More and more house owners are using solar heaters instead of instant or storage water heaters. Is it really the best choice?

-If you are on a tight budget and you don care much about having a good shower then instant heater is the best.
-If you are planning to have a good shower but only for one bathroom then get a storage heater.
-If you enjoy to have a shower that has very strong water pressure yet the water is warm and also hope that your family members could enjoy the shower as well then getting a SOLAR HEATER is a must.

For more info and latest promotion do drop by our showroom as per link below
https://www.facebook.com/builders.hardware/...o?tab=page_info

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Dec 20 2014, 05:29 AM

If u have a small family like 4ppl then a 60gal solar heater is sufficient, you will have hot water day and night. The solar's storage tank is like a thermos, it can keep the water hot during night time. Unless u have a big family like 8-10 ppl then definitely a 60gal is not sufficient and you wont have sufficient hot water at night.

RM6k for copper piping>? Thatz quite expensive. According to a few customers, the average rate is RM 700+ per bathroom. Price is inclusive of hacking and installing copper pipes. If u get ur own foreign workers to do it, it will b much cheaper. RM 6k+ i guess u r getting a contractor to do the job.

U r not just getting hot water, you are actually buying the shower system. If u wanna get rain shower (big one) and also strong pressure like the hotels, a normal instant heater (RM 200+) cant do the job.

I can intro a plumber who can do the job for less than RM 7k. I guess u got the quote from a contractor. Some contractors just simply quote either to avoid u to use solar or they wanna make high profit. If u get a plumber to quote, it would b cheaper.

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 7 2011, 10:44 PM

True, if it is raining everyday, you nd to turn on the backup heater to heat up the water but you are heating up the water when it is warm and not from cold to hot. So, it wont consume a lot of electricity.

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Added on November 7, 2011, 11:03 pmInitial time to heat up a 60 gal storage tank is about 5 hours of full sun light. A 60gal is sufficient for 6persons (10 gal per person) if you have 4 persons using the solar, then u have extra 20 gal of hot water. So, if you have about 2-3 hours of sun light each day, you wont need to turn on the backup heater. Unless u shower at night and also in the morning.

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 7 2011, 11:03 PM

Weird, seldom ppl asked about microsolar as it is quite hard to find a microsolar dealer but would b a good idea to add in the poll

By just asking around, i found out why some contractors quote a high price for solar piping

1) Copper pipes are exp and there is a risk of the pipes getting stolen before laying the tiles. Contractors will nd to bear the risk, so they hike up the price to reduce their risk of making a loss.

2) Some contractors dont even know how solar heater works, they do not wan to get involved with troublesome work, so they give u a high price to demotivate u to install a solar.

If you get a professional plumber to quote the job, it would b most likely much cheaper compared to a contractor.

For those who are interested in getting a solar and you wanna know whatz the difference between all the solar in the market, u feel free to ask or debate here.

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 8 2011, 11:27 PM

yup, that could cut ur cost more than 20%

and also the correct man to do the job

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 10 2011, 12:07 AM

I m selling Solar Power. Solar Power has both the panel and tube type solar.





Do you know that SOLAR WAVE has an assistant tank? Water will flow into this assistant tank, controlled by a float valve which is similar to those in our toilet bowls. So, if this thing is not working, who will climb up and change it? The assistant tank is needed as the storage tank is made of 0.5mm thick stainless steel and it cant withstand high water pressure while SOLAR POWER's tanks are made of 316 marine grade stainless steel with thickness more than 1mm. Therefore, SOLAR POWER's solar are not equipped with the assistant tank.

There are a few more disadvantages of Solar Wave, if you would like to know more, you can drop by my shop.
http://maps.google.com.my/maps?q=3.211593,...psrc=6&t=m&z=18

Since u r going to do a major reno, u will need some mixers and rain showers. Just drop by my shop, i will give u a nice package for everything. I cant quote prices openly now even in PM, just survey the prices den come to my shop last, i m sure my price will b very attractive.

U hear water hammering after u close ur tap not ON. Ur neighbour have this problem bcoz of the water pump and not bcoz of the solar. If they change their pump to Grundfos UNI E, they wont have this problem.

