Gilder Geyser: Welcome to the Gilder Geyser Solar Water Heater

The Gilder Solar Geyser is patented solar water heater that is revolutionary in every aspect. It's made completely out of plastic and is so simple in its design and principle of operation that you wonder why no one came up with the concept before.

What is it that makes the Gilder Solar Geyser different to the Competition?

The Gilder Solar Geyser is similar to other existing solar water heaters in that it heats water but very different in the following respects:

- It's less than half the price of the closest competition when comparing similar heating and storage capacities.

- It's really easy to install and no modification is required to existing plumbing. A large portion of any solar water heater installation is usually the cost of the plumber. With this system the tank could simply be hooked onto the roof and connected to an outside tap via a plastic pipe. By removing the plumber from the equation the fully installed cost of this solar water heater could be less than a third of the closest competition.

- It is extremely durable as it is made completely out of ultra high quality UV resistant plastic. There is no glass to break or metal to dent or rust. The plastic is specially treated to have a lifespan of at least 20 years in direct sunshine. The plastic used is similar to that used in borehole tanks which has proven itself in direct sunshine over the years.

- It uses standard and easily available parts and therefore is serviceable just about anywhere in Africa and the world without having to import specialised parts.

- It is extremely compact before assembly and can be transported in most small cars.

- It is very light (the 100 litre system weighs only 16 kg in its entirety).

Is the Gilder Solar Geyser the right product for you?

The Gilder Solar Geyser was designed specifically with low cost/RDP type housing in mind and was not intended for middle to upper income households. Whilst it can be installed on just about any home we would only recommend it for lower income households for the following reasons:

- Our solar water heater is a low pressure system where the outflow pressure is gravitational. This means that the water outflow pressure is not what middle to upper income households are used to for showering and the like. It can work on inflow pressures of 0.7 - 20 bars but the inflow pressure is eliminated by a float valve and from thereon it is gravitational.

- Our system is non-insulated. This would allow the prospective user to have hot water in the afternoon and evening, but as the water would cool overnight there would be no hot water in the morning. Please note that the user can easily insulate the tank themselves at minimal cost using an outer layer of Alububble or a similar product, combined with a conventional thermal insulator (newspaper would work perfectly) at minimal extra cost.

- We believe our system beats the competition as far as price, durability, easily available and standard parts, ease of shipment and ease of installation which is perfect for most of Africa and the third world. However, when compared to the competition (vacuum tubes for example), our system isn't as efficient, especially under bad weather situations. For first world and middle to upper income conditions we would recommend vacuum tube systems over our own, but for townships, rural and remote areas we believe our system comes into its own. Water temperatures you could expect from our solar water heater under cloudless sunny conditions in Pretoria for example would be as follows: Summer 50 - 60 degrees C Winter 35 - 38 degrees C

Our system was designed with the intention of giving the poorest of the poor the opportunity of having their water heated free (weather permitting) most of the time. These are people who would either not have any hot water, or would use parafine, wood, coal and sometimes even electric stoves to heat their water. We figure that if our system gives them free hot water 80 percent of the time they would see a drastic improvement in their quality of life.

What are the Benefits of Solar Water Heaters in General?

For those of you that might not know a lot about Solar Water Heaters the benefits are as follows:

- Large savings in a household's energy costs. Around 40% of the average household electricity cost is from heating water (this percentage is even higher in low income households). By using a solar water heater these costs can be reduced by at least 80%. This would really make a big difference to low income households.

- Reduces unpaid electricity bills and the burden on local government. Lower electricity costs result in bills being more affordable and are therefore more likely to be paid. Also in cases of non-payment the amount outstanding would be a lot lower than it would have been otherwise.

- There are reduced levels of pollution due to less coal/paraffin/wood being burned either to heat water directly or to generate electricity. This also helps reduce deforestation due to less firewood being cut for burning.

- Less dependence on foreign and possibly hostile sources of energy. Less valuable foreign exchange and hard earned money is spent importing energy.

- Reduces the governments required spending on infrastructure due to a lower electricity demand.

- Reduces unemployment. The Geysers were designed, developed and are completely manufactured in South Africa. Even the material used to make the plastic is supplied by Sasol.

Contact Details

If you have any questions please contact us using the "Contact Us" sheet or at the following email and we will reply as soon as possible:

brianswebstore@gmail.com