Chromagen 450 Litres

Beeping noise – My Chromagen hot water system start beeping itself and stops itself. Both red and green lights remain on when it beeps not flashing. When called Chromagen they said it's normal as long as it is not flashing. Do not know what to do as it happens many times in a day and night.

Lemon – First problem was a howling noise coming from the unit itself. I contacted chromagen and the sent out a plumber 2 days later. Plumber couldn’t fault it. 3 days later it happened again. Rang again and another few days went by. The plumber could not find the problem because it wasn’t making a noise when he got there. Chromagen sent me the bill. A… Read more

couple of weeks went by before the noise returned. This time I used a stethoscope to find the problem. The pump on the side the circulates the water to the panel was the culprit. I discovered that the one way valve was back the front. I rang chromagen and because I found the problem they would not honour the warranty. I paid for a new pump. Now the frost valve is leaking and also not covered. Steer clear of Chromagen.

Absolute hands down worst solar hot water system ever – One way valve at tank broke after 13 months. Chromagen refused to come out unless I agree to pay a call out fee. My builder eventually agreed to pay call out. Chromagen plumber simply decommissioned the valve by breaking the spring system inside. Tells me i don't need the valve at the tank because I already have another valve down line which my… Read more

builders plumber installed.

Now barely a month out from that call out from the frost valve goes off every night and I estimate uses between 150 and 300 litres per night. Seriously considering by passing the solar. Stay away from Chromagen. I cannot be clearer! Stay away!!

Very happy. No problems – I like that I can adjust different modes if I have extra people staying and need hot water to heat up quickly. Energy efficiency is great. Very happy. I think if you have a good plumber to fit the job in the first place. Most people would not be so disappointed. Happy customer  Show details

Haven't had a problem – Since moving into my new home three years ago I have been happy with my Chromagen highline system. I only turn the electrics on for three months in winter. Most homes in my street have the same system and I havnt here'd of any problems. I was worried after ready some of the other reports but it looks like the problems people were having we're minimal. My son is getting one for his new home.  Show details

Excellent product – I have a 400 litre tank in my garage and 3 solar panels. For at least 6 months of the year I have my night time booster switch turned off as I'm getting all my hot water free (except the cost of running the small water pump to the panels), On really hot days like we are having in Sydney at the moment, I can run hot water directly from my laundry… Read more ·  1

tap into my swimming pool. I've only had the need for one service call in over 7 years which was dealt with promptly.

Poor product backed with a useless warranty and poor after sales service – My Chromogen failed after 6 years when the solar collector spit on a cold night. The warranty is poor with only 5 years on the collector and only 12 months on the frost valve. Any cost benefit from the solar system is lost with the very high repair and replacement costs as well as the maintenance costs (think regular frost valve replacement). … Read more

Just get yourself a Rinnai Infinity instantaneous gas water heater which has a longer warranty and without the complexity and ugly bulk of solar systems.

Lack of support / lack of quality – Chromagen no longer offer support in Canberra. Attempted to report a fault and was told to find our own plumber! The problem turned out to be a rusted thermostat … after only 3 years. It would seem that poor water sealing means this is a common problem with Chromagen. The Power Saving Centre were able to fix our problem even though they no longer sell Chromagen  Show details

Crap product and customer service – Third time in 3 years I have had some one out to replace my leaking frost valve. This time I was out of warranty so I had to pay. There is is only a 1 year warranty on these valves. After the first time my water bill was $1000. I also contacted metricon, basically I am stuck with this useless product. The customer service is appalling. Do not use… Read more

chromogen for any reason. I have also contacted the ACCC. I would have given no stars if possible.

Frost valve faulty – We have a two year old chromagen 170 litre hot water tank. The frost valve comes on every day. Our water usage for two people has gone from 300 litres ave to 859 litres irony is we live in a frost free area- Rosebud- 500 meters from the water . The valve is obviously faulty. The warrant they say is for one year. Not good enough Chromagen.  Show details

Very poor after sales service – Poor and rude after sales service.14 months old. Solar Panel cracked. Frost valve frozen.. No warranty 450 E.H.W. tank N.W. After 4 years. Faulty thermostat. No warranty. Tank rusted and corroded Element gasket weep No warranty. Wrote to G. M. No reply. Sent many E:Mails Very unhappy user. Fair Trading help. .  Show details

Useless always broken – Always broken and they always send the the bill to fix to even for calling and checking . My water bill gone double. It was making noise on roof during summer so shifted to ground paid anather 1600. Now Alway flowing water from roof. Really upsetting profuct no one should by this.  Show details

Faulty Valve – Had to get the valve replaced as water has been leaking through the pipe...water leakage had caused rust on my roof tiles...had to pay for call out fee...high water bill... Very disappointed with the product and i wonder how long will the new valve last and now has to pay for a high water bill due to leakage..  Show details

