Apricus Solar Hot Water System

Garbage on my roof – Don't go near them, instal a shonky system and then don't enable any contact, a complete scam. The system dumped all the solar heated water then refilled the tank with peak electricity and somehow still managed to deliver only cold water for a $6k energy bill. CATASTROPHIC SCAMMERS SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. I have a worthless heap of junk on my roof -… Read more

maybe the problem could've been easily rectified - I can't afford another bill to find out. Endless phone calls and messages - I tried countless times for months, years. This was an expensive system. I would've had more hot water from a kettle. Even my skilled electrician couldn't get the junk to work. Tried a booster button and it still just dumped any warm water it heated with the peak electricity. It doesn't take much to answer a phone or a message on a website - THAT TELLS YOU EVERYTHING - THEY REALLY, TRULY DON'T GIVE A DAMM ONCE THEY HAVE YOUR MONEY.

Could be a good product – Similar stories from a lot of customers. Poor after sales service, almost impossible to contact. Brush off issues and don't deal with the problem. My system worked well for 6 months. Then spent next several years trying to get it fixed. Finally had a plumber contact them and had tubes replaced. Again worked well for a couple of months then failed… Read more

again, back to using gas backup. Now looking to get it removed and replaced with different brand. What a waste of time and money.

THERMANN/ APRICUS DO NOT HONOUR WARRANTY - DO NOT BUY – The tank has a 10 yr warranty and started leaking after six years, and Apricus ([Name Removed]) / Thermann ([Name Removed]) have denied the warranty claim due to “Failure due to tank corrosion where the magnesium anode has been degraded, and not replaced within the recommended maintenance periods advised by Thermann within manual”. Other brands… Read more

do not require this and [Name Removed] from Thermann stated “if it had a Dux tank the warranty would be honoured”. Nowhere in the manual or on the tank does it state this is a condition of the warranty, but a “recommended inspection ” (page 16). The expectation of Apricus is you have to pay for a tradesman to inspect the anode rod every 3 years to keep warranty. I do not believe this is common knowledge and is not something consumers expect in relation to hot water systems.

Thermann / Apricus seem to be misleading and deceptive companies and I do not recommend purchasing this product and having read previous reviews, this denial of warranty seems to be a common issue with them.

With my next tank I will ensure it has no affliction with Thermann, Apricus or Reece.

Prompt customer service once you contact them under warranty – Solar worked well for 6 years, now in warranty reparir mode. If you cannot get through via the online form or telephone, email warranty@apricus.com.au That worked for me. I had some trouble contacting the company ( called half a dozen times over 2 days but no message service available; online form would not submit; enquiry email bounced)) but… Read more

when I did get through they reponded immediately to my claim for warranty repairs. My system began leaking after 6 1/2 years

11 years and hasn't missed a beat! – Just realised our system has been going for over 11 years non-stop in Canberra - 30 tube 315L vitreous tank - We were a house of 7 when installed and down to only 4 now so a lot of hot water use. It is gas boosted and our last gas appliance so if it ever fails we will replace with electric boost or heat pump as we now have large solar PV and… Read more

battery. But until then we are very happy with it and the energy savings. Have never done any maintenance on it

Buy something else – 3 and a half years trying to make it work and then keeping it going. Today it is removed for the last time. Apricus walked away your problem now. Builder removing and replacing with another brand and full refund. Thanks for the heart ache Chriss the owner of apricus. Show details

Terrible service – Worked well for about 5 years but then the tank started leaking. Although they say you have a ten year warranty Apricus wont honour it unless you can prove that you have had it serviced. Ours was serviced but I couldnt provide proof of what was done so they wouldnt honour their warranty. In the end it failed completely and I couldnt wait for them so I had to replace the tank. No support so I was out of pocket big time. Show details

Very disappointed – We had the Apricus system for about three years before we started to renovate the home. I asked the plumbing company who installed the system disconnect the system for reuse once we'd finished the reno's. The plumber said that the system had not been working which we guessed as the electric booster was required 24/7. We have not re-installed the… Read more

evacuted tubes and but have kept the water tank which i believe is not efficient. Could someone verify whether we should replace the Apricus storage tank with a standard storage tank?

Whatever you purchase it's worth having SHW – In 2009 I purchased separately, SVP + SHW and placed the recommended 30 tube upon my roof and in the garage installed the electric booster stainless steel tank with a 15 year warranty. The only problem I have had since installation is to use a better quality pipe sleeves from the roof to the tank. That's past 15 years of reliable hot water service which has paid for itself over and over in cheaper electricity bills.

