Solar Geyser South Africa DIY Installation Guide 

This solar geyser South Africa installation guide provides a great DIY alternative to your electric geyser, which is what many people in South Africa are desperate for in light of frequent load shedding and mounting electricity costs.

Unsurprisingly, one of the most obvious cheaper energy sources is solar power which, is plentiful in South Africa, and can be used to power your own solar geyser for free.

Furthermore, you’ll find that your home’s geyser is one of the biggest electricity consumers out of all the electric appliances in your house, so by using a solar geyser (instead of electricity) you will not only save a lot of money, but you won’t be bothered by load shedding either.

Therefore, anyone not considering a solar geyser installation in South Africa must be crazy when you consider the potential electricity & money savings you will realise as well as the satisfaction of not having to be totally dependent on Eskom.

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7 Steps For a Successful Solar Geyser Installation

Please note that all homes are different which means that these solar geyser diagrams & installation steps should only be used as a rough guide.

Furthermore, solar geyser suppliers in South Africa may consist of different components and variable installation methods.

1. Fixing the Solar Collectors To the Roof

   Try to minimise the amount of holes you make when mounting the collectors as there will be less risk of leaking despite sealing all the hole penetrations with silicone sealant.

   If possible, you can run the piping along a vertical wall instead of going through the roof with the collectors mounted on the roof.

   The collectors need to be secured to the rafters, so it’s easier to drill a small hole up from next to the rafter to locate the mounting point on the roof and then seal the locating hole once the collector is fastened to the roof.

   You’ll probably get detailed instructions from the solar geyser manufacturer regarding this.

2. Installing the Storage Tank For the Solar Geyser

   The next step is to install and place the storage tank and heat exchanger next to the conventional water heater.

   Also, ensure that the glycol fluid loop connections to the heat exchanger and the cold and hot water connections are easily accessible.

   Glycol is a commonly used heat transfer fluid used in solar heating systems.

   Should the heat exchanger be external to the storage tank, it’s probably supported by the existing plumbing.

   Then the unions at the storage tank and heat exchanger connections need to be installed so that the piping will not have to be cut if the tank or heat exchanger ever needs replacing.

3. Install the Piping and Pump

   This step involves installing the piping for the glycol loop and only solder it in place once the entire loop has been assembled in case it needs to be moved or adjusted.

   It’s good practice to install unions at the pump to avoid having to cut the piping if it needs replacing in the future.

   Ensure that the pump outlet, which should be positioned at the lowest part of the loop, is plumbed to the piping leading to the solar collectors on the roof.

   Furthermore, a safety check valve must be installed at the outlet of the pump so that when the pump is turned off, the glycol will not flow backwards around the loop.

   A pressure gauge, a pressure relief valve as well as an expansion tank need to be installed, most of which should come with your solar geyser kit (see below).

4. Installing the Piping
   
   The piping needs to be plumbed into the solar water heater to allow the cold water to flow to the inlet of the solar storage tank, and the outlet of the solar storage tank to the inlet of the conventional water heater.

   Valves and unions on the inlets and outlets of the tanks also need to be installed.

   If you have a heat exchanger that is separate from the solar storage tank, you can have a natural convection loop between the heat exchanger and the solar storage tank working on a gravity feed with a larger diameter pipe.

   Otherwise you will need to have a pump installed to force water through the heat exchanger and tank.

5. Installing the Controls
   

    

   You can now install the differential controller that will sense the temperature difference between the water at the bottom of the solar storage tank and the glycol at the top of the solar collectors.

   The sensors can be attached to the pipes with hose clamps.

6. Fill the system
   

    

   Once the system is filled with water, you will be able to check the glycol loop for leaks.

   A fill pump will be required for this in order to provide enough pressure to pump the water up to the top of the solar collectors.

7. Insulating the Water Piping and Glycol Lines
   
   Once you’re sure there the solar heating system is not leaking, you can insulate all of the glycol and water lines with standard foam pipe insulation, whilst glycol piping and external heat exchangers should be insulated with fiberglass pipe insulation.

   The joints of the water piping can be insulated with duct tape and those sections that are exposed to the sun can be protected by a foil wrap, or UV resistant paint. 

