I bought the whole solar package from the company, set, the 12. We decided to prefer a well-known Greek company from the past..
Not very economical in terms of price though..
I have the same boiler but back then it came in stainless steel style, not black.. And stainless steel means only the side covers.. The boiler is probably chrome with electrostatic paint.. Steel with glass coating if I remember correctly..
I don't know if anything else has changed besides the color..
I can't say it literally boiled the water.. Even with cloudy weather, the selective collectors did something, which are still okay. I have no complaints here I think.. The collectors are probably made by another company, I've seen the same ones in another solar system.. I don't know..
But the insulation inside the boiler (cotton or something, I can't remember now) is probably not the best because it didn't keep the stored hot water for long on cold days.. It bothered me a little but I expected it somewhat..
I did the service myself. In these years, I changed the fluids 2-3 times and cleaned the boiler from salts, changed the anode and resistance.. The issue is that from half of its lifespan, the boiler started showing signs of rust, without any leaks though.. And it often released water from the coolant valve.. The components used were copper, except for one plug that came with the boiler from the manufacturer, which was galvanized.. The pipes to the house were plastic.. Now it seems that the boiler has leaked and is running on the side where the coolant valve is on top.. Although it's also leaking from other points.. Probably because the water stagnates inside.. Anyway, it's really a shame that it leaked so early.. Not even ~8 years.. Let's see what we'll do.. But overall, I think the product (boiler) is somewhat expensive for what it offers..
I should note here that even the base of the boiler, which is supposed to be galvanized, is starting to show signs of rust because it holds water on top when it rains.. It's like a boat just below the boiler.. I probably won't buy the same boiler again.. As long as the collectors/base are okay, I'll search for another boiler/water heater.. That's it.. Any advice is welcome..
I made a general evaluation, I hope it's not a problem..
Oh, one more thing, I see some other ancient solar systems on the rooftop, for years now, which have probably been left to their fate and haven't been maintained, for whatever that means..
Update 12/21.
In the end, I only changed the boiler, the plates are okay..
I installed something economical, with a trick on the base, and it seems to be working fine..
But it's really unbelievable to spend a three-digit amount for replacing the boiler with installation, etc., and they don't even take it for recycling for 10-15€.. The technicians took it for recycling.. Now let's see how long this one will last.. Just be careful when changing the boiler to replace any necessary things like coolant and any accessories like valves, etc..
And it's good to do a service every 2 years they say.. And for the warranty to be valid..
The boiler I bought has a 10-year warranty, let's see, compared to the old one from Elco that had a 5-year warranty.. But overall, although Elco seemed much more solid and well-made, it turned out to be the opposite..
Let's see the cheapest one now..
That's it..
Additionally..
Reading the reviews of other users raised some questions and conclusions for me..
As I have mentioned, the plates seem to be made by another company.. The plates are very good.. Even after ~10 years..
The issue I wanted to mention, reading from other users that the kettle seems to be leaking in the same spot for all of us.. That is, where the coolant filling valve is..
If this is indeed true, one could wonder about a manufacturing defect.. Material inaccuracy or whatever it is called..
There is no other explanation if it is leaking in the same spot for all of us..