Gary Moller's experience with rusting, corroding, fading solar water heating panels

This Sola60 panel (above) on our house looks impressive doesn't it? This is saving our family money on water heating and it is great for the environment. We are responsible citizens in this clean and green land. That was what we thought.

We noticed a steady drop off of peak water temperatures over a one year period, so I decided to investigate.

Here is another view:

There is extensive corrosion of the collector's absorber surfaces of this year old panel and what appears to be bleaching so that the surface looks grey-blue.

Here are the replacement panels that were supplied to us under warranty:

They are very smart looking. Now, here they are after a year:



These panels are bleached and have extensive corrosion (looks like sprinkled talcum powder) of the collector surface. And they now look kind of grey-blue which is not the best colour for absorbing solar heat.

Thankfully, they were replaced under warranty.

Here are the replacement ones seven months after being installed. Look carefully:

They are corroding again and we currently (30/11/2206) have a request with Sola60 to remove the system entirely from our roof because the warranty has not long to run and plenty of failed attempts have been had at resolving the problem. They were removed 24 January 2007.

Is there a problem?

The first clue that something may be amiss comes from the Branz report of Research Commissions:

"BRANZ Ltd identified that one of the biggest uncertainties in the cost/benefit analysis of solar water heating systems is the lack of reliable field data for system performances. Anecdotal evidence suggests that most existing systems fall significantly short of the calculated values used during the system design."

Could this shortfall be due to corrosion of the collectors?

How big is the problem? This is the question that I set out to answer by spending a few weeks trying to locate solar water heating systems in Central and South Wellington. This was not an easy exercise. I found several (Ours included).

More about the Building Consent and Certificate of Acceptance for Solar Water Heating Installations

"Gary .....

Under the Building Act 1991 & 2004 Territorial Authorities and Councils are not and were not permitted to issue retrospective consents, in those days the work was classed as safe and sanitary (1991 Act)

Under the 2004 Act the same applies but no longer can Safe & Sanitary inspections be done, hence the introduction of The Certificate of Acceptance which is for Building work carried out without a building consent and is issued for the work that can be inspected and complies with the NZ building Code only and in no form is a Retrospective consent and never will be".

Rob.
_______________________________
Gary Moller comments:
When reading the advice and information on this website, please bear this advice from Ron in mind. I will be progressively altering any terminology and details but this will take time.

If you suspect a possible warranty problem with your solar water heating system

"Hi Gary

I was up on the roof yesterday inspecting my one year old Solarhart system.
I was less than impressed with what I saw, a lot of corrosion or discoloration appearing on the black panels.
Considering this has only been on the roof for a year I hate to think what it will be like after five when the warranty runs out.
Who do I contact in the first instance, XXXX Plumbing did the installation but I don’t expect they cover the warranty.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards"
"T"
_________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
This is a typical letter that I receive daily and am sometimes unable to reply to because of work commitments, so I thought I would publish it as an article to guide others.

• Read the safety information on this site before clambering up on the roof.
• Consider hiring an expert to do the assessment
  
• I am compiling a list of impartial experts which you can find on this site.
  
• The first action is to take digital photos of the detail of the panel surfaces. This may be very important for warranty claims. Even if any discoloration is slight at present, the photos become a record for comparison of further deterioration later on.
  
• Inspect every aspect of your installation, including lagging, the way the system is secured and the materials used. Take photos. Please refer to the BRANZ reports on this website that list the many installation faults to look for.
  
• Check the papers that the installer gave you to confirm the warranty term.
  
• Confirm that there is a Building Consent for the work (An estimated 80% of installations since 2003 do not have this requirement)
  
• If you don't have a Consent, ring your house insurer and check what your insurance exposure might be.
  
• Check with your Council what is involved with getting one if you don't have one, including all of the costs.
  
• Write to whoever did the installation, including copied of all the information gathered and state clearly what you want to happen. This should include:
• Replacement of any faulty/damaged parts and rectification of poor workmanship
• Keep a paper trail record and limit any dealings over the phone - keep it in writing in case you end up in dispute over anything.
  
• If the installer refuses to address your concerns, or has done something to avoid liability like changing company ownership, write to their professional body such as the
  
• Solar Industries Association
• Plumbers Guild and so on
• If your installer did not obtain a Building Consent on your behalf and the installation was after 2003, then you should advise the installer's professional association.
  