Basic Requirements To Install Your Solar Geyser

• An installation kit which may consist of the following items;
  – Temperature & pressure relief valve is a safety valve that is set to a temperature of 80ºC & a pressure of 200 Kpa at which limits water will be released through the valve to prevent the geyser from bursting.
  – 300 Kpa non-return pressure reducing valve.
  – Vacuum breaker which prevents water from being siphoned back into the water system which could damage the solar geyser.
  – Copper piping and connections.
  – Tempering valve mixes the hot and cold water and regulates the temperature of the outlet water to a maximum of 50ºC.
  – Element for heating water when the sun is down or on cloudy days when there aren’t sufficient sunrays to heat the solar geyser.
• Installation Kit prices*;
  – Retro fit (to existing geyser) installation kit: R3,500
  – New installation kit for a 100L Solar Geyser: R8,000
  – * these prices are estimates and will vary between solar geyser suppliers.
• For a flat roof installation, a steel frame will be required.
• Tile roof hooks will be required if the solar geyser is installed on a tile roof.
• IBR or corrugated roof hooks will be required if the solar water heater is to be installed on an IBR or corrugated roof.

Solar Geyser Installation Diagram

7 Important Questions Before Starting Your Solar Geyser Installation

1. How Does a Solar Geyser Work?

   The energy contained in the sun’s rays provides the heating power necessary to heat the water in your solar geyser.

   The water is heated up as it circulates through glass tubes or solar panels known as collectors – the heated water is then stored in the geyser for use in the house.

2. Can the Existing Geyser be Used?

   Yes your existing geyser can be used but it would have to have a collector connected to it.

   It should be noted however, that a solar geyser is designed & manufactured specifically for this purpose as it is better insulated, works more efficiently with solar collectors & has a longer life.

3. Does it Need to be Installed on the Roof?

   The decision as to where it needs to be installed will depend on factors such as the pitch of the roof, the type of system that is used and whether the roof is capable of bearing the weight of the installed solar geyser system with water flowing through it.

   So it is quite possible that the tank can in fact be installed inside your house’s roof but the installation would need to be assessed by a solar heating expert.

4. Does the Roof Have Sufficient Un-Shaded Area?

   The roof will need to be facing the the right way and not be in shade for large parts of the day

5. Can the Roof Support the Weight Of the Solar Geyser?

   The roof needs to be strong enough to support, not only the solar geyser & water, but also the workmen doing the installation.

6. Is There Sufficient Space In the House For the Storage Tank and Associated Components?

   Imagine starting the installation only to discover that there’s no place for the storage tank. 

7. Plan the Plumbing Layout First

   Ensure that all the plumbing pipes can be installed between the storage tank and the collectors without having to remodel sections of your home.

5 Additional Points To Consider With Your Solar Geyser South Africa

1. This solar geyser installation diagram will hopefully help you to DIY and save on professional geyser installation costs in South Africa.
2. Furthermore, a new solar geyser installation allows you to install your solar hot water geyser directly to your water system and is suitable for low or high-pressure water conditions which eliminates the need for your traditional, electricity guzzling electrical geyser.
3. Whilst having a professional install your solar geyser in South Africa would be a lot easier, it will cost you more money & will not necessarily be a better option than building & installing it yourself.
4. It’s also worth noting that your solar water heater can be built with components that can be purchased fairly cheaply at your local hardware store.
5. Whist Eskom was offering homeowners a rebate of between 15% to 20% on the cost of their solar geyser installation, this may have changed in later years.

   So this additional saving is another significant incentive to get your solar water geyser installed – a saving in electricity consumption as well as an Eskom rebate, you can’t lose.

How Much Will a Solar Geyser Cost?

Solar Geyser Prices South Africa »

Solar Geyser Installation Guide

By using this solar geyser installation diagram & guide to do away with your old electric geyser, you’ll have the satisfaction of saving your money without giving it to Eskom every month.

Hopefully solar geyser installation guide will help you get it installed yourself but if you aren’t a very competent DIY person then it is advised to get a skilled contractor to do the job for you.

Even if you do not go for the DIY solar geyser installation option, installing one of the more expensive solar water heating systems it will still pay you in the medium to long term.

So once the initial solar geyser installation cost is paid off, you will start saving massive amounts on your electricity bill as your electric geyser is the most thirsty consumer of electricity in your house.

So whether you go for a homemade solar geyser or a professionally installed one, you will be saving energy as well as money.

Solar Geyser Installation Diagram

1. Tools & Skills

To make your own homemade water heating system you will need to be fairly good with your hands & will need skills such as woodworking & brazing skills for example.

You will also need to have a comprehensive set of tools to perform the above tasks as well.

