04/03/2008
Brent Kremer
Three recommendations (two of which I realize will increase the cost to the customer, but I think the cost is negligible relative to the overall cost of the system):<br /><br />1) Provide a better wiring diagram of the final system design (mine had hand-written corrections and proved difficult for the `average` furnace contractor to troubleshoot when the non-solar part of the furnace failed).<br /><br />2) Provide an option to cover the tank in something other than sheet metal -- this will add cost, but the aesthetic preferences in our situation necessitated it being re-covered by us anyway.<br /><br />3) Provide an option for different aquastats. The mechanical one installed MAY be defective, and we elected to procure a digital one at our own expense. Capitol Solar did acknowledge they would have replaced it if the unit was defective. The mechanical one has proven to have a `temperature sensed` vs. `switch activated` (my layman`s terms) difference of up to 45 degrees (sometimes its dead-on, but its usually off by 20 degrees or more).<br /><br />We`re waiting for about another month to determine how much propane we`ve saved by installing the system. The original estimate provided by Capitol Solar was that the system would eliminate 60-80% of our original propane usage. We`d be satisified if it took care of 50% of the propane usage, and it feels like we`re on track to accomplish that.<br /><br />I would definitely recommend the company to anyone and I consider the owner & company to be a trusted, honest, and reliable contractor. They were very responsive and helpful when the circuit board on our furnace failed (non-solar related), and the furnace contractor had to work with them telephonically to restore the solar-incorporated heat system.<br />