The tank of our solar hot water system has gone kaput. Panels on the roof are still okay, but the tank under the house is done and leaking. Quote to replace the existing tank is $5k.
Situation.
We don’t have natural gas so unit needs to be electric or solar.
We don’t have electric solar panels. Just the solar hot water panels (12 years old)
Hoping to get solar electricity in the next 6-12 months.
Have LPG gas line for room heaters.
Looking for advice on a decent replacement. Is $5K standard to replace the tank of a solar system? Are there better options around now it’s 12 years down the track?
I recently replaced mine with a Hydrotherm 270L tank. It is a heat pump water heater, so it's very efficient. The max power draw is only 800W I think, and it has a built in timer feature so you can set it to run only during certain times (e.g. off peak for time of use, or during your PV production once you've got the solar panels for your electricity installed). It cost me about $1700 back in 2020, including installation and removal of the old resistive hot water system. Be aware that a heat pump HWS (hot water system) works like a fridge (but in reverse obviously), so there'll be a low level of noise when it's running - no louder than an old fridge, and it has a fan that blows cool air out of the unit. A nice place to hang around in summer when you're hot, kinda like an outdoor aircon for your patio, but in winter it'll still blow cold air.
You would need to: a) find a place for the tank on the ground, either on an existing concrete, or get a concrete base (they're ready made, like a big paver). The plumbing won't be as straight forward as a like-for-like replacement of another solar hot water system. b) get someone (maybe pay extra to the plumber?) to remove the old solar panels from the roof. This is good so you have more space for the solar panels for your electricity in the future. Overall I think that'd be the best way going forward.