Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 28, 2012 7:54 pm Hi all, Can anyone say is Sydney is officially a frost area? We are building in the Sydney western suburbs, and our builder has recommended a frost rated gas boosted solar hot-water system for us. We want the solar system but I'm wondering is the frost rating necessary? My issue with the frost version of the HWS is the complexity of the system - it runs an antifreeze liquid through the solar panels, and uses a heat exchange to get the heat from that into the water - which leads to costs (Around $700 more) and a risk to reliability. Thanks My Build Thread: Coral Homes Noosa 279 Re: Is Sydney a frost area? 2Jan 29, 2012 1:34 pm Hi Thattime, I think it would rather depend on where you are in Sydney - the further west you are, the greater the probability of frost. I worked for several years in the Parramatta/Holroyd/Auburn areas, and there were definitely frosts there - not particularly heavy frosts, but frost none the less! Have you searched the data for your area at the Bureau of Meteorology? www.bom.gov.au Variegated Re: Is Sydney a frost area? 3Jan 29, 2012 3:57 pm Hi Variegated, Coincidentally - yes we are in Holroyd council! I grew up in this area and I do remember a few mornings that would be classified as frosts - but hardly the kind of thing that could freeze pipes. I guess a frost is a frost hey? Perhaps it's just good insurance for us when global warming goes full circle to global cooling. At this rate anything is possible in the next 10 years. I might look for meteorite protection too! Thanks. My Build Thread: Coral Homes Noosa 279 Re: Is Sydney a frost area? 4Jan 30, 2012 9:30 am Hi Standard solar systems that don't use Anti-freeze are also OK in frost areas. In some system the controller detects low temperatures in the panels and runs some hot water from the tank through them to avoid freezing. Others open a valve to drain the water from the panels. We are building near Lithgow and it gets much colder here - we have been known to get snow. We are installing a Hills Solar Evacuated tube system. This heats the water directly in the tubes and is rated for 10 hours at -15 degrees. Flat panel systems are less tolerant of frost, but unless you are having hours of below freezing temperature (which I doubt in Sydney) you should be fine with a standard system. Paul Re: Is Sydney a frost area? 6Jan 30, 2012 11:45 am james_d, nice Rinnai website. It looks like Holroyd Council area is OK not to worry about frost protection. I have no frost protection form my solar hot water system in the Ryde area. This sometimes concerns me a bit, but I think I'm safe. Also, take at look at www.bom.gov.au. Somewehere there (I can't find it at the moment) is a map of Australia showing the number of frost days. Sydney is OK. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Is Sydney a frost area? 7Jan 30, 2012 7:22 pm Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 CDC Housing Code 3 When to apply Floor Area external face of wall vs Gross Floor Area internal face of wall. Reading thru CDC Housing Code 3, lets take a lot 915sqm.… 0 16562 Even if it's not being sub-divided and you want to keep it as Torrens title, you will still need to talk to a town planner or Council themselves, to see if they will allow… 1 11035 Hi We have finally decided to complete a KDR on our corner plot in NE Melbourne suburbs. Given its a corner plot approx. 400 sqm just a standard design may not fit the… 0 8568 |