Run On Sun ROSAHP250EL

11 years ago & still going strong – Hi , i bought a 24 tube system 11 years ago , set it up on my farm through the electric pressure system on my hause . I had a 50 lt electric unit for a backup in bad weather . Only used it a handful of times over the 11 years , but when i needed it it was a necessity to have . My property is off grid so power usage is high priority . After 20 year's of use the 50 lt electric gave way internally . So i replumbed it . Put in a 160 lt electric , 1800 watt element on a timer that runs for 4 to 5 hr through the sunshine hr as i choose . Put the solar hot water outlet into the bottom of the electric system ( where the cold normally would be ) then out the top into the hause . So now with the solar system & the electric system i have 400 lt of storage . The power use is minimal because the water entering the electric system is passing over the 1800 watt heating coil & it very rarely kicks in . I'm on a 20 kwh full stand alone solar setup with a kabota 15 kva backup . The entire system is automated by cut in & cut out swinging . So the step up with the hot water is to be excited about . It's amazing what you can learn after living off grid & how to customize things as you go . So yes i had to blank off the cold water line to the 160 lt hot water system . Because it's being fed by the solar system now . I don't know why it took me 11 years to come up with this idea , but , it's working so well for DIY . & , now i don't have to continually updating people , ( go easy on the hot water ) . Can hot wash the clothing now for a even better wash . It's worth thinking about if your thinking about changing things around for sure . Cheers & hope your read may have been helpful for you setting up off grid .

maunual for Run on Sun shws – I have just purchased a second hand Run on Sun solar hot water service and need the install manual - in particular the water inlet and outlet diagram. My guess is that the writing on the inlets and outlets has faded. Their web site seems to be down. can anyone help please?

this is the best solar hotwater on the market ten stars to andrew and runonsun – Best and most efficient system - have one in rural area - on ground and easy to access - especially to cover when needed. Very rarely need back up to heat. One of the first ROSAHPEL in Australia!! Put another one on a tin roof which has to be part covered .

Electricity Killer – I purchased a Run on Sun ROSAHP250EL replacing a Solar Edwards unit that needed boosting every time the temperature fell below 25 deg C. Since installing the unit, despite the coldest winter experienced in Perth for 23 yrs the unit did not require boosting reducing my electricity demand so that the PV solar system can handle, reducing my utility power bill to almost zero.

During the summer months when days are over 30 deg C, sometimes in excess of 40 deg C the unit expels up to 10 litres of water that I collect in a plastic bucket when cool used to water plants. I have thought about installing a blind to partially shade the heat tubes for when away for extended periods and summer period to reduce the amount of water expelled.

The Perth water salinity is increasing, a shandy including bore and reverse osmosis water which may be aggressive on the sacrificial magnesium anode requiring more frequent replacement than recommended.

Installation of the frame is tricky as the base bearing beams are predrilled to match the building code rafter spacing. However, buildings are constructed so that nothing is regularly spaced, square or parallel. Drilling through Bristle clay tiles is easily achieved using diamond-tipped drills to install the copper pipes to the mixer valve and cold water inlet.

Overall I think the unit is very effective in heating water with no moving parts other than the mixer valve and minimal servicing required to periodically replace the sacrificial anode and purge any dirt buildup within the tank.

You can spend nothing on hot water ever – I think this is the most reliable, most efficient, and longest lasting, solar hot water system on the market. An excellent producer of hot water in Canberra's Winters we have never turned the electric booster on (even now updating 6 plus years later). When it came to replacing the 20 year old Solarhart I wanted its good points improved and bad points mitigated. The Run on Sun system does both. Stainless steel tank both inner and outer, high efficiency heat pipe technology with no water in the tubes, no pumps or controllers, and no chemical antifreeze fluids to leak into gutters. This water heater will still operate if there is a total power failure as happened to my side of the street for over a week following the 2003 bushfire. It is very high performance producing after tempering valve 50 degree hot water on a day which starts out at minus 6 degrees. It performs great during long spells of overcast weather. It should not require as expensive servicing as the Solarhart which at about $500 every 5 years ate considerably into the savings otherwise made on power bills. It has lighter weight components so it is easier to install and if it ever did need replacing it can be more easily manhandled and not need a crane which some some replacement installers say is needed to remove an old Solarhart. A great system for households where people are home during the day and able to shower and wash etc during peak daylight hours. A drawback is that it could be considered too efficient. Mine has boiled water in mid Winter when the maximum day temperature only reached to 16 degrees C. This can happen if you do not use hot water for a few days because you go on holiday. When temperatures outside rise to over 26 degrees if you are not using hot water during peak daylight times or part cover the tubes with shade cloth the pressure relief valve will operate because the water in the tank is so hot. If you do not part cover the tubes on days over 30 degrees and no hot water is being used the discharge could be almost constant for that period of the day. To remedy this I half cover the tubes diagonally with shade sail from October till April. This requires 10 minutes spent on the roof twice a year a very small price to pay to help save the planet. The good point is that you remove the shade in winter and have really hot water. Pros. Stainless steel tank. Both inner and outer. Very efficient heat pipe technology with no water in the tubes. Good warranty. No pumps or controllers. No antifreeze fluids. Excellent performance in overcast and cold weather. Long heat pipe sleeves have more surface area in direct contact with the water and pipes to tank has no seals to leak or maintain. Price includes freight to most places in Australia. Spare tubes included in the price. Comes with required valves and pipe insulation. You can assemble yourself and just use the plumber for fitting and certification. Cons. Attachment method to tile roof is complicated and may require drilling through tiles. So efficient that it requires use of hot water during peak daylight times and or part covering of tubes in Summer.