The sunlight strikes the dark-blue absorber inside the evacuated tube. The heat pipe transfers the heat up to the copper header pipe location in the insulated manifold box. A pump circulates water from the storage tank to the copper header pipe warming the water. The Solar heated water is then pumped down into the storage tank for use.

Solar should not be seen as a alternative to gas or electricity, but rather a supplement. Solar cannot totally replace the need for gas or electric heating as sometimes there are days when there is little sunlight. When averaged over a year, a correctly sized solar system can provide 60%-70% of a household's hot water needs. Providing more than this is unadvisable, as too much heat will be produced in the summer. The hot water system system can easily be automated so hot water is guaranteed regardless of sunlight levels.

Normally yes. Simple retrofit valves can often be used to allow solar to connect to your existing cold water inlet. If your tank cannot accept the solar input directly an additional storage tank can be installed to pre-heat the cold water prior to entering the existing tank.

Yes, in good weather the Apricus solar collector can even bring water to boiling point. Generally this is not necessary and so the system should be designed to provide a daily temperature rise of around 25-30°C (45-54°F) in the summer. Sized in this manner will result in savings of 60-70% on hot water heating costs depending upon your location.

When comparing peak efficiency levels it may seem that there is little difference between flat plate and evacuated tubes. In fact, flat plate may actually be higher, but this is during minimal heat loss conditions. When averaged over a year, the Apricus evacuated tube solar collector has a clear advantage. The key points are:

1. Due to the cylindrical shape of the evacuated tube, the solar tubes are able to passively track the sun throughout the day. Flat plate collectors only provide peak energy output at midday when the sun is perpendicular to the collector's surface.

2. Air is evacuated from the tube to form a vacuum. This greatly reduces conductive and convective heat loss from the interior of the tube. As a result, wind and cold temperatures have less effect on the efficiency of the evacuated tube collector.

3. Apricus solar collectors can be used in cold temperatures when flat plate collectors have limited or no heat output.

4. Evacuated tubes are strong, long lasting, and should one be broken, inexpensive and easy to replace. If a flat plate collector panel is damaged the whole panel must be replaced.

5. Due to the high efficiency absorption of solar radiation even during overcast conditions, combined with excellent insulative properties of the solar tube, solar tube collectors can heat water all year round (backup from gas and electricity is still required).

6. Due to the various advantages of evacuated tube collectors over flat plate collectors, a smaller collector can be used to provide the same heating performance. For example, a standard household of 4-5 people would usually require a 250L / 66gallon water storage tank. Depending on your location, only 30 evacuated tubes would be required to provide all summer hot water needs and a large percentage in other seasons.

7. Flat plate solar collectors can produce similar heat output to evacuated tube collectors, but generally only during hot, sunny conditions. When averaged over an entire year, evacuated tube collector heat output per net m2 of absorber area, is between 25% to 40% greater than a flat plate collector.

Apricus evacuated tubes have been independently tested and shown to withstand impact from a 25mm / 1" ice ball at 25m/s / 90km/h / 55mph. If you are in a region with extreme hail (much larger than 25mm / 1") then the solar collectors should be installed at an angle of 45° or greater, which greatly increases impact strength. The beauty of the Apricus solar collector design, is that if a freak storm should cause damage to one or more evacuated tubes, the system will still operate normally (just with reduced output), and the tubes can be easily replaced.

Yes, Apricus solar collectors can operate effectively even in freezing conditions. Many Apricus solar collectors are installed in cold regions such as Canada, North Eastern USA and Northern Europe. The key to performance in cold regions is the insulation properties of the evacuated tubes.

The Apricus solar collector is a SOLAR collector, meaning that is absorbs energy from the sun. In particularly overcast weather the amount of solar radiation reaching the collector is greatly reduced and therefore heat output will be reduced. Your solar system would have backup from a traditional energy source to ensure hot water regardless of the weather conditions. It is certainly a false claim to state that the solar collector will provide you with hot water all year round, it is however correct to say that the solar hot water system (which includes gas/electric backup) will provide hot water all year round.

Yes, evacuated tubes are very strong. Tube strength is important when considering wind loading and also snow loading. The Apricus Solar Collectors can withstand 116 kgs of static load.

Yes, Apricus solar collectors are perfect for heating a spa or hot-tub. In fact one Apricus 30 tube collector is normally enough to keep a medium sized spa or hot-tub hot all through the summer and contribute a large amount of the heat required for the rest of the year.

Due to the enormous amount of energy required to heat a swimming pool, normally the answer is no, as there is not normally enough space to put the number of collectors required to contribute significantly to the pool heating. That being said, if you have the space and money to devote to a solar thermal heating system for your pool, then sure.

No. The heat pipes will not transfer heat when oriented horizontally.

If the house does not have North/South facing roof space, you can mount on the peak of the roof, or on a suitably facing wall. Another option is a pole mount, in which case you can point the collector in any direction.

The Apricus Evacuated Tube Solar Collector works in all seasons and is much more efficient when it comes to extreme temperatures. They aren't solely dependent on direct sunlight, which means they will work in cloudy conditions, and even snow! As the tubes are round, they are able to passively track the sun all day long, providing more stable heat output during the day, and also have a much wider range of installation options, due to flexible mounting frames and the easy-to-install design. The Apricus system is also designed for easy maintenance, and reduced wind-load requirements coupled with the light-weight manifold means there is no strain on the roof and fixtures.