2. Materials

Some of the components & materials that will be needed to build the system are as follows;

Solar collector panel

Solar geyser which is not the same as a normal high pressure geyser although you may be able to modify your existing geyser to work with the solar panel – you will have to check with a professional in the industry before attempting this though

Collector panel which must face north at an angle of around 40°

Other material will be things like copper tubing, copper connectors, legths of wood, wood glue, rivet gun & rivets, etc.

3. How it All Works

The sun’s rays striking the solar panel will cause it to heat up the water in the copper pipes which will flow into the geyser which must be positioned above the panel.

Another benefit with installing solar geysers is that Eskom will refund you a percentage of the cost of the solar geyser installation.

So this additional saving is another significant incentive to get your solar geyser installed – a saving in electricity consumption as well as an Eskom rebate, you can’t lose.

Solar Water Heater

How To Build a Solar Water Heater

Not only is it easy to make your own solar water heater, it is also relatively inexpensive.

Furthermore, saving energy with a homemade solar geyser will not only save you money but you will also be reducing your dependence on the electricity grid (Eskom) for your power needs.

Everyone knows that the world’s natural fuel resources are dwindling and will reach a point where there will not be sufficient resources to fulfill the population’s energy needs this (21st) century.

5 Steps to Making Your Own Solar Water Heating System

1. Positioning of the Tank – Identify a place where you can position the solar water heater that will have the most exposure to the sun’s heating rays – on the roof is usually the best place.
2. Paint it Black – Make sure that you paint the water tank a mat black as this color assists with heat retention & maximizing the absorption of the sun’s energy.
3. Make a Plywood Box – Construct a plywood box to house the water tank and ensure that the box is secure, strong & the right size to accomodate the tank when full of water.
4. Insulation – Ensure that the inside of the box is well insulated with fibreglass to assist in heat retention.Also place the box inside glass panels which will help trap the heat inside.
5. Plumbing – Once the water tank has been secured in the plywood box the plumbing fittings & pipes can be connected.The incoming cold water pipes should be connected to the bottom of the tank and the outgoing pipes connected from the top of the tank to the home’s regular water heating system.

Living in a sunny climate is ideal for this type of water heating system as the sun provides free energy to power it.

Furthermore whilst South Africa must be just about the most perfect place for solar water heaters, it is amazing that so many households are still relying on eskom’s expensive & unreliable power supply.

Find out more about setting up your own water heating system at home with this DIY Guide here…

More on DIY Own Solar Energy

So if you think you are up to building & installing your own solar water heater, all you need is a decent blueprint to guide you step by step through the whole process.

This excellent guide will enable you to build & install your own inexpensive solar water heater – so get started today by downloading your DIY Solar Water Heater guide now »

Download this comprehensive DIY Solar Water Heater guide that has helped many people to be able to make their own inexpensive solar water heaters…

Solar Water Heating

The popularity of solar water heating is increasing daily largely due to both the massive cost savings that can be realised by the home owner, as well as  the earth’s dwindling energy resources.

Furthermore, for those living in South Africa & other sunny climes, installing or building your own solar heater is the obvious choice.

Not only would a solar water heating system for your home be an effective money saver, but your dependence on the grid (Eskom in SA) will be greatly reduced – there could also be monetary incentives available from the national power supplier for going green.

Whilst you can build your own solar water heating system or get it supplied & installed by a professional company, the benefits of having it are significant as you can see below;

So What Are These Amazing Benefits of Solar Water Heaters?

Well apart from what has been said above the other benefits you will enjoy by building & fitting a solar water heater are as follows;

1. CostThe materials can be purchased from your local hardware store and won’t cost much at all.Furthermore becuase you can do it yourself there won’t be any installation costs or expensive labor costs.
2. SavingsYou can realize a saving of more than a third of your electric bill as your geyser, in terms of electricity consumption, is the most expensive unit in the house.
3. Dependence on the GridYou will reduce your dependence on the national grid.
4. Power OutagesYou won’t be as badly affected by power outages.
5. RebatesYou could qualify for a rebate from the national power supplier.
6. Electricity IncreasesYou won’t be badly affected by electricity increases.

Based on the above any home owner must be crazy not to install their own homemade solar water heater – the sooner it’s installed & working the sooner you start realizing these significant savings.

Furthermore whilst South Africa must be just about the most perfect place for solar water heaters, it is amazing that so many households are still relying on eskom’s expensive & unreliable power supply.

Find out more about setting up your own water heating system at home with this DIY Guide