Solar Immersion - my experience !

[nielfrancis]

Being new to this forum but very interested in solar immersion I'd like to add a comment.
The inverter is likely to have capacitors on the solar panel input. These will average out the current being taken from the panels. The solar panels will not be 'asked' to provide 12 amps for one cycle but the capacitors will provide this instantaneous current and this charge will be replaced by the panels over the next few cycles when nothing is being asked by a burst charge system.
The effectiveness of this will be determined by the capacity of the capacitors.

But the output from the source does matter right. After all, there should be a power coming from somewhere - the solar PV to be converted and diverted. Capacitors are dependent on this. Given the working of SI - How SolarImmersion Immersion Controller Works, this statement looks quirky.

 

[tzimmerman]

Re: Solar Immersion - better alternative??

OK guys its getting complex now!.
I was about to buy a SolarImmersion, until I read this thread.
Am I right in thinking there are the following issues..
1/ You may actually draw electricity from the grid to heat your water
2/ Reduction in heating costs are minimal
3/ The new model may cause flicker
4/ Lots of you have reported having their unit replaced. With only a 1yr warranty, the long term reliability is questionable.

I want a unit that can be placed next to the consumer board and cylinder, so a wireless monitor is not needed (just a voltage flow clip).
In view of the above, and bowing to your experience, what PV Immersion switch would you recommend, and why?

Thanks

 

[Worcester]

Just get one of the better ones.... they've been listed on here and then you can sleep peacefully at night, and not worry about saving a couple of bob and wondering if its costing you more or may be causing problems.

 

[nielfrancis]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Hi,

Has anyone used SolarImmersion in relay mode? How do you do it? Please advise.
[/FONT]

 

[danesol]

Re: Solar Immersion - better alternative??

OK guys its getting complex now!.
I was about to buy a SolarImmersion, until I read this thread.
Am I right in thinking there are the following issues..
1/ You may actually draw electricity from the grid to heat your water
2/ Reduction in heating costs are minimal
3/ The new model may cause flicker
4/ Lots of you have reported having their unit replaced. With only a 1yr warranty, the long term reliability is questionable.

I want a unit that can be placed next to the consumer board and cylinder, so a wireless monitor is not needed (just a voltage flow clip).
In view of the above, and bowing to your experience, what PV Immersion switch would you recommend, and why?

Thanks

Well its been the best money ive spent and its still beavering away now, so I would say buy one ASAP

In previous posts i've fully documented how much I've saved

But in answer to your above questions here goes;

1. No, not at all, it only diverts the excess !?

2. As stated, i've only got mine connected to the immersion heater, so my gas boiler is normally OFF from May to Sept, so in essence saves 6mths of GAS heating the HW cylinder, but actually it starts to top-up the immersion heater from late Feb and a mth or so in Autumn before winter sets in (anytime really where there is an excess available). Its not a great saving as such but obviously you are using the excess which would normally would just go to the grid and as Asda says every little bit helps .... but in our case its well over £ 150, could be even more ....

3. Cant answer that one, but I doubt it

4. Mine has been working well for 2yrs plus, with no issues

I don't personally use a wireless sensor, instead using cat5 cable from the actual sensor on the tails to our airing cupboard where I can connected our SI unit instead of any connection to the CU

So I would say Solar Immersion is great, plus the discount code AFAIK is still valid !

hth

Hi,

Has anyone used SolarImmersion in relay mode? How do you do it? Please advise.

Can I assume you have followed the detailed instructions and something isnt right ??

 

[marc8]

Immersun unit looks 100% better looking than that unit without a doubt,looks like a switch disconnector we bought the other day for £38.00.
There was a few faults on the immersun unit with flickering & on start up with the unit not controlling the output on initial start up operation, but think these have been sorted now with new coding.
Great display screen & customer freindly, the only down side with the new model is the fact that they have over engineered the menu to much info & to many changes can be made, but as an installer we fit demo the unit & the rest is upto the end user.
The mark one units looked a little less desirable but the information was basic & it worked well.
But thumbs up for design & user display.
With the wireless unit now (been out for a while) easy installs.
Just make sure you have no back voltage on your circuit as they don't like it up them.