• Complain to your local Building Inspector and ask their advice about what to do.
• When seeking redress from the installer you should not have to pay for anything. The professional who you relied upon to do a professional job should pay.
• Where it is a warranty replacement such as a corroding panel, require an extension on the warranty covering the part replaced, since there is no guarantee that the same problem will not recur.
• If you are dissatisfied with progress or outcomes, take the matter up with the national distributor of the system that you have. If you remain dissatisfied:
• Take the matter up with the Solar Industries Association
• Write to EECA
• Write to the Consumer's Institute
• Write to the "Nailed" Consumer TV programme
• Write to Fair Go Consumer TV programme
• As a last resort I recommend taking the matter to a Disputes Tribunal
• If it looks like things are not working out at any stage, please consider hiring an independent expert to inspect your solar water heating system and provide a report. Keep receipts and seek eventual reimbursement of all costs from the installer.
• Advise the installer beforehand that you intend doing this and give them several days to respond before proceeding.
• Finally, make sure that you send me a brief history of your situation along with photos and I might publish them (anonymously) for the benefit of others who may be facing similar issues.
  

A very rusty Sola60 solar water heating panel

Here is a selection of photos of some of the panels which the owners allowed me to inspect, and which I was able to get up close to without risking breaking my neck:

Look at this Sola60 panel: Just two and a half years old, with visibly faded strips and corroded in places. No building consent.

Will this panel last five years; let alone 10-15? Look closer:

What to do if your panels appear corroded or if there is no Building Consent

Don't be an idiot- Stay off the roof - Read the safety information first (search by labels _ "safety" and read).

Keep up to date with news about solar water heating in NZ. Bookmark this page.

Some things to consider before going solar
Installing solar is a technical job to be done by a trained technician. The plumbing must be done properly and the panels must be able to withstand exposure to the elements for at least 10 trouble free years. Go here to view these industry training videos to get a good idea of what is involved.

Here is a helpful handbook about solar water heating.

Here is an informative website by EECA called SolarSmarter. While it is full of information it does little to help those who have found themselves owning of a lemon that is out of warranty.

It is not a good move to install or buy a Solar Water Heater if you are not well informed about the different possibilities and systems . Every supplier offers “his best system with maximum efficiency and cheapest price ” so it’s difficult to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each system.

Here is a questionnaire to suppliers of SWH-systems by Eric Jansseune of Environmental Engineering to assist you with choosing the right system and installer.

Do you require a Building Consent?
Yes: Where a structure is being mounted upon a roof and alterations are being made to plumbing and electricity there would be few exceptions; your Council requires a building consent plus an inspection of the work upon completion.

Here is a copy of the regulations and the company quoting you for the job and the company doing the installation should, at the very least, advise you of the requirements.

"The installation of a solar water heating system requires a Building Consent because solar water heating systems interact with potable water supplies and can involve heavy loads on roof structures if the hot water cylinder is mounted on the roof. A Building Consent is also required where there is a change to the potable water supply system and to the heat source. Other permits may be required to cover electrical alterations, or where there is a building height restriction. All plumbing work will require certification by a craftsman plumber. A registered electrician will need to certify any electrical work that may be needed. Certifications may be in the form of a Producer Statement as required by the Building Consent. Solar water heating installers should ensure that any necessary Building Consents are obtained and adhered to. An installer must then be able to demonstrate to the Consent Authority that the installation meets the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code." Source: EECA Installers Handbook

Depending on the job, the consent application may require technical information about the product, including its durability and loadings. You may have to supply details of the structure of the roof and a schematic diagram of the plumbing and any electrical wiring. The firm that is quoting on your solar water heating installation should do this for you with the cost built into the quotation. The cost of the paper work is as little as $50 when the installer does it for you.

Getting a Certificate of Acceptance
The cost of getting a retrospective building consent (a Certificate of Acceptance) after the job has been completed is not cheap and it is time-consuming. Excluding the professional services with producing drawings and other documentation, the cost varies between Councils. I was quoted $700 plus $80 inpection fee by Hutt City Council. This cost must be included somewhere in your financial assessment of the payback period on your solar investment. Instead of the payback being 20 years, this unforeseen cost may extend the payback period to 25 or more years.

If your installer tells you that you do not require a building consent, it is recommended that you contact your Council's building inspector and have this confirmed.

If you do not have a Building Consent and if one is required

Act quickly because your house insurance may be compromised. Speak to your insurance company to establish any exposure.

• You may have problems with selling your house, if it has unconsented roof structures and work such as plumbing and wiring.

Claiming for compensation if you feel you were misled
When you made the decision to place this structure on your roof and to alter your plumbing, you presumably relied on the advice of the company that provided the successful quotation. This advice should have included their professional knowledge of council building regulations. If they do not undertake to rectify the situation immediately, you may consider filing a claim with the Disputes Tribunal for compensation of the costs with obtaining a consent (in this case; a Certificate of Acceptance). Take it up with the Solar Industries Association as well.

If you have a Building Consent; but decide to remove your solar water heating installation - You must have a Building Consent before you can undertake the removal because you are making further alterations to plumbing and removing a structure from your roof. In some cases, a demolition consent is required.

