[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by envyravi

Our requirement is primarily to power the lift during power cuts, basic lighting and lift water from UG sump to Overhead tank.

I don't think you will need more than a 25Kw DG for that.

One of the better brands that I have used regularly is Powerica.

[roy_libran]

Hi All - Can someone guide me on the capacity required, cost and suggested brands for a Solar Water Heater? Ideally I would want one unit to suffice to supply 5 bathrooms and kitchen, for a family of 6.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Prez

I will be renovating my ground floor house in Bangalore soon and we all would be moving out the the 1st floor.

I'm looking to soundproof the windows in the road side hall/room.
[list=1][*]Is there any other good brands in Bangalore that make good uPVC, aluminum or wood windows. (@amitk26's post is close to 2 years old. )[*]When we do install a uPVC or an aluminum frame window, can we install a metal grill for security later?

Check LG as well. Their windows are better built than fenesta. I observed this in my neighbor apartment where they have retrofitted both LG and Fenesta windows

Yes you can install grill. Ensure that the grill is installed and plastering/finishing is complete before the window is installed.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Hi All - Can someone guide me on the capacity required, cost and suggested brands for a Solar Water Heater? Ideally I would want one unit to suffice to supply 5 bathrooms and kitchen, for a family of 6.

Two units of 200L with two panel each should suffice. In Bangalore, BESCOM insists two units/400L for any home with more than 3 bathrooms. Else they do not give you commercial to domestic conversion clearance. Do not know about GZB

I Would suggest V Guard. Go for the tubular collector. These are better at capturing heat even on cloudy days. However, these are not robust and you need to build a protective grill around the collector. Go for this only if you are sure that there are no kids playing on the terrace else there is a good chance they will break one.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Two units of 200L with two panel each should suffice.

Go for the tubular collector. These are better at capturing heat even on cloudy days. However, these are not robust and you need to build a protective grill around the collector.

Thanks! Just a couple of queries-
1. Why 2 units of 200L each than say 1 unit of 500L?
2. With Tubular (I don't think there would be much likelihood of kids playing on the terrace) how much time would it usually take in the mornings before we are able to access hot water? Installation will be in Delhi NCR.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Thanks! Just a couple of queries-
1. Why 2 units of 200L each than say 1 unit of 500L?
2. With Tubular (I don't think there would be much likelihood of kids playing on the terrace) how much time would it usually take in the mornings before we are able to access hot water? Installation will be in Delhi NCR.

1.Water heats up faster in two individual smaller units rather than 1 single big unit.

2. On a day with decent sunshine it takes around 2 hrs. With good sunshine 1 hr.

[umashankar]

Hi, I am from Bangalore. I am in search of a good place in Karaikudi to buy Athanguidi tiles for my new house. I came across your old post. Since you are a native of the heritage city, could you please help me with some good contacts.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

1.Water heats up faster in two individual smaller units rather than 1 single big unit.

2. On a day with decent sunshine it takes around 2 hrs. With good sunshine 1 hr.

Perfect! Thanks much. I will look for 2 tubular 200L units as you suggested.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Perfect! Thanks much. I will look for 2 tubular 200L units as you suggested.

Welcome.

One more suggestion.

Have the plumbing done in such a way that the hot water output both solar units converge to a common point and then gets distributed to the entire house. Also install stop cocks before the convergence point for each solar. This will help you isolate a unit for repair and maintenance while the other working unit can continue to supply hot water.

[Prez]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Check LG as well...

Yes you can install grill.

I checked yesterday. Apparently, LG has stopped sending materials to India last year.

I'm also looking for contacts for quality/branded grills makers. I like unpainted steel grille.

Also, any suggestions on interior designers. I'm looking for American look for home.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Prez

I'm looking to soundproof the windows in the road side hall/room.

Prez, here is sound-proofed window done recently by my cousin who has a factory off Magadi Road.



If you want to reach out to her, do let me know. You can check further (this one looks to have been done on an existing window).

[splitsecond]

I have decided to change my 5 year old plastic water tank because its not food grade i guess.

Big question is, which one to choose, Steel or Plastic? Internet is divided on this matter, some say plastic tanks can emit harmful chemicals if kept under sunlight, is this true? even for food grade plastic tanks? Others say steel tanks have lead poisoning and can attract lightning strikes. I like to hear forum members opinion on this subject.

[dexter78]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Hi All - Can someone guide me on the capacity required, cost and suggested brands for a Solar Water Heater? Ideally I would want one unit to suffice to supply 5 bathrooms and kitchen, for a family of 6.

