Solar Water Heating Panels
- Hot Water Supply - Central Heating - Swimming Pool Heating - Industrial Applications
UK now has solar hot water systems installed in over 40,000 buildings.
Our Energy - Our Climate
If we could capture just 0.01% of the energy landing on the the earth from sunlight, we would have more energy than we get now from burning coal, oil and gas put together.
Solar Collectors concentrate diffused solar radiation into thermal energy. They are suitable for both domestic and industrial water heating requirements. A Thermomax panel can provide useful, clean energy throughout the year - whilst saving considerable amounts of expensive, polluting fuel.
Vacuum tube collector is designed for continuous high performance. Not only at noon, or during a clear day in the summer - but performance when the sun is low in the sky or when it's cold, windy and cloudy. These are the real weather conditions a solar system is likely to encounter over the year. Our collectors will continue to operate efficiently at temperatures well below freezing.
Thermomax collectors are designed to overcome the limitations of 'flat plate' panels, especially in unfavourable weather conditions. They convert both direct and diffused solar radiation into heat. The heat absorber has a special selective coating, which converts the maximum amount of solar radiation into heat, whilst having very small radiation losses. Infra red light, which can pass through clouds, is also absorbed and converted into usable heat.
The vacuum inside the glass tube, being the best possible insulation for a solar collector, suppresses heat losses, which results in performance far superior to any other type of solar collectors.
Heat transfer is via a heat pipe, to a highly insulated manifold heat exchanger. The special fluid inside the 'heat pipe' evaporates when heated, transferring energy to its top. The vapour then condenses, and the fluid returns to its original position due to gravity. The heat is thus transferred via the heat exchanger, to the hot water system.
The design of the tubes and manifold allow unbeatable levels of insulation (R 16.5), and therefore of efficiency. The solar collectors are lightweight and modular; this allows the tubes to be integrated into all architectural designs. Ideally the collectors should face south, tilted somewhere between 25 & 65 degrees from the horizontal.
The solar glass tubes are very smooth and perfectly round, therefore any dirt or dust is either washed away by rain, or blown away by the wind. The sealed tube and use of high grade stainless steel entirely eliminates corrosion.
Thermomax collectors are built to exceptional standards of quality and have been accredited ISO 9001& ISO 9002 certificates by the BSI.
The following applications and system sizing are recommended:
Domestic Hot Water; 30 tubes for a family of up to 4.
Space Heating; 1-3 tubes per square metre of heating area, depending on the construction of the property. (Space heating works brilliantly in combination with summer pool heating or spa).
Swimming Pool Heating; approx. 3 collector tubes per square metre of pool surface, for covered outdoor or indoor pool.
Spa/Hot Tub; 60 tubes for up to 1500 litre capacity (indoor).
Air conditioning with absorption chillers.
Thermomax collector systems are supplied in kits.
Solar Collectors:
Model TMS20 - 20 Collector Tubes, one 20-tube manifold and supporting frame.
Price £ 1498.75 inc. VAT & UK Delivery
Model TMS30 - 30 Collector Tubes, one 30-tube manifold and supporting frame.
Price £ 2198.75 inc. VAT & UK Delivery
Solar Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Systems:
Model SMS20 - Includes one TMS20 and one SK100 active pack
Price £ 1998.25 inc. VAT & UK Delivery
Model SMS30 - Includes one TMS30 and one SK100 active pack
Price £ 2698.25 Inc. VAT & UK Delivery
The SK100 active pack includes: Manifold inlet assembly with pressure relief valve, manifold outlet assembly with automatic air vent and sensor pocket, double check valve combi filling loop, pressure gauge, 8ltr expansion vessel, circulating pump with isolating valves, digital differential controller with three sensors and leads, non-return valve, 2 drain cocks, five litres of corrosion inhibitor and antifreeze and a tube of sealant, Installation manual.
Price £498.25 Inc.VAT & UK Delivery
Spares & accessories
Single evacuated solar collector tube TMO500 £55.81 Inc. VAT
Manifold & Supporting frame MS20 £ 352.81
Manifold & Supporting frame MS30 £ 499.37
Digital Controller SMT100 £233.25
Digital Controller SMT400 £ 499.37
General Information
Collector Utilization
The Thermomax Collector is basically a powerful boiler that works throughout the day, whether you want it to or not! (In fact it's unique design allows it to be switched off and stagnated without problems - but this is a waste of energy). The heat it generates needs to be used immediately, or stored efficiently for future use.
Collector Sizing
The performance of the Thermomax Collector is directly related to the amount of light (global radiation) that it receives. Thermomax can provide weather information and a guide to collector sizing for your area. Domestic Hot Water Domestic Hot Water (DHW) is the primary application for the Thermomax Collector.
Hot Water Tanks
If possible a single solar storage tank with an insulation factor of R-16 or better should be used. A further R-10 blanket should be added, along with thermal check valves on both the cold feed and hot water pipes. A 120ºF tempering valve will provide constant temperature water to the house, and allow the tank to safely store higher temperatures.
Piping
For most DHW systems 3/8" soft copper can be used to and from the collector. This should be insulated to R-5.2 or better. Note that the pipe in the heat transfer manifold is factory insulated to R-16.5 or better. This combination will loose very little energy.
Backup
Although a Thermomax system is capable of providing 100% of hot water needs in many areas, backup heating for the water should be provided. Solar hot water tanks are available either for storage only, or with electric backup. A storage tank with a tankless gas water heater for backup is an excellent combination.
System design
Our design and installation team are on hand to supply advice, installation, spare parts and complete customer aftercare services.
