At no time during the sales interview, planning, installation, testing,commissioning or handover of the system, did any employee of Smart Energy inform me that my existing combi boiler - a Worcester 28SI11 - was unsuitable for this system. In fact the sales person said that this boiler was compatible with their system. When I read the technical literature (which was not given to me until after I had made the final payment) I discovered that the boiler will not accept water that is pre-heated above 24 degrees C so all water in the solar tank above 24degrees C has to be cooled down to 24degrees by the Smart Energy system to prevent damage to the boiler. Water at 46 degrees C (no more, no less ) bypasses the boiler directly to the taps. All that hot water between 24 and 46 degrees C is unusable and all that heat wasted. Do I have any other options than replacing the boiler with a compatible one (a very expensive option) or demanding the removal of the Smart Energy system and a full refund - £8,893.
Problem with hot water system heated by SOLAR panels
- Thread starter Frayon
- Start date
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I dont think that you have properly understood your system.
Be aware that I dont know exactly what you have had installed but I suspect I am correct.
Solar heated water is used through a blending valve to preheat water fed to your combi.
If the solar water is at 35° then this is blended with cold to give the maximum premissible for your boiler of 24° so the solar obtained heat is not wasted.
Its true that between 24° and 45° you are not getting as much benefit as you might if you had a storage system. But you already have a combi !
There may be a possibility of having an unvented cylinder fitted which is what most people get when they have solar fitted.
That sounds a very expensive system. Most solar installs with an unvented system are usually more like £4-6k.
Tony
Be aware that I dont know exactly what you have had installed but I suspect I am correct.
Solar heated water is used through a blending valve to preheat water fed to your combi.
If the solar water is at 35° then this is blended with cold to give the maximum premissible for your boiler of 24° so the solar obtained heat is not wasted.
Its true that between 24° and 45° you are not getting as much benefit as you might if you had a storage system. But you already have a combi !
There may be a possibility of having an unvented cylinder fitted which is what most people get when they have solar fitted.
That sounds a very expensive system. Most solar installs with an unvented system are usually more like £4-6k.
Tony
Frayon has forgotton to mention that this system will only produce hot water at the basin at 46 degrees maximum temparature, which soon cools when it hits the basin, is there not any way to adjust this to give
hotter water?
The installing company has continually made excuses and walked away from the problem.
The boiler manufacturer seems to think that the boiler is not compatable with this system.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
hotter water?
The installing company has continually made excuses and walked away from the problem.
The boiler manufacturer seems to think that the boiler is not compatable with this system.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Is this them........?
http://www.smartenergyuk.com/
No longer trading according to link!
http://www.grumbletext.co.uk/vt.php?t=577
http://www.smartenergyuk.com/
No longer trading according to link!
http://www.grumbletext.co.uk/vt.php?t=577
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Are you the original poster on this thread?
EDIT- Related I assume on the same PC.
Sorry don't know anyone in Somerset (apart from my aunt)
You could post up some photographs of the install.
Forgive me for going slightly away from the original question here, but I can't resist asking...what in the world possessed you to spend nearly nine grand on a solar hot water system!? Are you quite mad? That is never, ever, ever, ever going to pay for itself. Ever. In fact almost no solar installations pay for themselves, but that's a debate for another day.
As for whether you have any comeback on the company, if they've ceased trading then it's going to be a long slow process that may fail, and unless they've put it in writing that your boiler is compatible then you can't prove they said it was anyway.
Whether you go down the legal or the replacement route this is, I am afraid, going to end up costing you even more money. I'm not really familiar with SE installations so some photos would be interesting at least
As for whether you have any comeback on the company, if they've ceased trading then it's going to be a long slow process that may fail, and unless they've put it in writing that your boiler is compatible then you can't prove they said it was anyway.
Whether you go down the legal or the replacement route this is, I am afraid, going to end up costing you even more money. I'm not really familiar with SE installations so some photos would be interesting at least
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