The installation must preferably be done by a qualified electrician and plumber.
The instructions below are a guideline for the modification of any geyser fitted in a house that has
approximately the same weather conditions as Pretoria, South Africa.
The warm water will smell like the PVC pipe for the first month, therefore when you prepare food
rather fill the pot with water from the cold water tap.
1. Fit the circulation pump close to the geyser.
2. Coil the PVC pipe; 100m for a 100-liter and 200m for a 200-liter geyser; and join it parallel
to the geyser, ensure that the flow direction of the pump and valve are aligned so that the water is
drawn from the cold/inlet side of the geyser. (There must be a master flow valve before the geyser
and a safety valve installed on the geyser for the pressure.)
3. Assemble the electrical circuit as in the circuit diagram; the supply voltage is obtained from
the isolator switch before the geyser element.
4. The timer settings:
a. Summer: From 09h00 to 15h30 the timer must activate the circuit for approximately
eight (8) minutes, every hour to circulate the water. (The length of the PVC pipe will
determine the switching time.)
b. Winter: From 12h00 to 15h00 the water can be circulated two (2) or three (3) times,
where after the element of the geyser must be switched on to heat the water to the
desired temperature, this will save on electricity, because the Sun Geyser is assisting
the geyser element during the winter.
5. Selection between geyser element and Sun Geyser:
a. Manual selection: The circuit breakers, of the geyser element and circulation
system, cannot be switched on simultaneously; otherwise the PVC pipe will act as a
radiator, and cool down the water in your geyser. The daily temperature will
determine which circuit will be selected.
b. Automatic selection: The selection as (in paragraph 5.a) can be done
automatically, but will complicate this modification and make more expensive. It can
be done by installing a temperature sensing circuit on the neutral line of the geyser
element and the neutral to the relay of the timer circuit.
The total cost of components will be approximately
R2000 (Eskom account for the year 2012), the installation, if done
by an electrician and plumber, will cost extra.
(If you decide to use this concept please make a R100 donation
to the NG Kerk Concordia for each installation)
The PDF file with larger image is available HERE
Ed. With Phase 6 Loadshedding now a regular occurrence in the country the above installation will surely save you money and also provide you with warm water whenever you need it, weather permitting of cause. Thank you very much to Heinrich du Plooy for making this guideline available.
