Solartwin - silicon tubing eaten by mice !

[Worcester]

Anyone else come across this yet?

Thanks to another member of the forum we attnded a call out last week to find out why a solar thermal system was leaking. first time I'd seen a solartwin install, and took a while toget my head around how it worked.

Basically it reverse cycles water through the DHW cylinder using a very low powered dc pump. On the day we attended the cylinder was up to temperature by the boiler so was cycling warm water around the collector...

What suprised me though was that it was all connected up with 10mm dia silicon tubing.

After reading through the detailed install instructions off the solar twin website, it turns out that the pipes should have been encased in normal PEX water pipe, precisely to protect them from our rodent friends!

So we've got to go back and do a permanent fix on the system, - we have two choices
a) repair the chewed section and then encase in PEX to avoid a recurrence
or
b) replace the silicon tubing (approx 15 metres each way) with 10mm copper microbore.

Both would seem to be satisfactory solutions - for those of you with experinece with solartwin (aka Thermatwin) systems - what would your favoured option be?

 

[Killy Bing]

do the manufactures approved method.

although the pex method sounds safer rather than some numpty come along and squash the microbore flat.
plus if it leaks with the pex outeryou will find out at the cylinder end !!!!

 

[Worcester]

Ironically the manufacturers original install instructions (they are no longer in business in the UK - this system was installed about 12 years ago) is to put the silicon tube in PEX! - Guess if they'd done that the problem wouldn't have arisen..

 

[lame plumber]

seen mice damage to pex so not the best answer in my opinion

 

[Worcester]

Actually was considering pex-al-pex as used in underfloor heating as that will hold shape when bent - couple of 'gentle' curves to follow and also deter the little pesks a bit longer.

Aslo put traps down in the loft so as to catch the little blighters

 

[ringi]

The system is being sold again, ThermaSkirt brought them out.

The silicon tubing is used to protect against freezing, so copper micro bore will not be a good option.

 

[Jimbob]

Isn't it just a drain back system, and they use a 12v bilge pump. Utter crap.

 

[voivod]

Tell them not to put poison out for the mice. Was told by a rentokill guy that the poison makes mice n rats thirsty .
This is what is supposed to kil them ....but also makes them desperate for water.
Might have been bull... but