Solar Panel & Solar Hot Water Systems

Solahart has manufactured over 1,000,000 solar hot water systems since 1953 and is represented in over 80 countries in every continent. Solahart manufactures 3 main types of systems to harness solar power:

• roof-mounted thermosiphon systems
• streamline split systems; and
• Synergy heat pumps

Living Wise is an exclusive dealer for Solahart solar hot water heating. We supply and install the complete range of Solahart solar hot water systems and solar pool heating for domestic and commercial applications. We service the Melbourne metropolitan area and the Mornington Peninsula. Contact us to find out solar hot water prices and the solar hot water rebates available to you.

Thermosiphon Systems (roof-mounted)

All Solahart solar hot water systems, where the tank is roof-mounted, use the Thermosiphon principle to collect heat from the sun and transfer it to your hot water. The Thermosiphon principle is based on two naturally occurring phenomena:

• Dark objects absorb heat
• Hot water rises

All Solahart solar hot water panels are coated with a dark, heat-absorbent surface. This coating absorbs the suns rays and heats the cold fluid in the collector panel. As the fluid heats, it rises to the top of the collector panel and into the tank where it displaces cooler fluid which flows in to the bottom of the collector panel where the process is repeated.

The greater the temperature difference between the fluid in the collector panels and the water in the tank the faster the flow between them.

In open circuit systems the fluid in the collector panel is water while in closed circuit systems a special fluid called, Hartgard, is used. When heated in the collector panel, it is circulated in a jacket around the tank to transfer the heat to the water inside.

In this way Solahart solar hot water panels constantly soak up the sun's energy to ensure you have hot water, on tap, everyday.

Split Systems (ground-mounted)

Solahart's Streamline is designed to give you, the owner, the maximum flexibility of installation locations. The low profile and unobtrusive Solahart collector panels are mounted on a North facing roof, whilst the storage tank is mounted at ground level out of sight. The electric boosted tank can even be installed inside your home. This minimises the visual impact of going solar, while maximising the potential savings from the sun.

With a Streamline the water is circulated from the tank and through the collector panels by an electric pump called a 'circulator'.

Cooler water is pumped in a continuous cycle from the bottom of the tank and circulated through the collector panels where it absorbs the heat extracted from the sun before being returned to the top of the tank.

The circulator is regulated by a control unit on the water heater, when the controller senses an 8°C differential in temperature between the top of the collector panels and the bottom of the tank, the circulator is activated until the temperature differential falls to 4°C.

Heat Pumps

The Solahart Synergy is like a solar water heater without the collector panels. Instead, it uses amazingly efficient heat pump technology to extract the heat from the surrounding air.

The Synergy operates in much the same way as a refrigerator but in reverse. Ambient air is used to warm the CFC free refrigerant, which converts into a gas. This gas is compressed which generates heat and the heat is transferred to the water. Once the heat has been extracted the refrigerant is expanded back to a liquid and the cycle repeats.

This process is 225% more efficient than conventional electric water heaters so it uses 1/3 of the energy to provide all a family's hot water needs.

A common characteristic of heat pump water heaters is the tendency for the evaporator coil to 'ice-up' at low temperatures, thereby wasting energy as the unit goes through its 'defrost' mode.

The advanced design of the Synergy overcomes this problem by the use of an inbuilt booster element. If at ambient temperatures below 10°C the Synergy senses any ice build up on the evaporator coil, it will cut the heat pump operation and switch over to the booster element.

The booster element actually consumes less power heating the water at these low temperatures, than a conventional heat pump in defrost mode. This means your new Solahart Synergy is saving you even more on your energy bills.

Contact Living Wise for more information on solar hot water prices and the solar hot water rebates that may be offered to you.