 

[danesol]

Immersun unit looks 100% better looking than that unit without a doubt,looks like a switch disconnector we bought the other day for £38.00.
There was a few faults on the immersun unit with flickering & on start up with the unit not controlling the output on initial start up operation, but think these have been sorted now with new coding.
Great display screen & customer freindly, the only down side with the new model is the fact that they have over engineered the menu to much info & to many changes can be made, but as an installer we fit demo the unit & the rest is upto the end user.
The mark one units looked a little less desirable but the information was basic & it worked well.
But thumbs up for design & user display.
With the wireless unit now (been out for a while) easy installs.
Just make sure you have no back voltage on your circuit as they don't like it up them.

I'm NOT concerned with looks myself as mine lives in a dark cupboard :smile5:, I'm after results and the unit from Solar Immersion truly delivers like alot of the other brands, so as always its about initial price and required functionality IMHO

 

[qwertyman]

Re: Solar Immersion - better alternative??

Firstly for the that have one of these solarimmersion units, its a good idea to have a fused spur/ 20amp switch with a neon fitted so that you can see instantly whether the unit is still working or not.
I say this because mine has gone wrong twice now in 2 years the display shows 100% diverting yet the neon is not lit.
Customer services are horrendous and it costs £45 +vat for repair. They assure me that this is the first to go wrong yet these forums tell a different story.
I consider it my mission to see that these sharks go out of business.

Do not buy one of these units under any circumstances . I don't care that some review says it is brilliant. Trust me buy an immersun for the extra few quid you will thank me for it.

 

[danesol]

Update Report:- Unit now is 3yrs old and hasn't missed a beat - no issues at all

Should you want to use excess generated power in such a way, do your maths and look seriously at these units as paying more for a similar device could be unnecessary especially should they be around the £ 400 + fitting mark. What you will save using one of these devices whether this make or another is hugely dependant on your own PV setup and your personal useage of electricity and of hot water.

In summary its saves us hundreds of pounds so far ........... and been a really good purchase

 

[danesol]

btw I have been in contact with the company recently to praise them and they tell me that there is a new model with further facilities. They must be doing something right as they are still in business unlike some ?

Anyway....should you require a Solar Immersion Unit ( mk4 ) now at £199, you can still use the discount code "dis2204" ontop on this with FREE delivery too !!

 

[Dan]

Don't mind me while I bump some threads in the solar PV forum. If they're not current or applicable topics, just ignore the threads; they'll drop off the page. If they are, feel free to chip in and chat solar stuff in the solar panels forum.

 

[Dan]

Don't mind me while I bump some threads in the solar PV forum. If they're not current or applicable topics, just ignore the threads; they'll drop off the page. If they are, feel free to chip in and chat solar stuff in the solar panels forum.

 

[Dan]

Don't mind me while I bump some threads in the solar PV forum. If they're not current or applicable topics, just ignore the threads; they'll drop off the page. If they are, feel free to chip in and chat solar stuff in the solar panels forum.

 

[ashpilot]

btw I have been in contact with the company recently to praise them and they tell me that there is a new model with further facilities. They must be doing something right as they are still in business unlike some ?

Anyway....should you require a Solar Immersion Unit ( mk4 ) now at £199, you can still use the discount code "dis2204" ontop on this with FREE delivery too !!

Sorry to jump in an old thread. My solarimmersion MK3 has been working like clockwork until a few days ago. With override selected the immersion heater is not working. I took the unit out of circuit to prove the immersion heater was working ok. After a bit of probing around the black package(with not label) behind the display I can see 240 on the input terminal and nothing on the output. The voltage on the control lines show around 1.7v on diverting 0% and 9.7V on override. From my old process control days 2 to 10v dc was usually a sign of a 4 to 20 ma control, but I could be wrong. Does anyone know what the device is behind the display which looks like a solid state relay? and if so what is the specification so I can order a replacement. I tried a support ticket a few days ago but not reply. Thanks in advance.