tank).
- A Specialized 200 or 300 litre water tank.
- Circulating pump.
- Computer control system.
The American A.O.Smith enamel coating electrical water tank has a 200 or 300litre capacity and is pressurized, with a working pressure of 0.6MPa. The tank is made of food grade stainless steel and an anti-corrosion outer enamel coating, it is insulated with a layer of polyurethane foam and uses special inside buckling technology. It is both firm and beautiful, and can be placed anywhere in or outside a household. There is a built in Electrical element, so water temperature can be topped up using electricity (this is only needed on those rare occasion where there is complete sun black out for a number of days, or when large quantities of hot water are used in the evening and more hot water is required early the next morning).
The circulating pump is a German made Wilo pump. It has a very low energy consumption level, low noise level and is extremely reliable and long lasting.
The computer controller is imported from Italy, and is extremely reliable and very user friendly.
Operation
The operation of the separated series is very simple; here is a brief overview of how it works:
Mains water is pumped directly into the geyser. There are two temperature sensors, one in the tank and one in the solar panel collector. The sensors are connected to the computer controller, when the controller detects a temperature difference of more than 8°C between the tank and panels; it initiates the pump, thus circulating the water (i.e. the hot water from the panels moves into the tank, being replaced by colder water from the tank). This water circulation is a continuous process, until the water in the tank reaches a preset optimal temperature (this temperature can be set by the owner of the system, recommended temp is between 55°C and 65°C). As mentioned earlier there is an electric element in the geyser, and the temperature can be topped up using electricity if needed. This should not often be the case, as our system should cut out up to 95% of electricity used in a household’s water heating needs.
Total Energy Consumption of a 300 litre full Separated Series Solar Geyser systems
Please note that the figures below relate to the total energy consumption necessary to run one 300 litre solar geyser system per day. The figures are based on a ‘worst case scenario’ situation, where all the hot water is used over night, and the electrical element is needed to heat the tank from 20ºC to 55ºC in the early hours of the morning.
| Appliance | Wattage | Number of appliances | Running time (hours) per day | Total kWh Per 24hours |
| Wilo Pump | 67W | 1 | 3 | 0.2 kWh |
| Computer /Controller | 3W | 1 | 24 | 0.072 kWh |
| Element (2KW) | 3000W | 1 | 2 | 6 kWh |
| Total | 6.272 kWh |