Solahart Solar Hot Water Systems | Sol-Tek Solar

Save up to 80% on your hot water heating bill and take advantage of the 30% federal tax credit.

YOU'LL RECOUP YOUR INVESTMENT
True! The savings you'll make on your power bills, from the sun's free energy, means that you will recover the cost of your initial investment in a few short years. So, your Solahart Free Heat not only pays for itself, but it provides you with genuine savings year after year. Guaranteed. Depending on where you live and how much hot water you use, up to 80% of your hot water can be free from the sun. You won't get that with an ordinary gas or electric system.

Your new Free Heat will not only save you money, but you'll be playing your part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere (up to 4.5 tons per annum). Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a Solahart? The world would be a cleaner place.

SOLAHART SYSTEMS LAST LONGER
With Solahart's 50 years experience, the thermosiphon water heaters have been shown to last up to twice as long as conventional water heaters, which means you'll still be enjoying Hot Water Free From The Sun for years after your neighbors have had to replace their conventional systems.

Every Solahart water heater comes with a factory warranty covering all major components, parts and even labor. So you can relax and enjoy your hot water free from the sun, secure in the knowledge that we're behind our product all the way.

Solahart Logo

The superior construction of the Free Heat system along with its conditional 10-year Warranty (10 Years on the Cylinder and Collectors, 5 Years parts and labor), give you the peace of mind that your new Solahart is built to last and that it will be supplying you piping hot water for many years to come. Solahart 10 Year Warranty

Solar water heaters make use of two natural phenomena for their operation: black objects absorb heat, and hot water rises. It is a simple system, and the only moving part is water.

How The Solar Water Heater Works

Selective surfaces

The type of system installed is dependant on water usage and climate. The simple black painted surface can be improved upon by the use of "selective" surfaces. Instead of black paint, the absorber surface goes through a two stage plating process, first with nickel and a final coat of Black Chrome. The performance of Black Chrome is superior through its ability to absorb and retain solar energy. The selective surface absorber is used in colder, cloudy climates to compensate for lower levels of solar radiation.

The Direct Thermosiphon Principle

Imagine a solar absorber filled with cold water. When the sun warms the collector, the hot water in the collector moves upwards into the tank, displacing cold water, which descends to the bottom of the collector. The sun heats the water, and this "circular" path continues. This is known as the "thermosiphon" effect. The greater the temperature difference, the faster the flow of hot water to the storage tank.

When the sun's heat is no longer present, the thermosiphon effect stops, and hot water retained in the storage tank stays hot because of the tank's high density insulation and design.

The Heat Exchanger Thermosiphon Principle

In places where freezing temperatures (0°C; 32°F) occur, a conventional open circuit solar water heater is not suitable due to the expansion of water as it freezes. This will burst the piping within the absorber causing damage which will result in costly replacement not covered by manufacturers warranty. Solahart developed and patented a unique heat exchanger system known as the "jacketed solar water heater".

This design eliminates the potential damage which is possible due to freezing. A jacket is located around the complete circumference of the potable water storage tank and this jacket is connected to the absorber.

The same thermosiphon process occurs, but in this case, the heat is "exchanged" from the closed circuit to the water in the tank. Solahart always specifies the jacketed solar hot water system wherever freezing temperatures occur.

Solar hot water system Boosting

The amount of water heated by the sun varies with climate. But even on cloudy, rainy days, there is still some solar energy being collected by the absorbers.

There are some locations around the world where a solar water heater can provide virtually all the user's needs for hot water without the need for boosting. However, for most users, a booster is required to offset the lack of solar radiation on cold and rainy days.

Electric boosters are the most common forms of booster, although the most environmentally friendly and efficient is the Solahart 'Natural Wonder' gas booster.

Whichever type of booster is used, a thermostat automatically controls the use of purchased energy. In the case of the gas booster, the ignition is fully automatic.

With an electric or gas booster, the householder can further manage boosting with an inexpensive time switch to control the booster.

Hot Water Recovery

If all the hot water in a Solahart solar water heater is used, it only takes a short time to reheat. The time taken depends on if the sun is shining and the type of boosting used. From a temperature of 20° C (68° F) (feeling cold to touch) an electric booster will take approximately one hour to generate enough hot water to take a hot shower (at 45° C (113° F). Generally, a gas booster is quicker. Recovery is quicker still during peak solar conditions (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

If hot water is used in the early morning, then there is an opportunity for the sun to reheat the water rather than electric or gas boosting. This is a less costly and more environmentally friendly approach.

Let the Sun heat your water... FREE!

Young Boy Enjoying Shower

The Free Heat Series... taking the best and making it better.

That was the simple philosophy behind the development of the NEW Free Heat Series. Solahart has taken the tried, proven, super efficient and ultra reliable K Series and made it even better.

