1kW immersion

[Graeme Harrold]

Immersun is the solution....fitted a couple now as it sits inline on the immersion circuit and fires up the immersion element when it detects exported electricity. No need for immersion element changes as it modulates the power sent to keep within the net excess generation.
Also remember for every 1 degree the solar heats the water its 1 degree less your paid for fuel source has to do!!

 

[solarfred]

I replaced the switch that the immersion is connected to with a 3 pin socket, so I could plug the sensor plug socket in.

I think they can also provide a radio controlled switch which can be hard wired between the switch and the immersion heater.

I am pretty sure the sockets are rated for the EU market so up to 16amps but UK regulations demand maximum 13amps via a socket so that is how they are marked with UK square pins. We have been brutal with them and no fails yet. There is an RF light switch which can be hardwired and is rated the same.

 

[Andrew54]

Immersun is the solution....fitted a couple now as it sits inline on the immersion circuit and fires up the immersion element when it detects exported electricity. No need for immersion element changes as it modulates the power sent to keep within the net excess generation.
Also remember for every 1 degree the solar heats the water its 1 degree less your paid for fuel source has to do!!

Immersun is ok but costs a lot £350 plus installation - and only powers hot water. The total Power TP-S610A starter kit is only £200 with no installation. And when hot water is heated it can then switch on (for example) an electric radiator.

 

[SolarRoofSols]

Do you have to have an immersion heater with this option? i have a client who is wanting a 4kw system but his electric usage is low and has no immersion, so wants something to switch on an electric radiator when there is surplus generation.

 

[Andrew54]

Do you have to have an immersion heater with this option? i have a client who is wanting a 4kw system but his electric usage is low and has no immersion, so wants something to switch on an electric radiator when there is surplus generation.

No, I haven't even got PV panels yet, I'm just figuring out if the whole thing is worthwhile. I tend to use little electricity during daylight hours.

 

[solarfred]

Do you have to have an immersion heater with this option? i have a client who is wanting a 4kw system but his electric usage is low and has no immersion, so wants something to switch on an electric radiator when there is surplus generation.

This device has three programmed sockets that switch on ANY device plugged into them if there is sufficient free solar (or wind) power available. So if you connect an electric fire at 2kw it will know it needs 2kw "surplus" power from the pv to switch on the fire. It will switch any load that can be plugged in to a 3 pin socket. It can be tweaked so you do not need to wait for 2kw of free surplus to switch on if you want to use what free power you have you can set the threshold to say 500 watts and it will switch on when only 1.5kw is available free so you are using all the free power but running a higher load. Clever stuff!
If you want the manual PM me.

 

[SolarRoofSols]

Have you thought about storage solutions so you can use the electricity in the evening? There are a few on the market (Power Router/Sunbat etc) they are more expensive but as the price of electricity increases, the pay back period will become less!

 

[Andrew54]

Have you thought about storage solutions so you can use the electricity in the evening? There are a few on the market (Power Router/Sunbat etc) they are more expensive but as the price of electricity increases, the pay back period will become less!

Not really looked at storage seriously, but I guess they all use batteries of some kind. Batteries tend to not last many years, though I once had a car battery that failed at 16 years old.

 

[Worcester]

The ImmerSUN can switch on any resistive load, we have a number of sistes that include storage radiators and flat panel heaters (they have to be the simple inexpensive ones with electronic controls, I'll post some links later.

 

[Worcester]

OK - these heaters work fine:
Dimplex PLX range - NOT the ones with Timers NOT the ones with 'no controls'
Low wattage panel heater from Dimplex, official site (400W or 800W)
Dimplex DXLWP800 Low Wattage Electric Panel Heater, 800 Watt: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Or these:
INSTALLED HEATING - PANEL HEATERS Any power from 500W - 3kW
Dimplex PLX2000 Panel Heater 2.0KW: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home
Once again the SIMPLE ones, without timers or 'no controls'
These are better as they give consume more energy (if that makes sense ) i.e. the heat up and cool down quicker, so stay on for longer and give off more heat for the wattage rating.


