Solar Hot Water in SD

[ChelseaRose]

Hey all! I'm renovating a house in la zona colonial in SD and I'm thinking about putting an evacuated tube solar hot water system on the roof. Something like the Kuzeysan system that Megasol advertises (https://www.instagram.com/p/CSnbu6LLeg4/). I'm wondering:

1. Any thoughts on how well these systems work in the DR? We are 2 in a small house- though may have guests occasionally. Will we need a secondary heating system, or will this hold enough hot water overnight for two showers in the morning?
2. How well does the system do with the less than perfect water quality coming from the city supply, sitting in my cistern?
3. Suggestions on a reputable company to supply/install? Has anyone worked with Megasol before?
4. Thoughts on what this system should cost?

Also, any recommendations for a PV solar panel supplier/installer in SD would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jfk66]

Hi,
We had Megasol install the following system: "Calentador Solar KuzeySan KSC-30-SS" a few year ago in our house in Santo Domingo, low/no maintenance, works great, you will not need anther secondary heating system but I would recommend to oversize it. Water is soo hot that we had to retrofit a mechanic thermostatic mixer that mixes the hot and cold water to reduce the temperature before entering the house. Only regret is not having installed one earlier...

 

[JD Jones]

Hi,
We had Megasol install the following system: "Calentador Solar KuzeySan KSC-30-SS" a few year ago in our house in Santo Domingo, low/no maintenance, works great, you will not need anther secondary heating system but I would recommend to oversize it. Water is soo hot that we had to retrofit a mechanic thermostatic mixer that mixes the hot and cold water to reduce the temperature before entering the house. Only regret is not having installed one earlier...

I actually had a roll of copper tubing combined with an old water heater on the roof once and I was amazed at how hot the water got. I ran 200V to the heater just in case but never had to use it even on cloudy days.

I can imagine what a full-out system could produce.

 

[ChelseaRose]

Hi,
We had Megasol install the following system: "Calentador Solar KuzeySan KSC-30-SS" a few year ago in our house in Santo Domingo, low/no maintenance, works great, you will not need anther secondary heating system but I would recommend to oversize it. Water is soo hot that we had to retrofit a mechanic thermostatic mixer that mixes the hot and cold water to reduce the temperature before entering the house. Only regret is not having installed one earlier...

Ooh excellent info- thank you! Great info on the thermostatic mixer, too- I wouldn't have thought of that. You recommend oversizing the calentador- as in the hot water storage capacity? Like you run out of hot water quickly? Also, do you have any cold spells after rainy/cloudy days? And would you recommend Megasol as a reliable company?

 

[jfk66]

Ooh excellent info- thank you! Great info on the thermostatic mixer, too- I wouldn't have thought of that. You recommend oversizing the calentador- as in the hot water storage capacity? Like you run out of hot water quickly? Also, do you have any cold spells after rainy/cloudy days? And would you recommend Megasol as a reliable company?

If you are 2 size it for 4 so as never to run out of hot water
We never run out of hot water even after cold spells and cloudy days
Megasol is a good and reliable/established company