Don’t want to honour warranty if you have issues – Regularly serviced and anode changed and tank failed 1week asked for pictures of failure /provided 2week asked for service records /provided 3week asked for anode to be removed and pressure relief valve in operation pictures Accc said you do not have to do this as is inappropriate After 6 week of no hot water told they would not honour warranty Show details

quality gear ,professional company – 10 year old system, tank and circulating pump an tubes live out in Queensland weather. Never problems, flow of hot water slowed few days ago. supplier contacted Apricus company, that responded promptly, put me in contact with technician that talked me through the diagnosis and problem of dirty inlet strainer fixed in few minutes. cost neutral! Professional honest company, great gear! Show details

Disappointing After Sale Service – System is about 7 years old. Over a year ago we had some power lines cut in our street. About that time the quantity of hot water started to decline. The off-peak electric booster was continually on - 58 hours every weekend, and all night every weekday night - costing a fortune in electricity each quarter. We sent to Apricus temp figures for one… Read more

cloudy day. They immediately said the that the roof heat pipes inside the evac tubes were gone and sent out replacements at no charge. I asked why the off peak should be continually on if the heat pipes were not working when the booster is not related to the roof heat pipes as it heats the tank directly. There was no adequate reply to that; just that the pipes need replacing. The plumber I contacted would not put in the pipes because he said a customer of his had his system buggered by a power outage that stuffed the settings. He suggested an electrician. I got back onto Apricus about that - and was told that was not the issue. An electrician said there were no issues with the thermostat or anything else he could check. Rang the plumber to install replacement pipes. He couldn't make it, so I called in another. The new plumber informed these systems have an array of issues that can go wrong (sensors, control panel, tubes, pumps), and he did not want to charge me half a leg for something that may not be the cause of the problem. He suggested I turn off the pump to see what temp the roof top collector got to. It got to 110 deg. So clearly not a heat pipe issue. I notice that when the top of the tank reaches above 50 deg, the pump - which kicks in and out every 5 minutes or so during the day, all day - never allows the tank to get to 60 deg to safeguard against legionnaires. If the tempering valve then adds cold to that (which it shouldn’t as the temp is already at 50 deg – but who says it doesn’t?) then that may explain our lukewarm water. The plumber said you can spend a fortune replacing every part until you fix the problem, but it is better just to decommission the HW solar and connect it to the roof top panels that supply the house. He even said there was a bloke in town who specialises in the task such is the amount of work he has due to failing solar HW systems. The unit was beaut before the issue, but having to rely on guess work to find the cause of the issue is primitive. To make matters worse, I have read this in my investigation into trying to solve the problem: “The controller might be damaged due to voltage surges, short circuits, lighting, or corrosion.” Apricus insisted the issue is the heat pipes, that will take two plumbers a few hours to install into the 40 tubes. If the issue really is the controller, or the pump, or the sensors, then how do I receive back the plumbers' wages for an unneeded heat pipes replacement? Apricus need a better method to diagnose problems with their product to actually pin-point the issue. Big money was spent to lower electricity bills and to protect the environment, but the heavy reliance on off-peak electricity that runs non-stop, has cost even more money to operate than the old electrically powered tank - which at least cut out at night and weekends when the desired temperature was reached! With the extra electricity used, more CO2 is put in the air.

UPDATE About two weeks ago (around 15 Nov, 2022) the heat pipes were installed. Apricus relented on their earlier policy of having me pay for labour, minus $40. The water is heating well and we have not needed to turn the electric booster on - though we have not had a full household in that time to test it properly. The only issue since the repair has been the need to repalce the tempering valve - which is to be expected as it was at the end of its life (8 years old).

do not honour warranty so stay away – The system has a 10yr warranty (as advised by Apricus), it is not even 6 years old but leaked. Refusing to listen to experts and wont honour warranty. STAY AWAY Show details

Gas boosted Solar – We have just replaced our gas boosted water heater after 11 years of faithful service with no issues or problems at any time. The water is sooo hot in summer. Of course we use more boost in winter but still are extremely pleased with the savings and efficiency. Apricus organised the replacement and covered the cost of freight. The no fuss… Read more ·  1

installation was conducted by their preferred installers Laser Plumbing. Ros is a major asset to Apricus. Her customer service, knowledge of the product and follow up was excellent. Thanks so much for your help Ros! Leanne and Bill Sanderson

Replacement of Heat Pipes – I recently became concerned that my APRICUS solar HWS was not working (400 L installed in 2015). This was based on the high electricity consumption on my property (average occupancy 2), despite have solar HWS plus 7.5 kW of solar panels and a battery. I contacted my solar installer who contacted Apricus, who suggested we do a simple diagnostic… Read more ·  1

test which involved using up the hot water so that it was at low temp in the morning, and recording temperature on the roof, and top and bottom of tank (shown on the unit display) at 9 am and 4 pm. This confirmed that the HWS was not working. The diagnosis suggested by APRICUS was a problem with heat tubes, and the solution was to replace them at no cost to me, as the system was still under warranty. It took a little while for Apricus to find a service provider who could do the work (the original installer had retired), but once they did, the replacement was done promptly. It's too soon to know for sure if the problem has been solved, will need to wait for the next power bill (I'm currently unable to do another test).

