Solar Hot Water   Solar Shop Australia stocks various types of solar hot water units from different manufacturers. The different manufacturers' solar hot water units all have their own strengths. The  various units we stock cover the following types of solar hot water units: close coupled, split or ceiling mounted systems plastic, vitreous enamel steel, stainless steel and copper tanks mid element, base element and twin element electric boosted units gas instantaneous or gas storage boosted units slow combustion wood fire heater boosted units reverse cycle heat pump boosted units heat transfer frost protected units Solar hot water unit selection is a specialised field but we're here to make it easy for you. Government rebates are available for solar hot water units. Both a federal rebate as well as some state government rebates are available to approved clients. Check out our rebate page for more information on solar hot water rebates.             split solar hot water systems versus close coupled   A split solar hot water units uses a circulation pump to move the water through the solar panels and into the tank.   A close coupled solar hot water unit has the panels and tank mounted on the roof for simplicity and space saving. It requires no motor or pump, working on the principle of thermosiphon. Hot water, just like hot air, rises when heated. The water in the panels heats up and as it gets hot, it rises and flows as hot water into the tank.   All solar hot water units we sell have some sort of external boosting system. Gas, electricity or even wood fire can be used to heat up the hot water on a cloudy day. Electricity boosted units are usually are connected to "off peak" electricity for boosting at night time.       plastic tanks   The Solartech solar hot water unit is a one piece integrated solar collector and storage tank formed in a plastics manufacturing process called Rotational moulding. The raw material used is UV stable polyethylene and has an anticipated life span of at least 15 years. The unit will never rust and since polyethylene is an inert material it will not collect deposits and suffer blockage. As there are no moving parts within the main body of the solar unit it is practically maintenance free. The solar unit comes in a choice of 2 models, 200 litres or 300 litres which is more than enough for the average sized family.   Because of the fully flooded collector panel and the ability of the polyethylene to expand and contract the unit is totally unaffected by frost conditions. Additionally, the Solartech can be connected directly to slow combustion tile fires to provide auxiliary heating in the winter months.   heat pumps   The system works on the principle of a reverse cycle refrigeration circuit - drawing heat out of the air and discharging it the hot water tank.   In operation, the evaporator absorbs whatever heat energy is available to it from the atmosphere (air) to vaporise the refrigerant. The vapour is then compressed raising its pressure and temperature. This high temperature vapour is passed through special pipes permanently bonded around the outside of the water storage tank, forming the condenser. As the refrigerant vapour condenses back to its liquid form, it gives off its heat to the stored water. For a full price list, please contact us.