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Compliance
Short-term
April 13, 2022

Solar Geyser Installations

Elite Risk Acceptances

With the country moving into winter, Eskom has warned that the severity of the load shedding will more than likely increase in the coming months as demand for electricity goes up significantly. Many of us aim to move off the grid, and one of the logical first steps towards electricity independence is to replace electric geysers with solar systems.

The installation of solar geyser systems differs immensely from that of an electrical system and is subject to strict regulations. On occasion, this has led to us being unable to replace geysers, because the previous installation did not comply with regulation.

It is important to note that an engineer’s certificate must be issued for all solar geyser installations of 300 litres or more.

The regulations relating to solar installations are very technical, and can be summarised as follows:

  • Installers must ensure that the roof structure is able to support the solar system, according to the relevant SA National Standard. (SANS 10106:2014 5.3.1)
  • Where it is not possible to comply, a professional engineer or registered technician must design the installation in such a way that the safety and performance standards are incorporated. (SANS 10254 2017 4.1.1.2 and SANS10106 2014 4.1.7)
  • Water heaters or storage tanks with a capacity of 200 litres or more may not be attached to a wall. (SANS 120252-1 2012 8.4.6.5)
  • The solar system must be installed in such a way that it does not accelerate the deterioration of the roof. (SANS 10400-L, SANS 10243 and SANS 10252-1).


We will continue to handle each case on its own merits, but we really want to urge you to encourage customers to make sure that their solar geyser systems are installed by technicians who are well versed with the regulations and supported by the appropriate engineering professionals.

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