The lesson I learned was to monitor my power bills more closely. I should have noticed that the proportion of total power consumption from the dedicated supply was very high - I should have noticed this 2.5 years ago, I believe the problem happened about 2.75 years ago, based on review of my past power consumption. There were also other observations that should have twigged my brain - I had noticed that night time power consumption was much higher when my great nephew was staying, and it couldn't have been simply due to having one light on overnight - the difference was his evening bath, which ran the hot water down (with no power going to the HSW during the day time); the HWS was boosted on night tariff (thank heavens) hence the high consumption at night whenever my great nephew was staying.

Also, absolutely fabulous service from Ros, who kept me very well-informed throughout.

Great service – Ros was great to deal with. Help me with everything I needed to fix my system. Parts arrived in a timely manner also. Would definitely use again. Thanks guys keep up the great work. Show details ·  1

Exceptional Product and Service – Firstly a exceptional Thank you to Ros West, who provided extremely professional support, it was very refreshing to have a knowledgeable and appreciative person at the other end of the phone, in regards to my sudden control unit expiration, was a wonderful unit for nearly 10 years but old age had caught up with it. The Apricus unit is a… Read more ·  1

first-class water heating system which has effective heating tubes, runs very quietly and even on successive cloudy days the water is hot. I have never used the booster in the 10 years of the product being installed, this in itself indicated how effective the system is. I would recommend this system for anyone interested in a solar hot water system and would strongly suggest having professional trades personnel to install the system. I have had no issues what so ever, until now. Only the ticking of time will there be a need for replacements for this system - just like any product you purchase.

Replacement tank temperature sensor – Had a faulty water tank temperature sensor. Rang for advice, very professional, told me exactly the sensor I needed, ordered and paid online and delivered to Tassie within 48 hours. Impressive!  Show details ·  1

Apricus solar HW installed 2009 – Installed at initial cost to us of just over $6000 in 2009 sine then we had to replace pump, controller Solar Stat and again it is not working. We are in Jun 2021 and have got to cost us up $8000. We are asking for quote to decommission it and go to old system gas HW which will cost us $2000 plus decommissioning of Apricus around $1200. The… Read more

problem is that initially we have gone for Apricus for environmental issues but considering that the system can not work without use both electricity and gas it is dead loss to us financially and no benefit to the environment. This was at my old age the worst mistake I have ever made and if I would have another life time I could not recover the cost.

Great system 10 years old and waiting on parts – We are waiting on replacement tubes. Melanie has been great...no answers back from many companies and plumbers but now feel we're getting somewhere! Thanks Melanie for your input and many emails...very much appreciated. Show reply

Product servicing and advice – A special thanks to Ros West. absolutely supportive and helpful. Great communicator and resolved the problem we had (electrical short in control box). Kept reporting back regularly .She is a great asset to you.  Show reply

Installer and Repairer of Apricus Products, can not fault – Reading a lot of these reviews i would suggest most of them could be summed up by poor installation of the product due to poor quality tradesman who don’t know how the system works (extremely common) we have been installing and maintaining Apricus systems for 15+ years. I would suggest contacting a competent plumber or getting a second opinion on… Read more ·  1

the product before jumping to conclusions to slam the product. As far as Warranties we have been dealing with Ros who can be contacted via selecting the warranty option when calling Apricus, Ros has always had warranty’s shipped within a few days and very easy to deal with. Overall we have found 80-90% of solars are installed incorrectly or the owner has received miss information by the plumber installing the unit.

Replaced 315 lt tank – Mel and Amy at customer service were amazing they worked tirelessly to resolve a manufacturer issue. They got an excellent result and thanks to Chris also they had my water heater delivered the next day. Once again thankyou very much Mel, Amy and Chris. Cheers Rob  Show details ·  1

5 stars for service – Apricus customer service was excellent. Very happy! when I had a question about the water heater I emailed apricus and got a very timely and polite response with the exact information needed, certainly fills me with confidence with my new purchase  Show details ·  1

Warranty Claim – Huge thank you to Ros West for exceptional service regarding our recent warranty claim AAW-3201. Ros was extremely helpful and knowledgeable at every stage of the process. Linda & Eric Hartley  Show reply

Very good unit. Havnt had a problem. Great service from staff – Copes with high demand. Only had fluctuations after the galas chewed the roof sensor cable in half so I bought a new one and fitted it no problems. Works well in winter. It is gas back up but uses very little gas. Cloudy weather isn't a problem as the evacuated tubes are extremely efficient. Show details ·  1

Repair – Ros was exceptional getting the problem solved by diagnosing the fault and the speed of replacement parts to be installed by an Apricus plumber Graham who was very efficient.. well done to you all.. Show details ·  1

High cost of running – New house and new system so no issues there but I would have thought it would be cheaper compared to other older set ups? Our hot water unit is the highest energy cost on the bill