This is awful – We have 200 lite tank on roof of unit block 6 yrs on tank is shot cost to raplace tank on roof $8650 as crane has to b used had 7 year waranty had to provide proof which we did but we have now been without hot water 1 week constant phone calls installation company is stuffing around for cheapest deal on crane for install have sought other options… Read more

on hot water but because it is on roof would need to run pipes over flat roof down side of building ugly & expensive Do Not Purchase these systems

Chromagen refuse to take responsibility – I have had continual problems with the tempering valve in a Chromagen split solar hot water system put in by my new home builder, Plantation. In three years, the valve has been replaced twice (once under warranty and then later at significant cost to me) and I have had to pay a plumber to clean the blocked valve several times. It has now become… Read more

obvious that the tank is rusting and the rust flakes are blocking the valve, meaning that less and less hot water gets through, until there is virtually no hot water. This blockage is occurring around every six months. The plumber's opinion is that the tank is faulty and should be replaced under the five year warranty. Chromagen are saying that my service history suggests that poor water quality is to blame, and that they are not responsible for the quality of the water entering the tank. I have lived in this area my entire life and have never had a hot water tank rust within two years of installation due to poor water quality. Reading these reviews, my heart sinks and I think I am going to have to cut my losses and replace the tank with a better quality product. I am very disappointed in Chromagen and would never recommend them.

Frost valve problem – We have had two frost valves replaced over 3 years. First one under warrantee but we were left to pay a $350 water bill. Less than two years later we heard trickling water again. Another large water bill. Phoned repair company and asked them to bypass solar system. Another $150 and now have instantaneous gas hot water. Our last gas bill was much the same as when solar was working. Go figure!!!!  Show details

Chromagen solar over priced and very over rated – We need to run the power booster non stop or we run out of hot water after 2 to 3 days max ,Have had it looked at and were told nothings wrong with it that they can see ,And buying new parts etc, eg New hot water tank ,water pump which ive had to purchase were alot dearer then others ,Can go and buy complete other systems cheaper and buying replacement parts cheaper as well  Show details

Chromagen Roof Mounted Solar – My Father purchased a roof mounted solar system from these people and their after sales service is zero. When you call them with a warranty issue they simply advise your not covered. If you want a poor product and no after sales service purchase a Chromagen system. I wouldn't waste your money or time.  Show details

Worthless warranty = junk product – Chromagen will only selectively honour their warranty. A friend of mine had his Chromagen tank replaced about a year ago when it leaked. He had his system installed about 9 months before mine. Now, about 9 months after his is fixed my water bills arrived that showed marked and unexplained water consumption. Of course, this could be from anything -… Read more

except it was recently discovered that the Chromagen 450L solar tank has a leak. Contacted Chromagen service department and they refuse to fix it without a warranty certificate. There is no explanation as to what a warranty certificate is - nor was one provided when the system was installed. Evidence has been provided that a 7 year warranty covers the install, but Chromagen have refused to repair or replace the tank. Has anyone else experienced this from Chromagen?

Great value for money! – Had a gas instantaneous for 4 years now, and can't fault it! Chromagen is great and a lot cheaper than other makes and works just as well! haven't had a fault with it yet! The service I had from the company was great! And they really care about their customers!  Show details

Sadly there is not a no star rating available – I have previously reviewed the fact that this system never saved us a cent/kWh from the day we installed it in May 2011; actually it cost us more per nightly off peak electric when we did a two week comparative trial as recommended by a technician who phoned us at Chromagen's request. Add to that the power for the pump, it certainly cost us more.… Read more

He was certain we should have had no charge given the weather at the time if the system worked. Add the cost of using up govt credit options for another solar system, and it has cost us thousands in waste.

Now the tank is stuffed - leaking from all entry and exit pipes and rusted around the base.

Customer service relies on deflection and buck passing, and the hope that you forget to go to the ombudsman.

Faulty Valve – Upsetting to have the same issues as other people on this site. Our home is only just hit 2 years old built through Plantation. Our Chromagen hot water system is leaking a lot of water and after a massive call around from builder to supplier to another plumbing service we find out it is at a cost to us and our 5 year warranty does not cover this.… Read more

$220.00 for a call out fee and replacement of one valve. Makes you think with the amount of people having issues with new homes that the valves are not built to last! Can speak very highly of how effecient Todd's plumbing is but very upset to hear this is re-occurring issue in new homes.