In and around NCR its a 50:50 experience, this is from using one for the last 10 years, have a (now defunct) Tata BP Solar. Most times when you actually need it its overcast and you have to switch on the element (takes a lot of time and is power hungry). the lead in pipe to the loo/ kitchen will need to drain of cold water before you get any warm/ hot water (anything from 3-20 ltrs) depending on the pipe length involved.
Early morning water will warm to acceptable so keep that in mind

you will need to plan the following from what I have managed to understand and improvise over years
a) have a pressurized system with small diameter pipes with good insulation
b) if possible have the loos/ kitchen along the same line (will minimize loss of water as you wait for it to run hot)
c) Plan how you want to store the cold water & use it rather than letting it flow down the drain

overall its a mixed bag given the NCR/ northern plains winter months

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by dexter78

Quick Question: where is the site? if its in and around NCR its a 50:50 experience, this is from using one for the last 10 years, have a (now defunct) Tata BP Solar. Most times when you actually need it its overcast and you have to switch on the element (takes a lot of time and is power hungry). the lead in pipe to the loo/ kitchen will need to drain of cold water before you get any warm/ hot water (anything from 3-20 ltrs) depending on the pipe length involved.
Early morning water will warm to acceptable so keep that in mind

you will need to plan the following from what I have managed to understand and improvise over years
a) have a pressurized system with small diameter pipes with good insulation
b) if possible have the loos/ kitchen along the same line (will minimize loss of water as you wait for it to run hot)
c) Plan how you want to store the cold water & use it rather than letting it flow down the drain

overall its a mixed bag given the NCR/ northern plains winter months

Very good practical constraints! Thanks.
The house is in Noida region and is G+2 floors. There would need to be 3 vertical pipes supplying hot water across the floors. 2 pipes for 4 bathrooms and 1 pipe for kitchen. Morning hot water requirement at my house is typically only after 8 a.m.
Does the foam insulation usually done around AC pipes, help with warm water?
What material pipe is best to use for warm water pipes?
Is there any wisdom in installing an electrical geyser on the warm water line to additionally heat the water (a supplementary measure for overcast days) before the three pipes distribute?

[dexter78]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Very good practical constraints! Thanks.
The house is in Noida region and is G+2 floors. There would need to be 3 vertical pipes supplying hot water across the floors. 2 pipes for 4 bathrooms and 1 pipe for kitchen. Morning hot water requirement at my house is typically only after 8 a.m.
Does the foam insulation usually done around AC pipes, help with warm water?
What material pipe is best to use for warm water pipes?
Is there any wisdom in installing an electrical geyser on the warm water line to additionally heat the water (a supplementary measure for overcast days) before the three pipes distribute?

Sharing my POV;

- November to Jan/ Feb Morning will be warm to semi hot water @ 8 am, will need to supplement with the inbuilt Element if you want HOT.
- Possible solution could be having two 200 + 100 LPD in sequence where the 100LPD is after the 200 LPD and can be heated up via the inbuilt electric element.
- In all practicality you will end up using uPVC pipes, they will work fine. Ask for pipe insulation in the market for hot water they sell by pipe size use it and if exposed to elements have it wrapped in aluminium tape (helps to prevent it breaking down thanks to the sun) and tell the person not to squeeze the insulation or it will loose its properties dramatically.
- AVOIDED AT ALL COST using asbestos rope the plumber or shopkeeper may recommend.
- Most Solar heaters come with an inbuilt electric element use that for the at source heating, having a geyser post that will be making the system over complex and then you will have to wait for the stored water to drain out before hot water starts going through it to the taps, or will end up having multiple valves to open and close, making life a bit more complex and the system impractical to use every day.
- If you want (read should) provide 3-6 ltr geyser in kitchen to start off the washing of dishes (it’s a pain washing them with cold water and will show in the level of cleaning being done)
- Did read about recommendation of using the glass collector model besides kids you have to be aware that monkeys could end up breaking them as well.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Very good practical constraints! Thanks.
The house is in Noida region and is G+2 floors. There would need to be 3 vertical pipes supplying hot water across the floors. 2 pipes for 4 bathrooms and 1 pipe for kitchen. Morning hot water requirement at my house is typically only after 8 a.m.
Does the foam insulation usually done around AC pipes, help with warm water?
What material pipe is best to use for warm water pipes?
Is there any wisdom in installing an electrical geyser on the warm water line to additionally heat the water (a supplementary measure for overcast days) before the three pipes distribute?

For your requirements a heat pump would be best energy efficient choice or even better solar water heater supplemented with heat pump.

Heat pump is very efficient compared to resistance based heating as it is a thermodynamic pump transferring heat from surrounding air to hot water tank. (Reverse of AC) temperature in NCR never drops below zero and usually remains between 2 to 8 degree Celsius even on coldest days so there is ample amount of atmospheric heat available to be transferred. Usually these pumps even work in colder regions of US in snowy conditions so there shouldn't be any doubts about that.

It can also be coupled with solar water heater (single tank where water gets heated either by solar or in absence of sun by heat pump) or heatpump and solar water heater can be put in series but a single tank setup will be better.

Brands like Jaquar, Venus , Havells are selling stand alone heat pumps where as local manufacturers provide a combo setup what matters here is the manufacturer of the compressor and usually local vendors use Hitachi, carrier etc.

Cost of 200L heatpump of well known brand will be in range of 1L whereas solar + heat pump from local vendors will cost approximately 60% of that.

What happens with solar only setup in north is that people end up installing geysers costing approx 8 to 10 k in each bathroom so if you have multiple floors heatpump initial cost will workout.

Energy consumption wise it is far too less each geyser is atleast 2KW whereas the single heatpump consuming 1Kw will give you heat output equivalent to almost 8KW and storage tank of 200L means all your bathrooms can be served (equivalent of 8 geysers of 25L storage)