Warranty Issues
(This is not legal advice: this is my interpretation of the law as a consumer)
The payback period on most hot water systems is 10-15 years- over 20 years in some cases. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act the manufacturer/supplier is obliged to supply goods that do the job expected. This should presumably be reflected in the length of the warranty. In this case, a solar water heating system should reasonably be expected to provide trouble-free operation for at least the calculated period for payback on your investment (10-15 years in most cases). Although the Consumer Guarantees Act still gives you some protection, be wary of warranties that are for lesser periods such as five years.

If you think you have a warranty issue with your solar system

• Be prompt and clear: Contact the installer and seek prompt action from them.
• Do not try to open the panels to look at them because doing so may void any warranty.
• Keep a paper trail of every letter and transaction in case you need to take the matter to a Disputes Tribunal.
• If you make phone calls, make diary notes and, if an action is agreed upon, send a memo to the other party summarising what was agreed.
• Take plenty of photos that show the problem.
• Insist on an extension of the warranty period on the parts replaced (bearing in mind that the warranty should really be 10 years or more).

If you are having difficulties resolving problems with the supplier or manufacturer of your system

• Contact me because I am very interested in learning about your case and I might be able to help
• If you have any concerns about the service you are receiving discuss this with the Solar Industries Association of NZ. (This is where the paper trail is important).
• Join the Consumers' Institute, then discuss the matter with an advisor.
• Talk to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau which can provide basic legal advice.
• Contact your MP.

If you find that you have reached an impasse you may need to file a claim with the Disputes Tribunal.

If your warranty has expired

First of all, talk to the supplier or manufacturer and see if you can work out something reasonable with them. If you are unable to resolve matters satisfactorily, you may still have recourse under the Consumers' Guarantees Act.

If all else fails, consider filing a claim with the Disputes Tribunal.

If your dispute involves panels that have failed prematurely due to corrosion, you might also consider including the NZ Government in your claim because it is has been encouraging householders to install these systems without proper assessment of their durability under New Zealand conditions. Your case may be particularly strong if you financed the installation with a Government subsidised loan scheme.

Which system is best for New Zealand conditions?

Let us find out for ourselves. If you have a solar water heating system; especially if it is more than four or five years old and still in perfect working condition, I want to hear from you. Write in about your system. You must include photographic evidence and documentation of age that I can publish and include your contact details (Contact details will be kept confidential).

Build your own?

If you are a real enthusiast and have more than half a clue as a good resourceful Kiwi, here's where you can learn more about DIY . Seriously, though, building your own panels is a significant technical and time commitment and it must still comply with all building codes.

Why am I doing this?
I am an enthusiastic environmentalist, committed to energy conservation. We finally "invested" in a solar system after exhaustive research - I had to put my money where my mouth was.

unfortunately, we have discovered that there was a problem with corrosion that progressively degrades the efficiency of the collectors and that this could be widespread. This site is to assist consumers with making the right choices in the best interests of the environment - and possibly the survival of the planet as we know it.

Consumers Institute Buyer's Guide: Although it is too general and in my view an overly glowing report that does not assist directly with this pressing issue of solar panel corrosion, the Consumers Institute has this buyer's guide that is worth perusing.

If you want to add to this advice, offer corrections, or simply to comment, please do so by clicking on the "comment" tab at the bottom right below this message.

Solar systems to face more scrutiny

"The government is addressing the poor state of solar hot water installations in many homes.
Parliament is concerned at growing evidence many system installations are substandard, with Energy Minister David Parker telling the Commerce Select Committee that about 80% of installations are done without building permits because consent fees are too high.
Parker says the government is to rectify the situation by standardising the consent process which will encourage councils to lower their fees.
He says a cash grant scheme will also be launched for solar water heating suppliers which meet quality standards.
National Party energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee says while the emphasis on encouraging solar water heating is laudable, steps must be taken to ensure the installations are of high quality.
Brownlee says there should be a body monitoring standards and he believes the Building Act should be looked at to ensure the problem is fixed."
Source: TV1 Business News
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Gary Moller comments:
I tried to arrange a meeting with Nick Smith, the National Party Environmental Spokesman, early in December of last year. It was a frustrating exercise; there was little sign of interest and nothing since. I wondered why?

However; it is good to see that the National Party is finally sitting up and paying more attention than before.

The building consents matter will finally get sorted out. However; it looks like National along with the others is quite content to leave the thousands of early adopters high and dry. If you don't have a building consent, it looks like National is not going to help you out. The Government has been actively encouraging you to install these systems and it was the responsibility of the installers to at the very, very least to advise you that you must have a buliding consent before doing the installation.

