Hi...anyone know about SOLAR WAVE solar water heater??hows the quality??any comments??

For me solar water heater is useless in Malaysia except .... (later on this)

During hot day, you get plenty of hot water but why you need hot water to bath in hot day? During rainy days, you just have water than is not hot enough or not enough hot water

I'w say even with electric water heater, the hot water storage tank is not holding water long enough for next day. Probably lost most of heat at night time. Someone who has been installing this said, it is not worth the investment. Almost useless.

The only thing that you can benefit is that if you use hot water in your kitchen like for cleaning greasy plate etc.

I don't know what experience your statements are based upon. I've live in 2 house were we installed a solar water heater, the first was a plastic panel type, it was good most of the year apart from a few days at the end of the year when the water wasn't warm. We have a vacuum tube type panel now, the performance is much better, I would estimate there are 2 -3 days/year when we have to use 100% water from the hot tap for a shower. We don't have electric water heaters.

To add, performance of the panel depends upon the location. best solar gain is generally in the mornings. Afternoons tend to be more cloudy.

This post has been edited by kk131: Apr 23 2018, 08:53 AM

It is from several people who owned the solar water heater. Probably depends on where you live. If you are from small town go to KL, the feel the water is never cold. Hardly use water heater even in the morning.

If you have rainy condition for several days like during monsoon time, will water be hot?

Read my post. With vacuum tube type, the water is still warm, even during the condition we experienced late last year. Seems like you're relying on second hand information, not personal experience.

I read about vacuum tube or I believe you meant vacuum storage tank. I was asking during cloudy days for 2 or 3 days, how hot was the water? Can it get hot enough based on your experience?

Using a microsolar panel now https://www.facebook.com/MicrosolarSystem/ . I think the glass tubes are from China.

Here's some info on the tubes https://www.solartubs.com/how-do-solar-vacu...tubes-work.html

Pray don't breakdown.

Just asking them to come over can cost you an arm and a leg.

Yeap same here, only when there is continuous downpour over a period of two to three days, that the back up heater needs to be switched on. This is partly due to my installation location (for aesthetic reasons) meaning, that the solar panel will not get a good sun exposure.

Prior to installation it is best to consult with the heater manufacturer, on the best location for installation. Many of this heater sales person will willingly come down to provide this advise. This is the crucial step which I missed, and at present my heater only gets the sun rays from mid afternoon until evening; best location, would be to maximise the sun rays, especially morning to mid day sun; as downpours usually occur towards the mid afternoon to evenings at KL.

Must have installed the panel in 2005. Since then, they've been 2x to service (about 6 yearly interval). Servicing has been to clean the tubes (get silt and algae inside the tubes that reduces the efficiency) and replace the header tank float valve (it's a standard type of valve). Last time they came in 2016 I paid around RM900.

I haven't done any comparison between electric & solar costs. When we bought the house from the developer, we specified hot water plumbing, that was an additional cost, rather than the cost of individual electric storage tanks offered.

I prefer the convenience of solar, hot water always available in all the bathrooms and kitchen.

May I know what is the brand u r using??

Microsolar is considered the efficient system, while the common solar water heater is not efficient.

Microsolar - refer post #7. The solarwave product seems to be using similar components.

This post has been edited by kk131: Apr 24 2018, 10:52 AM

Ok, lets calculate the cost at 20yrs usage between electric storage heater and solar heater. Base on the max solar heater lifetime. (some claim at 15yrs)

Solar heater
Price range at RM5.5k.
Maintenance 4x in 20yrs - 4x900=RM3.6k
Total usage cost - RM5500 + RM3600 = RM9100

Storage heater
Price range at RM850. (68L Joven)
Usage perday boil once perday at for 60min at 3kw. 3kw x 365/12 = 91.25kwh/mth. If your bill is RM100/mth, that is 0.28 x 91.25 = RM25.55/mth
For 20yrs electric usage - RM25.55 x 12 x 20 =RM6132
Maintenance - For safety reason and lifespan, give it 10yrs to change once. So in 20yrs require 2unit. And the 2nd unit price might be up. Put it at RM850 +RM200 = RM1050
Total usage cost - RM850 + RM6132 + RM1050 = RM8032.

I will use solar heater for safety reason. Storage heater for the cost usage.

Solar heater can also be lighting problem if the earth not done correctly. Don't forget it have heating element too

If I'd taken the developer's option, I would have one electric storage heater for each bathroom (4) and one for the kitchen, so a total of 5. I think this is a very inefficient design, much prefer centralised hot water storage.

Besides the economics, there's the 'soft' issues - reduced carbon footprint, hot water for 'free' if you've made the investment, hot water on tap 24/7.

I was quoted RM5.5k for s80, 4.9K for s60 respectively by Hydro1

and 5.53K for piping

The latter made me threw the whole idea into the drain.

Microsolar lor.

Sometime I wonder, should earth it or not. If you earth it, the chance of strike is higher. But there is still 1/million.

68L is overkill for 1 bathroom. That is for 3 bathroom. So got to centralize the heater.

Storage heater is 24/7 hot water available. It similar to solar heater. Just the heating element is different. But are more reliable than solar heater.

Where is your "hot water for 'free'" coming from ?

You have big house?

Laying the pipe is not easy job.