Loading my Lavamat with 38° Solar heated water

Solar hot water giving you cold showers? Eight tips to warm you up.
Eight tips to get the most from solar hot water
We argue that policy needs to look beyond installation and that installation practices need improving, but what can you do to get an effective installation?
First, seek out independent advice from sources such as local sustainability events and organisations. They can help you understand what suits your circumstances and what characterises an effective installation.
A good organisation is theAlternative Technology Association. They provide free advice to members, sell a solar hot water guide, and organise open house events where you can see and discuss domestic sustainability technologies.
Second, consider whether solar hot water is the best option. It may be that a hot water heat pump or an instant gas system is a suitable choice, depending on where you live, how much cloud cover you have, or what sort of building you are in.
Third, make sure all your hot water pipes are insulated, especially the pipes that go to and from the tank and solar panels. You typically need insulation to be 15 mm thick. Without proper insulation you could lose half the energy you are trying to collect.
Fourth, get a booster switch installed in a convenient place inside, so you can easily turn the booster off if there is plenty of sun, or on if it's cloudy or you need more hot water.
Fifth, if you go solar, install a system that has a sufficiently large tank matched with a sufficiently large solar array for your needs. Water is very good at storing heat. A large tank could help you store solar energy for those rainy days.
Sixth, you may need to change electricity tariffs if your booster is electric, to ensure the sun gets a chance to heat the water before the electricity does.
Seventh, you may need to change your peak hot water use habits so that the tank water is at its coldest after morning use, after which the sun can then heat it during the day. The booster can "top up" overnight, ready for morning showers.
Eighth, before you install solar hot water, examine and discuss household expectations around hot water use. Will they need to change? Are members of your household prepared to make that change?
This may be the most profound change you can make, but also perhaps the most challenging.

most probably
you have to buy the solar panels/tubes and a transfer pump and control box
It is a job for a plumber and not for a DIY as power connections are involved
the advantage is that you can have an isolator switch put in the circuit so that you can turn the elements off when there is sunshine
a quality control box will display , pump operation , solar panel/tubes heat, tank water temperature
discuss the change with a solar hot water retailer and plumber before you make the decision

??? You never gave make or model and your mouth is that accurate to tell a 17 degree difference in water temp?

If water is flowing thru the panels/collectors, (look to see if the valves are opened to allow water to the collectors) if the water is flowing and it is flowing through the collectors/panels, then the water is being heated!

If you are saying the controller is set for solar operation and the sun is shining, and there is a "Demand" for heat or a "Call" for heat, and the Valve is NOT turning to allow the water to the panels, then you have a problem with either the Hayward/Goldline Controller or the Valve Actuator.

Good Luck

Hi
You can't directly connect a thermal panel to your hot water pipes.
Normally the thermal panel would heat an accumilator (hot water tank) with enough capacity to absorb the daily output of the thermal panel or panels.
But If you were able to get your hands on an old hot water tank (even a small one) with at least a single coil you could heat the tank with the thermal panel and utilise the coil to preheat (or heat depending on flow and tank temperature) your hot water line.
You would need to follow all manufacturers specs for installation of the thermal system as the temperatures and pressures can be very high.

read manual:
http://www.rheem.com.au/Assets/1294/1/Rheemsolarlolineelectric511series.pdf
Usually electric element heats about 20 gallons per hour.
It appears the element is controlled by thermostat and automatically kicks ON when tank falls below thermostat set point..
This will be handy since element will continually heat the circulating water when outside temperatures turn cool... of course it will also be wasteful if thermostat is set high.

Usually toilets do not require hot water.
Is the plumbing divided into hot and cold water pipes?
If toilets are hooked to hot water, how many flushes and how many gallons per flush per day.
What is the expected consumption per each worker?
What is the latitude from equator, and expected solar input. Further north, and hazy atmosphere reduce input. Beijing has smog I believe.
How often is the solar panel going to cleaned of smog and dirt for maximum collection?
If the area has hard water, then the entire system is prone to sediment build-up and failure unless water is artificially softened.
Solar water heater temperatures can exceed 180 degrees at times. This temperature will damage storage tank that is not made for that temperature.
Most solar water heater systems have pressure regulating valve and expansion tank to accommodate occasional high temperature and pressure.

A good fellow to contact might be at following website:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm

Solar collectors are usually connected to a circulating pump, and then the heated water is stored in a tank.
The pump circulates water continually from solar collectors through a storage tank.
This type of system would use ordinary tank-type water heater for storage.
Most of these systems also utilize a back-up heating element inside the tank.

More complicated systems circulate special liquid through spiral tubes inside the water heater.
This type of heater would be an indirect water heater.
Indirect heaters are used for solar collectors, and used with boilers, or any outside heat source.
http://www.bockwaterheaters.com/Products/products_coil_tank_water_heaters.html
http://www.hotwater.com/products/residential/cirrex_solar.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/images/solar-water-heaters-on-roof_lbiRv_5784111-500x282.jpg

There are many variables to this......

How big is your pool how big is your solar system.

Solar temps don't rise quickly ever, and definitely not when the temp is only 75 outside.

You need 80-90 degrees or more on the roof to see quicker results, if the water temp is currently at 70 and it's 75 degrees outside and 80 on the roof you will barely get any change.

You will also lose the heat at night due to lower temperatures.

Once it's hotter outside and warmer at night you get the gains and keep them.

Hope this helps

Only heats the water.

If you need to cool it drain 20% of the water and replace.

Hope this helps

If you live in cold weather and are not using it much lower your thermostat. If the freeze control kicks on (at about 38-40degrees) it will constantly try to heat the spa to where you have the heat set when the air temp is low. Hope this helps.