Investigation into the residential solar water heating systems maintenance management a case study of a Bulawayo Suburb in Zimbabwe

The installation of solar thermal systems has been on the rise in Zimbabwe, with a total of 29 MWth installed capacity in 2017. Solar water heating systems contribute a substantial amount to these solar thermal installations. In Zimbabwe, the installation of solar water heating systems has also been on the rise due to the government's ban of electrical geysers and subsequent introduction of the national solar water heating program. These efforts have also been complemented by various players in the solar water heating systems supply chain. On the forefront is the Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative (SOLTRAIN) project, a regional initiative on capacity building and demonstration of solar thermal systems in the SADC region. This paper is an investigation into the maintenance regimes being implemented for residential solar water heating systems in Zimbabwe. The research is based on a case study of a suburb in Bulawayo with installations ranging from 100 to 300 litres. The results show that more than 80 % of the systems have not been maintained since installation and that the close to 20 % that have had maintenance using the breakdown maintenance regime. The breakdown maintenance strategy may be inadequate owing to water quality challenges, high usage patterns of the systems and the age of the systems. Recommended maintenance strategies are also proffered for prolonged life span of the systems.