Can Apricus collectors withstand hail?
Apricus evacuated tubes have been independently tested and shown to withstand impact from a 25mm / 1″ ice ball at 25m/s / 90km/h / 55mph. If you are in a region with extreme hail (much larger than 25mm / 1″) then the solar collectors should be installed at an angle of 45o or greater, which greatly increases impact strength. The beauty of the Apricus solar collector design, is that if a freak storm should cause damage to one or more evacuated tubes, the system will still operate normally (just with reduced output), and the tubes can be easily replaced. In November of 2008 freak storms hit Brisbane with hail stones up to 60mm / 2″ in size. Roof tiles were smashed, roofs of cars dented and flate plates solar collectors destroyed. To much surprise and delight many of the evacuated tubes survived, and many systems were still operating providing hot water the following day when the sun came out. The replacement of the tubes only took about 30 minutes, and the for an installer, and the system
