The type and size of cylinder in a solar system is very important. Firstly you must decide on whether you want a traditional Vented copper cylinder with a header tank or an unvented mainspressure unit. We offer all these options and will help you size the correct unit for the number of panels you require and the size of the property you own.

Solar Vented Copper Cylinders

These units are specifically designed to get the most from your solar panel while still complying with all regulations. These units come with two coils and extra insulation to make them even more efficient. They are made from grade 3 material and have a working head of 10 metres.

The panels are mounted on or in the roof and are made from an Aluminium Manganese one-piece casing, without rivets or screws. The casing is rust proof and the collector is covered with safety glass that is hailstone resistant. Inside te panel is a corrosion resistant absorber plate and a copper heat transfer tube.

The panels contain a specially formulated harmless glycol solution that is within a sealed heat transfer system. The pipework for this system is covered with very tough temperature resistant insulation to prevent heat loss. The heat is carried through this pipework and then pumped through your hot water cylinder to heat up the stored water.

There are three major things to look out for when buying solar panels, as there are many inferior products out there.

The first is the guarantee. This must be at least 8 years plus, because as with anybody's panel it takes at least six years for the panels to repay your investment.

The second is to make sure the panels you are considering have full certification. This is covered by the BS/EN 12975 parts 1 & 2. Ask to see the manufacturers certificate that covers this.

When day light strikes the panel the light is absorbed into the panel and converted into heat. This heats up the heat transfer fluid in the copper heat transfer pipe. When the temperature in the panel is higher than the temperature in yout hot water cylinder a digital controller activates the pump. The heat transfer fluid in the heat pipe pumps heat into your cylinder that heats up the water. When you have sufficient hot water in the cylinder the pump stops. If you draw water off (for example by running the bath) as the cold water enters the system the drop in cylinder temperature is sensed by the controller and it starts up the pump to bring the cylinder water temperature to the desired level.

We estimate that our collectors will produce around 70% of your hot water over a year. They will produce more in the summer when the days are long, and less in the winter - the 70% is an approximate overall figure based on average hot water usage.

We also estimate that in December, when the days are short, they will only make a small contribution to your hot water needs. However in summer, when the days are longer they will produce up to 93% or more of your hot water, all free and all produced in an environmentally friendly way.

At times when there is insufficient light to power the system (for example at night or on a rainy or foggy day in late December) the water is heated by your gas boiler or electrical immersion heater, in the traditional way. These will be the only times that you will be burning fossil fuel when heating water.

The RM Solar package, which has been developed to deliver outstanding performance, extremely low
maintenance and an impressively short pay-back period, offers the following benefits:

Understanding how to get the most out of your Solar Thermal System is as important as the choice you will have to make when going ahead and having it fitted.

There are many ways that you can optimise the use of our systems by learning how and when to heat your hot water to maximize your savings.

With conventional hot water systems most families programme the hot water to come on twice a day, usually once in the morning and again early evening. This practise when linked with solar can be most uneconomical as the majority of families are out at work or school, and much of the hot water they require later on could have been heated by solar whilst they were out.

This is all about the re-education of our hot water use, after all, you would not leave a room light on in your house on the off chance you may go back in at some point, so why would we heat a full tank of water and then leave the house?. With modern High Recovery cylinders we can boost the water temperature very quickly using manual override on our programmer if ever we need hot water in a hurry. Under these circumstances, where possible, it is best to try to only heat your water late afternoon before you come home when the solar panels have had their best chance to give you maximum solar gain. When the system works in this way, during the summer days of bright sunshine, the chances are your boiler will not even have to be used to heat your water at all.

During the winter, when solar gain is not as prominent, the boiler will boost the water temperature, from where the solar gain left off, to take it to the desired level.
Winter gain is still very important, as even a 10 or 15 degree raise on cold water will mean less work and your boiler will need to use less energy – therefore saving money.

Of course if you are not out at work all day Solar Thermal can still give you significant savings but it is essential that you learn to manage your hot water requirements much more responsibly by trying only to heat water when required and leave as much of the work as possible to solar gain, which is free.

• Quality Flat-Plate panels such as the RMSolar S-Class have longer guarantees than standard tubes i.e. 20 years on S-Class vs on average between 3 and 5 years on tubes.

• Flat-Plate panels are far more aesthetically pleasing to the eye when on the roof.

• Flat-Plate Panels are far more versatile as they can be integrated and flashed flush into most standard roof types. This makes them an easy option on new build properties.

• Due to the S-Class Flat-Plate having a 20 year guarantee it gives it a far better payback and a smaller carbon footprint.

• Flat-Plate panels are much more durable and pass part 2 of the EN 12975, durability tests for such things as hailstones. Tubes do not generally conform to this standard and are susceptible to some adverse conditions. Due to the appearance of tube systems vandalism is also a serious concern. Many Tubes may have part 1 of the EN 12975, this relates to performance, however only part 2 applies to durability, RMSolar S-Class panels have both parts.

• In established markets such as Europe Flat-Plates make up the bulk of all sales, with tubes only selling in much smaller percentage terms.

• Individual tubes fail by losing the vacuum rather like a light bulb, this means more maintenance and increased chance of having to gain roof access in order to maintain and repair the system. RM Solar panel failures are almost unheard of, and a sturdy construction of the flat plate is far more capable of taking immense heat stresses of thermal solar.