This one works well and looks good too
HHP1500 Mica Panel Heater with 1.5kW Output & Wall-Mounting Kit: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

I have no doubt there are many others - we tried loads, however many had some form of electronic control in them, and what you need is a simple on/off switch and bimetallic thermostat.

We wire them direct to a switched fused connection unit (which we derate the fuse on to an apporpriate level) so that someone doesn't try and plug anything else in.
In this instance the heater panels are wired in theorugh the relay so it shows as 'Heating Water (2)' thouigh on practice it's the radiators.

 

[Andrew54]

The ImmerSUN can switch on any resistive load, we have a number of sistes that include storage radiators and flat panel heaters (they have to be the simple inexpensive ones with electronic controls, I'll post some links later.

Yes, but most of us don't want just heat, or just hot water. Hot water tends to stay hot much longer than hot air, and many of us are out daytime and home evening. So I suggest that most of us can gain the max from PV panels by having something that assesses the power generated and when sufficient, sends power to hot water for maybe 5 hours then sends power to an electric room heater for a couple of hours late afternoon. Then when the gas central heating comes on it will find the house already warmed up a bit and so use less gas.

Does anything do this?

 

[Gavin A]

Yes, but most of us don't want just heat, or just hot water. Hot water tends to stay hot much longer than hot air, and many of us are out daytime and home evening. So I suggest that most of us can gain the max from PV panels by having something that assesses the power generated and when sufficient, sends power to hot water for maybe 5 hours then sends power to an electric room heater for a couple of hours late afternoon. Then when the gas central heating comes on it will find the house already warmed up a bit and so use less gas.

Does anything do this?

yes - Immersun.

it has 2 channels, so you can rig it to the immersion on channel 1, then to up to 3kW of electric heaters on the other channel.

We've successfully done this for a customer using 2 x 1500W slimline storage heaters, which store up to 6 hours worth of heat, which they use to supply supplementary heat to their kitchen and office room that have east facing windows, so get the sun in the morning but not the afternoon / evening.

I actually think that they'd have been better off just using 2 x 800W units as there's rarely enough output later in the day to power the full 3 kw, but I suggested this and they opted for the bigger units.

 

[Worcester]

The closest you will get out of the box from ANY unit is what the ImmerSUN can do - use the internal relay to 'roll over' the poroptionally controlled power - i.e. once the hot water is up to temperature, the immersun will automatically then divert excess power to the heaters. (or vice versa)

Alternatively a really simple, inexpensive addon would be to just add in a simple inexpensive 2 channel timer and set it up to controll the output to the two circuits to your own timings just make sure they don't overlap or that your total load is =< 3kW If you're worried wether the timer can switch the load, simples, get a couple of DIN rail mounted contactors. You could even splash out on a DIN rail mounted timer, or a single channel timer and a change over contactor and use that to switch the proportionally controlled load. (perhaps safer from the load point of view )

 

[Andrew54]

The closest you will get out of the box from ANY unit is what the ImmerSUN can do - use the internal relay to 'roll over' the poroptionally controlled power - i.e. once the hot water is up to temperature, the immersun will automatically then divert excess power to the heaters. (or vice versa)

Alternatively a really simple, inexpensive addon would be to just add in a simple inexpensive 2 channel timer and set it up to controll the output to the two circuits to your own timings just make sure they don't overlap or that your total load is =< 3kW If you're worried wether the timer can switch the load, simples, get a couple of DIN rail mounted contactors. You could even splash out on a DIN rail mounted timer, or a single channel timer and a change over contactor and use that to switch the proportionally controlled load. (perhaps safer from the load point of view )

So the immersun seems to be the one, but at 360quid plus the cost of installation it seems a lot for a unit that might stop working after a few years. I had thought of the timer idea, and it certainly has merit though it would take no account of the washing machine taking 3kw, and/or the dishwasher.

 

[Andrew54]

For many of these ideas a low power immersion heater seems best, so can anyone tell me what I have got please? Installed in 1977 there is a switch next to the immersion marked 'sink' and 'bath'. The heater is in the top of the tank and is marked 'Santon dual immersion heater'. What wattages are the two switch settings?