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Added on November 11, 2011, 11:14 pmWhat weikee said is quite true, when ur kids are tall enough to turn on the mixer or shower on their own, they would b able to control the temperature already. Nowadays kids are very smart d....

The water wont b hot immediately, it will b hot slowly and due to our reflexes even for kids, if the water is too hot we will either turn it off or stay away from the water.

If u r worried, u can get a mixer like SORENTO SRTWT 8912. Just set the correct temperature then turn on/off the water using the divertor (leave the lever at the same position all the time)

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 11 2011, 11:14 PM

Touch wood, so far none of my customers kena b4.

Your solar heater should have a built in backup heater. Unless u r having the very very old model about 10 years back, then you might not have the backup heater.

The best is to get a new solar

cant trade in. I guess ur solar is very old d, solar panel heat absorption efficiency is much lower and storage tank might not b able to store the heat.

PJusa how do you know solar cost u RM 5k? it is actually RM 3k+ only nowadays. Whether u nd to turn on the backup heater or not depends on the weather and also how many ppl using the hot water. I have customers with 4 family members, they never turn on the backup heater in 6 years. Bought a new unit from me when they move in to their new house.

Old solar like ashiezai is using have poorer heat absorption and most probably somewhere is leaking (minor leak). Nowadays good solars like SOLAR POWER has improved absorption panels. Solar Power has 10 copper riser tubes in each panel which is the most in the market while other brands and the old models averagely have 7-8 only.

Solar heaters could generate hot water and it could also b an extra water tank. A 60gal stainless steel water tank will cost u RM 600. So, you can save the $$ to get a smaller water tank.

Gas heaters might have better cost efficiency but like what ozak said may b ppl scared it KABOOM. It actually happened before, if u google in the internet. THis is what i found.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5365634_dangers-...er-heaters.html

FYI, gas water heaters have a shorter lifespan averagely 4-5 years. I studied in Aus few years back, my gas heater broke down during winter... according to the agent, it is ard 3-4 years only. If gas water heaters have a long lifespan, why they don give 10 years warranty like solar heaters?

Gas water heaters might explode due to improper installation, gas leak and etc, there is a possibility that it might explode but ofcoz the probability is very low. Similarly, there are ppl who got electrocuted by instant heaters, may b less than 10 cases per year.

Many Singaporean opt to get storage or gas heater as most of them are staying in condos whereby they cant install solar heaters.

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Added on November 18, 2011, 10:29 pmHere is an example of minor explosion due to improper installation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgr-5A2s8mo

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 18 2011, 10:29 PM

Roof will only collapse if the structure is not strong enough to withstand the weight of the solar, nothing to do with improper installation. Contractors should b able to give end users some advise before the solar is installed but if they are not sure, Solar Power could send their technicians over to have a site visit and give some professional advise (only in KL).

I m not saying that gas heaters will definitely explode, jus wanna elaborate what ozak said, may b there is lesser demand for it in Malaysia as ppl scare it will explode which it does happen before. I got customers who refused to use electric heaters as their friends got electrocuted or they heard news that ppl got electrocuted.

I simply google around and found this happened last month
"Grandpa electrocuted while taking a shower"
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...422&sec=sarawak

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 18 2011, 10:58 PM

electric heaters have a possibility that it will electrocute the user, that is why they are equipped with many safety feature. Similarly, gas heaters are also equipped with safety devices to prevent it from exploding. It is possible that it will happen but the possibility is very slim may b 0.1% 0r 0.01% but ppl are still worried. Not many cases of gas heaters explode in malaysia as not many ppl are using them but instant heaters electrocute the user happens every year.

u r rite but if termite attack, even u have solar or not, the roof will collapse eventually. FYI, i don sell rinnai.

Like i say, i m not saying that instant heaters or gas heaters are not good. Just saying there is lesser demand for it in Malaysia may b they scare that it will explode like what ozak said. I used gas heaters before, no doubt it could supply constant hot water but the downside is, it has shorter lifespan compared to solar.

This post has been edited by zheilwane: Nov 18 2011, 11:24 PM