Don't have a Chromagen - but a Dux Sunpro - but the same problem as Dave – I was thinking of upgrading my DUX Sunpro to a Chromagen as I have the same problem that Dave described - constant loss of water at night when temperature drops and the loud noise of the pump getting water back up into the panels. As it runs directly over our bedroom and is VERY NOISY we don't get much good sleep during the night at winter time. Will not change now as better the Devil you know than another one. Thank you Dave  Show details

Very happy – I had this system installed by the Power Saving Centre in Canberra. I am very pleased with the performance and quality. All I need is 2 hours of sunshine a day to keep the water hot and it lasts 2-3 days with no sun in winter. I am fortunate to now be almost totally free of the need for boosting. Make sure you get a good installer who knows what they are doing!  Show reply

Do not take up their 'free offer' – Do not follow through with their free offer, our experience is that we came to an agreement, paid the 500 for system and a dodgy plummer came out. He didn't want to attached some pipes to the wall and took photos of everywhere BUT where the hotwater system goes claiming there was no concrete base that was level. Yes there was my system is… Read more

sitting on it now. They wanted to charge us more for installation. It's a scam do not go near these people. We did get our money back after going to the consumer affairs for advice

Warranty – Unfortunately our builder that we thought was a quality builder fits this rubbish, In the user manual it states that you must complete registration for the product within 6 weeks of purchase or there is no warranty. Luckily as consumers we are protected by Victorian law and that statement is a load of meaningless garbage. I will be disconnecting… Read more

my solar panel and running it purely on gas as the amount of water wasted every night that flows down the roof from the frost valve when the air temperature drops below 10 degrees is a joke and for many of those hours overnight the pump is running so this unit is not very efficient at all regarding electricity or water as it wastes a lot of both. Any savings that you could possibly make from having the Solar benefit I lost due to wastage so my advice is to bypass it or get rid of it all together.

unreliable imported rubbish – Our system has been very unreliable since having it installed , the warranty is not comprehensive and only covers some issues - I wouldn't recommend them . Our system is only a few years old and we have already had multiple instances of no hot water . Some of Chromagen's tradesmen have been very good but the product is of poor quality .

Rusted Tank. No Communication – System worked OK for a period. Having to use the boost far more than was explained to us. We could have kept our off peak system for less cost. Tank started leaking and rusted within warranty period. Tank was replaced under warranty but by smaller tank. After a 6 week wait. Would never recommend this system to anyone again.

poor product – our system is 2 years old has never worked properly rattles and leaks. rep from chromagen came to check out problems said there was a loose wire charged $130 for the service call. our builder martex homes assured us it was a good unit very poor advice. think twice before purchasing this product

dreadful hot water system, chromagen is the worst – Cheap, doesn't last to warranty, leaks, rust. The panels are full of water and rusting - only two years old. Tank cap has split exposing wires. It is labelled chromagen and I was told by chromagen it wasn't their brand so not their problem. ??? The 3 independent plumbers told me to ditch the system. It is industry known to be the cheapest quality… Read more

and doesn't last. Trying to get a refund of this disaster on my roof and chromagen don't want to acknowledge problem. Do not EVER buy this product as you will be stuck with evasive or non existent service and a product that won't work or last.

rusted tank, dont buy chromagen – The tank (300lt) was installed 8 years ago. Today i had to change it out as the inlet/outlet pipes on the tank to/from the solar panels had rusted right through. I expected more life than 8 years from this tank. However on reading other reviews I'm considering myself lucky to have got 8 years.

NO ONE FROM CHROMAGEN CONTACTS ME – I had a claim 4 months ago, no contact, tried calling and still no one returns my query, what is a consumer to do? I had the panel burst due to no frost valve, tried contacting through the on line system, twice, no reply initially so I've had to pay a plumber to bypass the system, Please fix my problem Chromagen.

Chromagen Solar Hot Water System – I would say this is the worse system I have come across. Solar panel does not produce hot water in the winter even though there was sun and summer water start to heat up but when turning to the tap a knocking noise so loud my neighbors complain. I believe this is a design fault in the system. No other solar system does this and when people came… Read more

to have a look, said nothing they can do. What a load of [censored word removed].

Recommend. Never to use Chromagen solar hot water system. If builder are using it, make sure you ask to change to another company. Only when builders stop using this system will they listen to the consumers.

Please all who use Chromagen make a complain to the fair trade people and consumer protection to investigate these people. Would they take their service seriously.

Beware!!! – Don't purchase this hot water system. Piece of crap!! Rusted out after 2 years. Tried to replace with the warranty through the installers. Been without a system for 6 weeks using a temp small system. Still no word from Chromagen after 6 weeks. The company that installed is replacing with another brand after we threatened them. Don't touch Chromagen!!

Unsatisfactory Product With Worse Backup From Chromagen – We bought what we thought would be a money saver. It’s been nothing but that. The heater has been repaired once (it caused over $2,000 damage) and recently replace once. The second time Chromagen customer service couldn’t have given worse customer service! You would have thought it was Basil Faulty. The delay tactic, non returning of phone calls.