Gerry Brownlee's laudable statement also fails to make any mention of the widespread problem of corrosion and fading. Is this a convenient oversight of the inconvenient truth, or simply failure to properly read the reports? Why is there no product recall?

So, you discovered that you do not have a Building Consent foryour solar water heating system!

So you do not have a Building Consent, your house insurance is compromised, it is going to take you months and the cost of getting a Certificate of Compliance is months away and already well over $1,000 in costs! Furthermore; the company that did the installation is taking cover and hiding from its responsibilities - playing smoke and mirrors by cunningly changing ownership between husband/wife/son. Other companies are using the aggressive direct approach and simply tellling their customers to go away!

Advisory and regulatory gencies and politicians are telling you that getting a building consent is your responsibility. There is no sign of there ever being a coordinated rescue package, let alone a product recall. This is an unconscionable exercise in damage control by those who helped make the mess. How dare they offer no help while shifting the blame onto the victim. My advice to the thousands of affected consumers is not to let them off the hook - make those responsible for this mess pay for the clean-up.

I have been receiving about three inquiries per day about this matter and I wonder when the agencies who should be showing leadership are going to step up to the plate?

Sola60 Promises to stand by its products and to look after its customers

29 May 2007
"Dear Mr Moller
Further to our earlier conversations, I confirm the panel discolouration issue identified on your web site relates to a limited historical issue.

To put this issue into perspective, Sola6O has installed over 10,000 panels throughout New Zealand and the number of warranty claims relating to any deterioration of the panel surface is around one percent.Sola6O has a continuous focus on research, development and product testing. This testing has confirmed the high performance of the current Sola6O product range and random audits of Sola6O installations provide an additional quality control measure.

I’d also like to confirm that SoIa6O stands behind the quality of its products and encourage any Sola6O customer that may have a concern about their panel to contact us on 0800 765 260, by emailing customercare@sola60.co.nz or by writing directly to:The Management TeamSola6O NZP0 Box 2310Tauranga

I would appreciate it if you would include these details on your web site to make it simple for customers to contact us should they have any questions or concerns about their Sola6O system.
Yours sincerely"
Sandra Bell
Business Manager
_______________________
Gary Moller comments:
While it could be argued that Sandra is tactfully down-playing the full extent of the problem, this is wonderful news for Sola60 customers. So, congratulations to the management of Sola60 for taking a positive position for its customers!

It must be emphasised that Sola60 is not the only brand that is identified as having problems. These problems (as detailed on this website) include shoddy installation, inadequate lagging and no building consents as well as corrosion/discoloration or whatever one wants to call it.

Even if you are outside of your warranty, still raise the issue with Sola60 and please do let us know how you get on.If your installation does not have a building consent; but one is required (Check with your local Council), you should not have to pay the extra costs. Talk to the people who installed your system and who should have been responsible for obtaining the necessary consents.

What does it really cost to get a certificate of compliance?

In my advice about what to do if your solar water system's installer did not obtain a Building Consent before proceeding, I stated that the cost for getting a Certificate of Compliance was $700-plus as compared to about $80 if the the job had been done right.

Here is a quotation from a letter from Wellington City Council to an elderly couple who have a new Solahart installation that did not have a building consent. With the help of the Installer, an application for a Certificate of Compliance was submitted:

"Your documentation is being returned because the Council does not accept incomplete applicationsThe following information is needed....:
Provide the application fee of $690
Confirm the system has compliance with NZS 2718
Provide a roof plan showing the proposed location of the panels
Provide fixing details of the panels and the method of making the pipe penetrations through the roofing cladding watertight
Provide two copies of documentations and drawings"

The letter also states that the cost of inspections is $120 per hour.

This elderly couple can not provide this detailed information without the assistance of a plumber and an architect. They estimate the cost will be about $1,500 all up and will take some months to be completed.

In the meantime, their house insurance is compromised by having unconsented work on their house.

A Solahart that is just one year old

Here is a Solahart system that is just one year old and doesn't it look really smart?

Look carefully through the heavily patternised glass and you can just see a lots of white patches dotted about the panel:

Here's another angle and another section of panel: No building consent

As you would gather, the owner (A family with two young children) was concerned that this could happen so quickly. To make matters worse; the installer had told him that a building consent was not required for the installation. The building inspector thought otherwise. This owner is now facing a costly and lengthy bureaucratic procedure to get retrospective approval.

Are there any systems that will reliably last 10+ years?

I cannot answer this. I found several brands; but some I could not get access to for various reasons (Mostly lack of safe access) and other installations were far too recent to be able to make any kind of judgement.

The Solar Industry and the Government need to certify which solar panels are of sufficient durability to provide at least 10-15 years of reliable service under New Zealand conditions.