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Frequently Asked Questions
How does the vacuum help?
Removing the path heat escapes by.
Conduction and convection need a medium.
A vacuum has none.
So the gathered heat stays gathered.
Only radiation gets out.
Where does that show most?
In cold weather and at high temperatures.
Both mean a large temperature difference.
Which is what drives loss in a flat plate.
The vacuum removes most of it.
So the gap is widest on a cold clear day.
Can individual tubes be replaced?
Yes, and it is a real advantage.
A broken tube is a part, not a panel.
The array keeps working meanwhile.
With slightly reduced output.
A damaged flat plate is a whole unit.
How much more does it cost?
More per square metre of aperture.
For the same collecting area.
Which is the main reason flat plate persists.
Where roof space allows it.
And the climate is kind.
Are they more fragile?
Glass tubes are, compared to a flat sheet.
More vulnerable to impact.
Hail and falling debris especially.
Though replacement is cheap.
It is a maintenance profile, not a fault.
Do they suit every building?
Not visually, and that matters.
An array of tubes reads as technical.
Where a flat plate reads as a rooflight.
Some consents refuse them.
Check before specifying in a sensitive setting.
How do they handle snow?
Poorly, and it is rarely mentioned.
They do not warm their own surface.
Because the vacuum keeps heat inside.
So snow sits rather than melting off.
A flat plate clears itself by losing heat.