Need advise how to cool off EV tube geyser.

[Gerrie]

I was wondering if anybody know of a easy way to keep a EV tube geyser a bit cooler when it is not going to be used during the hot holiday season. I wan’t to prevent the over temperature valve releasing and wasting water.

I was thinking of putting some sort of sleeves over a few tubes. Has anybody done something similar to this?

[DeepBass9]

Someone said that putting some shade net over the tubes works in summer.

[DeepBass9]

Or you can convert to PV and solve the problem that way........

[Mad Mike]

15 hours ago, Gerrie said:

I was wondering if anybody know of a easy way to keep a EV tube geyser a bit cooler when it is not going to be used during the hot holiday season. I wan’t to prevent the over temperature valve releasing and wasting water.

I was thinking of putting some sort of sleeves over a few tubes. Has anybody done something similar to this?

if you are leaving the house unoccupied then I have found having the circulation pump run for a few hours in the night (I personal have mine run 2am-5am) cools off the water in the tank. it then runs its normal heating cycle during the day.

 

[Gerrie]

1 hour ago, Mad Mike said:

if you are leaving the house unoccupied then I have found having the circulation pump run for a few hours in the night (I personal have mine run 2am-5am) cools off the water in the tank. it then runs its normal heating cycle during the day.

My geyser is the type without the pump, it’s self circulating so that option is out. The geyser temperature in late afternoon on hot days are 82deg+ and if we don't use hot water that night the geyser starts releasing water by about 12h00 the next day.

[Mad Mike]

1 hour ago, Gerrie said:

My geyser is the type without the pump, it’s self circulating so that option is out. The geyser temperature in late afternoon on hot days are 82deg+ and if we don't use hot water that night the geyser starts releasing water by about 12h00 the next day.

Shame! I see the geyser owning a shade at your expense... old blanket to tuck the tubes in for the duration, but that would be a sight for the neighbors to behold!

[South Easter]

I use these covers. 

Essentially they are piping sawn in half. They fit standard EV tubes and work well.

 

https://www.sustainable.co.za/geyserwise-evacuated-tube-cover-set-of-4.html

[DeepBass9]

8 hours ago, South Easter said:

I use these covers. 

Essentially they are piping sawn in half. They fit standard EV tubes and work well.

 

https://www.sustainable.co.za/geyserwise-evacuated-tube-cover-set-of-4.html

You could use 50mm class 3 ldpe pipe and DIY those for much cheaper.

[Gerrie]

Thanks guys for advise, I am going to get some of these pipes and fit them over the tubes. I will cut short pieces at first and put them over each tube to see if it will tame the temperature down to 50’s because the water is also to hot for showers, and even a bit dangerous if you have small kids. Then during the holiday when away I will cover a bigger area. It also seems like a neater way then the shade-netting where the stork might end up building its nest and that can come with some new challenges.

[Gerrie]

Bought some 50mm farmers pipe. I got a 5meter piece R80 worth of pipe, and fitted over some tubes. Not doing my home work first to calculate how much I needed i’m short with a few pipes, fitted in a hurry the night before departure, but can’t fix it now I’m gone holidaying already. I’m checking cctv’s at home to see if water is running down roof but have not spotted any yet. Maybe its already dry at times when I check. But still early days and hope it brings the water temperature down.

[Gerrie]

Looking at the photo it is difficult to believe that is 5mtr of plastic pipe, the pipes did lower the temperature but not enough, I got a phone call from my neighbour a few days into the holiday telling me of hot water running down my roof. It’s not a very easy task fitting those plastic pipe sleeves over the glass tubes while standing at a terrible angle. I think this December I’m going to cover the tubes with shade netting and see how that works. In the last month i had about 3 days of the geyser blowing out hot water, normally it happens around 14h00 if no-one used hot water for the day.

[Chris Louw]

Geyser Wise systems have a holiday setting. Starts the pump at 18:00 every night an cools the water to 50 C. It also switches of the element ignores timer settings.