The science is complex. In a standard Vacuum collector you have a heatpipe evaporator and condenser. These work fine in blue sunny sky's but have significant transfer losses due to the requirement to heat up a metal manifold before the water gets heated. In a new technology DFNMT collector, it may look familiar from the outside but the inner workings are completely different. The DFNMT collector has a permanent convection pipe inside the vacuum tube usually around 6mm in diameter. The water which runs through your cylinder coil is also the same water which runs inside the collector tubes. The immediate advantage of this structure is that life span of the collector is greatly increased as there is no parts to fail or fade such as a heat pipe. The fast reaction and the increased heat retention of a DFNMT solar collector are the reasons why they perform so well in winter and in cloudy conditions. DFNMT collectors significantly outperform standard vacuum and flatplate collectors.

Its important that the full design of your solar system is configured correctly. Having a solar system that is not designed correctly will not operate correctly. Your installer should be able to provide support from the manufacturer to back up their design or the design should come from the manufacturer directly. The choice of collector type (see below), the size of cylinder, pipework, holiday controls, etc and your particular climate will all effect how your system will perform. Typically, you should aim for a system design and collector choice which will operate all year round.

Climate considerations are very important. If you live in a climate with direct sunshine every year, you have more options on choice of collector. If your climate is cooler, cloudy, windy and/or wet, then you should be choosing DFNMT Direct Flow Vacuum Collectors for maximum performance. These collectors will work best in all climates. They are also suitable for air conditioning and heating & cooling systems and are the latest technology in solar thermal collectors.

There are basically 3 types of solar hot water collector; 1) A DFNMT Solar Vacuum Collector, 2) A Heatpipe Solar Vacuum Collector and 3) A Flatplate Solar Collector. The difference used to be cost with DFNMT solar collectors being 8 times the price of the flat plate. This has changed and now DFNMT collectors are as affordable as flat plates so you don't need to compromise anymore. DFNMT Solar Vacuum Collectors can be used in all weather climates, sun, rain, wind or cloud and the SP501 DFNMT is the most powerful. The heatpipe solar collector is suitable for climates where there is sun but the temperatures may be lower than normal. The Flatplate collector is suited to climates climates that have low wind and have lots of sunshine in summer. Flatplates perform poorly once the outside temperature drops.

	Description	Comment
Model	SP501	DFNMT
Type	DFNMT Solar Vacuum Collector	Direct Flow Non Metal Transfer
Weight	34KG	Light weight
Capacity	1.9L	Low water capacity
Length	1610mm
Width	1060mm
Depth	100mm
Format	14 Power Tubes per collector	Unique format to Surface Power
Glass Tube	Borosilicate tube (Pyrex)	Proprietary
Fluid	De-Ionised Water	Mandatory
Connections	1/2 or 15mm (mandatory)
Delivery format	Fully assembled and boxed	Goes straight from box to roof
Mounting	All bracketing included	Including roof bolts
Plumbing parts	All included	Collector plumbing
Positioning	Vertical or Horizontal	DFNMT can be laid flat
Insulation	High performance U value
Maintenance	No Maintenance
Lifespan	Up to 50 years	Long life collector design
Warranty	10 Years	subject to receipt of warranty form
Applications	Solar Hot Water, Heating, Air Conditioning, Water Treatment.

Question: How many collectors will I need for my house ?

Answer: This depends on the size of the cylinder and/or the amount of people in the house, but you will need less solar panels than normal. i.e. for a 300L cylinder, you can use 2.85 sqm of SP501 and this will be more effective than 6.6 sqm of flatplate which is the recommended size.

 

Question: Is DFNMT Solar Vacuum a new technology ?

Answer: The SP501 has been developed for solar air conditioning and solar refrigeration which means that it is a super performer at solar hot water and solar heating. Surface Power have made a significant breakthrough in a new patented design and manufacturing process so everybody can afford to use the best solar thermal technology even for household use.

 

Question: Can the collectors be installed into a retrofit easily ?

Answer: Yes, as the collectors are light and fully assembled when delivered. Install time is shorter than normal vacuum heatpipe or flatplates panels, so you save money.

 

Question: Why is the lifespan so long for the SP501 versus the old type heat pipe vacuum collectors ?

Answer: Simple, heat pipes are less efficient but also have to be changed every 5-10 years, the SP501 is not a heatpipe solar panel and does not have mechanical parts which need to be changed to keep the panel working. It has a full copper jacket and its lifespan is fully dependent on the lifespan of copper which gives it a design life of 50 years.

 

Question: What direction should the collectors face ?

Answer: SP501 Collectors can face any direction between West through South and East. If you have both East and West options, choose the West. If you are in the southern hemisphere, then it will be West through North and East. Your Approved Installer will assess the best option. For air conditioning or large scale projects, then flat roofs or walls of tall buildings can be carpeted.

 

Question: Can I use existing formula's and solar design software to determine the size of a system ?

Answer: No, the SP501 is more powerful in output per sqm and requires smaller systems than legacy solar collectors. If you use existing software design products to design a solar system for the SP501, you will oversize your system. If you need help on design, contact your distributor, installer or Surface Power directly. The SP501 has been certified to 780 kWhrs/m2.

 

Question: Why do these collectors work in cloudy weather ?

Answer: The reason they work is poorer weather is the heat retention characteristics of DFNMT technology. This technology has the ability to build temperatures even in bad weather. It is this distinct difference over legacy solar panel technology which makes it so powerful.