Staying with a proven system is probably the best advice. Despite the claims you may hear by friends etc. regarding new technologies on the market. In the real world the jury is still out. Crystal Palace Plumbers can provide advice.The integral collector system.?ICS is a good system, and it’s ideal for milder climates. But it is also prone to freeze up. These systems work in a passive way and are plumbed straight between the domestic cold water supply and the hot water heater to make the plumbing job a little easier and straightforward. When anyone opens up a tap in the home, the water flows from the unit called the collector to the water heater. If the water in the collector contains enough heat, the domestic water heater doesn’t need to add any heat at all. Most systems of this type need to be drained of water when in danger of icing. The valves on these systems can be either manual or automatically. Drainback systems: (direct, ICS) do exactly that: These systems have a specialised tank for taking the drained fluid. These systems are in the middle price range and are used in colder climates. There is less risk of bursting pipes than a conventional ICS system, but more risk than a closed-loop antifreeze system. A Crystal Palace Plumber can maintain this system.Closed-loop antifreeze systems:? Use liquids other than water for collecting the heat, then a heat exchanger unit moves that heat into the domestic water supply. These are by far the most commonly distributed systems across the world because they work in almost any climate. They’re the most expensive as well.These systems do not come without some baggage. The antifreeze that is contained in the system eventually breaks down when the weather gets really hot and then becomes corrosive.