That's right, the 'K' Series is even better. By using some of the latest technology and materials Solahart as lifted the performance of the whole system. Improved insulation in the storage tank and the collectors has dramatically reduced the heat loss from both. Increased surface area of the glass exposed to the sun allows more sunlight to hit the absorber plate, thereby increasing the heat energy transferred into the water. The standard Solahart anode was replaced with a long-life heavy duty version and we are offering the Free Heat with a conditional 10 year warranty (10 Years on the Cylinder and Collectors, 5 Years parts and labor).

The Free Heat makes a quantum leap in performance and reliability over other systems on the market. It delivers premium performance in areas with low to medium solar radiation, areas with poor water qualities, or areas with frost or snow conditions.

So what does this means to you? Unparalleled performance! Extraordinary reliability! And lots and lots of steaming hot water, heated free by the sun!

So in areas where there's extreme or heavy winter conditions you can be confident that the Solahart Free Heat series will deliver piping hot water, and, depending on where you live and how much water you use, the Free Heat series could deliver 50% to 90%* of your water heating energy consumption, free from the sun.

The secret to the Free Heat Series' outstanding performance is Solahart's revolutionary multi-flow collector panel and our superior Black Chrome Selective Surface. Traditional fin and tube collector design means that there is a limit to the number of risers that can be effectively incorporated in the panel, generally 14 or less and typically less than 10. Therefore, there is a limit to the water way surface area exposed to the sun's energy.

Not so with our multi-flow design! We have pioneered, and patented, an advanced collector design that uses a huge 35 risers to extract the maximum amount of energy from the sun. Our fully flooded multi-flow collectors expose far more water to the sun's radiation, meaning this energy has a relatively short distance to travel to reach the water, when compared to traditional fin and tube designs.

The color and physical properties of the surface of a solar panel are significant factors in its performance. It is no surprise then that the secret to the Freeheat's outstanding performance is its Black Chrome selective surface.

Solahart uses two electroplating processes to apply the selective surface. The steel absorber panel is plated with nickel, and then with chrome, in a process much like any other standard metal plating process. The nickel plating provides a corrosion proof finish upon which the Black Chrome surface is electroplated for high efficiency energy absorption.The electroplated Black Chrome is superior to other selective coatings which are typically based on stick-on films.

This means Solahart collectors are heating the water faster and more efficiently than ever before, saving you more money, faster. In fact, so efficient is the Free Heat that in areas with high solar radiation the summer performance is so good that we recommend fitting a heat dissipater unit to control the water temperature inside the tank.

And remember, no conventional hot water system pays for itself, like your new Solahart does. Your savings with a Solahart continue year after year. After you recover your initial investment, the savings are yours to spend on yourself and your family.

Not only will you save money with a new Solahart, you'll be playing an important role in saving the environment. Your new Solahart gives you a practical way to reduce the greenhouse emissions in our atmosphere by up to 4 tons per annum. That's like removing a small car from the roads every year!

If the Sun heats your water for free, why use anything else?

The Free Heat Series Explained

The Free Heat series is a closed circuit system, utilizing a jacketed tank and heat transfer fluid; water is only held in the storage tank. The fluid in the collectors and jacket forms a closed circuit, and is a mixture of Solahart Hartgard® and water. The Hartgard® is what gives the anti-freeze and anti-corrosion properties to the fluid. The fluid uses the Thermosiphon Principle to transfer its energy into the storage vessel to heat the water.

The storage tank is constructed from 2.5mm steel, has 2 coats of Solahart's proven Primaglaze® enamel and a heavy duty sacrificial anode. This combination is a major breakthrough in Corrosion Control that protects your new Solahart tank from the harshest water.

To ensure your water stays hotter, longer, Solahart uses a thick layer of pressure injected Polyurethane, CFC free, insulation between the premium marine grade aluminum outer case and the tank. In the collector panels Solahart insulates the absorber plate from the outer case with an insulation batt, not unlike those used in household roof insulation. These two measures work to minimize heat loss from the entire system, saving you money and giving you piping hot water 24 hours a day, all year round.

The Free Heat collectors have been developed over many years and provide excellent solar absorption. The absorber panels are made from pressed steel plates formed into a fully-flooded multi flow pattern. This means that the fluid that travels through the collector is in direct contact with far more of the absorber plate than open circuit collectors greatly enhancing the systems performance. The surface is coated with a Black Chrome selective surface and housed in a marine grade aluminum case, with glasswool insulation, and low iron tempered glass.

This unique arrangement provides a number of benefits: since the collector circuit is filled only once, it is not susceptible to clogging or corrosion as a result of poor quality water supplies; since the collector fluid will not freeze, the waterways are not susceptible to rupture even under the coldest conditions.

CALL SOL-TEK TODAY FOR YOUR FREE SOLAR ANALYSIS AT 559-325-6907 WE OFFER FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL AND LOCAL SERVICE.

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