Professional InstallationProfessional Installation.
Installation of solar collectors and the pressurised fluid system must be carried by a professional plumbing / installation person or company.
Whilst our products are available for sale to the general public, the installation may involve working at height, and installing pipe work and components which will be operating at pressure. Because of the potential issues relating to your Health & Safety, we advise all installations are carried out by professionals.
To aid our customers to find installation companies, Solar Shop Europe Ltd supply a listing of installers on www.thesolarxchange.com (link from our home page)
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 Down Load Pdf Installation Notes |
| Basic Solar Thermal Pressurised System Installation Notes |
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These are the basic assembly instructions for your system. There are many variants of these types of systems, so in this document we describe the stand pressurised system. If you are unsure about any part of the installation please call or e-mail for advice.
The standard system is basically a heat transfer loop which transfers the heat transfer liquid around a circuit, from your collectors where it collects the heat to your cylinder where it deposits the heat in to the store, and then back round to the collectors to be recharged with heat energy.
The first part of the installation is to consider the positioning of the solar collectors, cylinder and pump station.
The solar collectors are best situated in an un-shaded position facing due south, this can be roof mounted, wall mounted or ground mounted. For flat roofs or ground mounting you can purchase flat surface mounting frames at additional cost.
Most installations are fitted to the roof.
The optimum angle for mounting is dependant on which area you are making the installation, For vacuum tube collectors the performance difference at the optimum angle and a 20’ degree angle to horizontal is only a few percent, so normally fitting in line with the roof structure is the best overall method considering aesthetics. In some areas UK and France build control / planning prefer the collectors to sit in line with the roof.
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| Making a sturdy installation is of utmost importance, for this we supply roof bolts which screw directly through the tile / slate into the roof joist, these bolts are made from stainless steel and will give you very strong fixing for the collectors. Please follow the installation procedure as described with each pack of bolts. It is not advisable to install with flexible strapping which slides under the tiles, this can lead to excessive wind vibration on the solar collector and potential failure of the vacuum tubes. |
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 Roof Fixing BoltsDown Load the Pdf click the picture |
One of the advantages of heat-pipe solar collectors, is the ability to make the installation of the frame on to the roof and then install the tubes at a later time when the system is connected and ready for commissioning.
The frame work and manifold is easy to assemble.
Sp Collectors: Lay two / three side bars on to a flat surface, using the nuts & bolts pro-vided connect the bottom rail to the side bars, tighten the nuts and bolts hand tight there is no need to torque at the moment.
On the rear of the manifold you will see studs protruding from the manifold, insert these studs through the side bars and secure with the nuts provided. Next connect the horizon-tal bars again using the nuts & bolts provided.
Before tightening the nuts & bolts ensure the frame is square.
Clip in the retaining cups to support the tubes.
The frame is now ready to be mounted on to the roof.
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 Collector Orientation
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 | To assemble the collector frame, simply connect the vertical frame sections to the manifold. This is best achieved by laying the manifold face down on a soft surface (Blanket). Remove the nuts from the studs protruding from the rear of the of the manifold place over the vertical aluminium frame sections and
Secure the nuts hand tight at the moment.
Next, fit the tail stock whilst the frame is upside down using the M8 nuts & bolts provided. On the Sp10 and Sp15 there are two vertical frame sections & three on the Sp20, Sp25 & Sp30 models. Secure the nuts hand tight at the moment.
Next, fit the smaller channel sections across the horizontal sections of the collector, these horizontal supports are located under the collector and are secured using the M6 nuts and bolts provided.
Next, you now need ensure the assembly is square before final tightening, this is easily achieved using the edge of a rug for example (if you are assembling on a rug) or any other squared edge. Once the assembly is square, tighten the nuts and bolts.
In order to fix the frames to the roof mounting bolts, firstly locate the frames as described in the roof bolt fixing sheet, mark the position of the roof mounting bolts and drill the frames with an 8mm HSS drill bit. Secure the frames to the roof bolts using the M8 flanged lock nuts, as provided in the roof bolt packs.
