Moved into a house that has a Kingspan solar thermal system

[smulx]

I just moved into a house yesterday that has a solar thermal system installed. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the system and could tell me anything about it as I have no idea about solar systems.

I have attached pictures of the equipment which is in a cupboard upstairs and as far as I’m aware, the boiler keeps the cylinder topped up with hot and water which supplies the taps/shower, but the central heating draws hot water directly from the boiler. When it’s sunny enough, the panels kick in and they also feed into the hot water tank. Does that sound right?

According to the previous owner, it hasn't been serviced recently and the control panel said there was a gas lock, so the system isn't currently functional.

Is this actually a decent system that will usually save money? Just want to make sure it’s worth getting it all up and running as I imagine Kingspan charge a lot to get it sorted. Do I need to have much input or does it function independently? Do Kingspan have to be the ones who service it and is this generally straightforward? Any advice would be appreciated.

[zundel]

Hi,
I also moved in to a home that has a similar system from Kingspan. I am in the US, so the system they offered here is slightly different.
I contacted Kingspan and they told me they stopped making these in 2018.
They suggested I go to the installer for service (but I don't know who that is). My system also seems to have air lock. The pump runs constantly and doesn't seem to bring down the heated fluid from the roof.
One of the local companies that I spoke to here said they only decomission these systems, and no longer service them. (Since parts are hard to come by, and its not cost effective compared to PV solar panels)

[peakbagger]

SHW is still quite competitive with Heat Pump Hot Water heaters, the problem is the initial cost is steep and therefore few companies are still selling them or servicing them. I installed my system and made it as simple as possible and its been working great for more than 20 years. Unless you get lucky and find someone who used to work on this type of system then you will need to figure it out yourself. In order to so that you need to draw up all the piping and components and post it. Generally the controls are not rocket science, just a couple of differential temp controllers looking at inputs from RTDs and maybe some relays to turn the pumps on and off. I am not familiar with the Kingspan system but my guess is you may need to upgrade the controls but that is not something I would do initially until you understands the system.

The one major caveat is if the panels are tight and not leaking. Assuming its a anitfreeze based system, leaving stagnant antifreeze in system is v3ery bad as its gets acidic and can eat the panels piping from the inside out.

[LucMan]

Is this actually a decent system that will usually save money? Just want to make sure it’s worth getting it all up and running as I imagine Kingspan charge a lot to get it sorted. Do I need to have much input or does it function independently? Do Kingspan have to be the ones who service it and is this generally straightforward? Any advice would be appreciated.

I've been working on solar a long time. Looking at your pictures it seems this system is way more complicated than any other domestic hot water system that I have ever seen. Zone valves, 3 pumps and other controls that I don't recognize.
Does this system also do space heating besides domestic? How many panels are on the roof and what type are they.? Evacuated tubes or flat plate? If this system is a space heating what is your location in the world?
An air lock would mean that the system would need to be purged with a high pressure pump to remove any air from the closed system.