10/04/2017
This weekend we had a stand at the Walkerville Agricultural Society Show, as we have for the past three years. We do get a lot of interest from visitors about the On-Sun solar water heater, but most people baulk at the cost of our system - and then they carry on paying Eskom or their municipal suppliers for warming their water every month.
Very few people really do the calculations, and we are also remiss by not providing more information on the real cost of heating water. The day you instal a solar water heater, your electricity bill will drop, and you have to factor that into the cost of financing your SWH. We will put up some figures on this page soon.
Anyway, the Walkerville Show is always a wonderful meeting place for South Africans of all backgrounds. There is a strong sense of community out there, and the craft beer stand has some of the country's finest brews on tap.
We had many visitors to our stand, including an architect from Potchefstroom who has been getting hot water from his On-Sun for ten years. The only problem he has had in this time has been excessive dripping from the Masterflo pressure/relief valve - the black plastic cartridge that sticks out the side of the On-Sun.
This is perhaps the only part of the On-Sun system that occasionally needs attention. My own On-Sun SWH has run for ten years without any problems.
If you are an On-Sun owner and your SWH starts running water excessively from the Cobra Masterflo II, please contact me or Willi for advice. Most plumbing stores in smaller South African towns do not stock the 200 kPa Cobra cartridge used in the On-Sun.
In an emergency you can fit a 100 kPa Cobra cartridge, but never a 400 kPa cartridge - this will result in the 200 kPa TP safety valve opening and water being discharged from the system.
We can send you a new 200 kPa cartridge by courier or post. When fitting that has resolved your problem, send the original unit back to the factory for repair, and when you get it back, keep it on hand in case you have another pressure valve issue in the future.
And a last word... why would a precision-made device like the Cobra Masterflo cartridge ever give trouble? Because whenever Joburg Water pipes break and need repair, dirt, sand and other particulates inevitably enter the water reticulation system and cause problems.
The same thing happens in rural municipalities.
Best wishes to all On-Sun owners.
And an invitation to all prospective On-Sun owners to give me a call!
Regards
John