The solar collectors are installed with a sensor pocket situated through the side wall of the collector manifold. This pocket will house the solar collector temperature sensor. The side of the collector with this temperature sensor pocket must be used as the side for the outlet from the collector (flow from the collector to the cylinder / store) the reason for this is that you need to sense the temperature of the fluid after it has been heated by the collector. If you pipe the collector in reverse you will be measuring the return flow temperature from the cylinder to the collector. |
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 Air Vent |
| The automatic air vent supplied with the kits is a special solar rated product that can with stand the high temperatures from a solar collector. This needs to be installed in the highest part of the system, the best place for installation is on the outlet pipe work from the solar collector. These can be installed on the outside or in the roof space, which ever is easiest and inline with being the highest point in the system. It is important to install in a pipe turn ( see picture) and not in a straight pipe run, this will help collect air circulating in the system. |
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 Pipe Flashings |
Pipe Flashings.
Many different methods are used to seal the pipe entry through the roof, one of the most efficient is to use a lead tile flashings. Installation is easy, by simply removing the tile in the position of the pipe entry and replacing with the lead tile flashing. The pipe flashings supplied by TheSolarShop feature a Silicone disc. To make the installation cut a hole though the centre of the silicone disc slightly smaller than the pipe diameter you are installing and insert the pipe through the hole. Next, if you push the pipe to far and then retract it will pull the silicone in to a proud position. When installing the insulation you can slide the installation up to the disc above and below, but not through. Because the disc is made from high temperature resistant silicone it will not be damaged by contact with the hot pipe.
Pipe Work
There are different options for piping a system, these include standard copper pipe or flexible stainless steel tubes. (The most time efficient being the flexible tubes.)
For collector systems of:
Below 120 tubes: Use 15mm (½”) copper pipe or DN16 Stainless Tube ( In the other Metric Countries is it recommended to use 16mm OD Copper.
Above 120 Tubes: Use 22mm (¾”) copper pipe or DN20 Stainless Tube.
Caution, Never use Plastic central heating pipe (they are not suitable for the tempera-ture ranges)
Do not solder or braze to the collector inlet and outlet, this may damage the manifold.
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 SolarPipe |
Next, connect the pipe work from the solar collector to the tank. The outlet of the collector, connects directly to the top of the solar heat transfer coil in the cylinder. This heat transfer coil is the bottom coil of the cylinder.
If you are using a dual/twin line pumping station with an integrated air separator, this pipe will also connect through the pumping station. The connections for the solar cylinders are as follows:
Vented cylinders are 15mm compression.
Stainless Steel un-vented cylinders are 22mm tubes, these can accept compression or push fit connectors.
Next connect the bottom of the solar heat transfer coil to the bottom connection of the pump station (we will talk about the pump station later) it is good practice to in-stall an additional drain valve in this location because this tends to be the lowest part of the system.
Next, connect from the top of the pump station back through to the inlet of the solar collectors.
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Pump station. The pump station is an all-in-one unit which contains most of the necessary parts for the safe operation of your system. Different pump stations contain different parts, but the basic elements are flow regulation display, filling and flushing connections, isolating valve, pump, pressure safety relief valve and the connection for the expansion vessel.
Connection of the expansion vessel. Using the bracket provided, fix the expansion vessel in close proximity to the pump station. The expansion vessel can be installed with the connection in a downward facing or upward facing position. Once the expansion vessel is secured, connect to the pump station, using the stainless steel flexible hose provided. Please refer to the pump station manual for the exact connection location as this differs depending on the version.
Pump Station Safety Relief Valve. This valve forms the last line of defence in the protection of your system components. This valve is designed to open to relieve pressure from your system, should the system pressure increase above 6 bar. As the temperature increases in your system during stagnation, the pressure will also increase. Therefore, if this valve opens due to over-temperature/over-pressure, it will discharge liquid/steam at very high temperatures. It is necessary to make a connection in copper/stainless steel, to expel this discharge safely to a drain.
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 PumpStation |
Insulation. Once the system pipe work has been completed, it is necessary to insulate the pipe work. All pipe work needs to be insulated to prevent energy loss to the atmosphere. We recommend using a 19mm walled insulation in cold space pipe work (roof/loft space). It is sufficient to use a 13mm walled insulation in warm internal areas. It is necessary in all cases to use a high temperature insulation that will work with temperatures up to 175 degrees C. Simple Class 0 insulation is not sufficient for a solar insulation. During stagnation, your solar pipe work can regularly see temperatures of 140 deg C and standard Class 0 insulation will melt. When insulating, ensure there are no spaces or air gaps and all joints are taped.
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| WARNING Standard Type Insulation |  |
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Pressure testing. It is good practice to pressure test your joints and connections prior to filling and flushing the system. The ideal method for this is to charge the system with pressurized air to 3 bar (watch the manometer on the pump station). However, charging your system with pressurized air is not always practical. Another solution can be to charge the system with water. Using your garden hose connect this to the filling connec-tion on the pump station, securing with a jubilee clip. Charge the system with water until your pressure gauge reaches 2/3 bar. Isolate the filling connection and check your system connections for leaks. Once this is complete and you are sure that all your connections are leak-free, drain down the system.
Flushing the system. It is necessary to flush your solar system prior to charging with your solar antifreeze/heat transfer fluid. If you have made the system in flexible stainless steel, it is normally sufficient to fill the system with water and then drain the system completely. This should flush out any small debris within the system. If you have made your system in copper with soldered joints, it is necessary to flush the system – firstly by charging with water and draining (this will remove any small debris from the system) and secondly by recharging the system with water and adding a product to remove any residue flux inside the system pipes (similar procedure to a new central heating system). These products are normally available from any DIY/plumbing merchant. One common brand is Fernox. When flushing with a product like Fernox, please follow the procedure as indicated on the manufacturers instructions. |
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 Premix |
Filling. Now your system has been successfully pressure tested and flushed, you can now proceed to fill your system with an antifreeze heat transfer product. Supplied in your kit is 20ltrs of a premixed Propylene glycol mixed with corrosion inhibitors and pure water. This will protect your system against freezing and corrosion. To fill the system it is necessary to use a charging device because in most instances the pipe work is going to be above the pump station. Ensure the auto air vent is open and then proceed with charging.
Professional installers will normally use an electric pump for this procedure. However you can achieve the same pressures using a hand-pump. At additional cost TheSolarShop can supply a hand charging device manufactured by Resol.
You may need to charge the system slowly in order to allow the air to be removed from the system. It is a good idea if you have access to your solar connectors, to remove the auto air vent from its connection until the system has been filled with liquid. This will enable quicker charging. Replace the air vent and then pre-charge the system to 2 bar. |
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 TubePrep |
The system is now almost ready for operation. You will notice over a short period of operation that when the system has cooled, the system pressure will reduce down below the initial charge pressure. This is because air, which will be circulating in your system, will be continually removed by the auto air vent devices.
It may be necessary after some days of operation, to re-pressure the system. Once your system has been connected, you can now install your vacuum tubes. It is a good idea to prepare your tubes on the ground, prior to installation. Using the heat transfer paste as supplied, smear a thin layer over the condenser of the heat pipe. This is the bulbous copper element that protrudes from the vacuum tube. Next, using some soapy water, moisten the end of the glass tube. This will aid in the insertion of the tube into the manifold. Slide the silicone sealing rings over the top of the glass tube (these will form the seal between the tube and the manifold). Taking your vacuum tube to your solar collector, insert the vacuum into the manifold using a twisting motion. DO NOT wiggle from side to side. Slide the ring up to meet the manifold and form the seal. Once the tube is fully inserted, secure the end of the tube using the tube cups as provided. Repeat this process for all additional tubes. |
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Vacuum integrity 58mm. You can check the vacuum integrity, by checking the base of the tube is silver in colour. If this colour has turned white/transparent, then the vacuum has been lost and the tube should be replaced.
Controls / Electrical Connection
You will need to provide a fuse electrical supply to the pump station / controller.
Please refer the pump station / controller manual and follow the instructions for making this connection.
As part of the controller kit your will receive two or three sensors depending on the controller provided.
Insert the sensor into the pocket provided on the solar collector (this should be on the outlet from the solar collector), firstly apply a small amount of heat transfer paste to the sensor to aid in transferring heat. This sensor should then be connected to the over voltage connection box provided with your kit. This connection box will protect your controller from induced voltages from lightening in the local vicinity. This connection box can be installed outside by the solar collector, or in the roof space.
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 Sensor |
