In most solar hot water installations, the first step is to put the solar collectors in place on your roof. Most solar hot water collectors are similar in shape to photovoltaic solar panels and will lie flat on your roof.
In order to properly mount the collectors, your installer may need to remove portions of your roof shingling and expose the flat tar paper that acts as protection between your shingles and roof deck. Once a suitable surface has been found or created, the collectors are maneuvered into place and screwed directly into the roof deck and underlying rafters.
Next, your collectors need a storage tank where they can send their heated antifreeze transfer fluid. The storage tank, and the heat exchanger contained within it, are the largest part of a solar hot water system and are usually located in a basement or utility closet, where they are accessible by water lines and antifreeze tubing.
If you are replacing a gas-powered water tank, this step is essentially a replacement project. You can choose to install any number of storage tanks depending on your home's size and water usage. Additionally, this is when you will want to make room for and install a backup tank to be powered by electricity or gas for the times when you run out of solar hot water.
In order to connect your collectors to the heat exchanger and storage tanks, your installer will run flexible piping from your roof to your new storage tank or tanks. Antifreeze fluid leaves from one pipe on the side of your collectors and runs down to the heat exchanger. An additional line will be installed to connect the end of the heat exchanger back up to your rooftop so fluid can be cycled. If you have multiple collectors, additional pipes will be installed to connect them.
Installing these antifreeze piping paths requires access to your roof, which will almost always mean cutting a couple of holes in the roof deck – one for the piping that brings antifreeze down and one for the piping that sends it back to the collectors. These holes don't need to be larger than the pipe diameter and can easily be covered with insulating material and replacement shingles as the installation is being finalized.
As with antifreeze fluid, water needs to be cycled through your new solar hot water setup. Water transport lines, usually in the form of copper piping, need to be run from your storage tank to the rest of your home.
Your home likely already has the appropriate water distribution lines set up. The only work that your installer will do is to remove your water connection from your old hot water setup and connect it to your new storage tank and backup system.
As an important side note, you must also account for the backup hot water infrastructure. If your backup is an electric water heater, proper wiring must be installed. If you plan to use gas to back up your solar hot water, a gas line must be run to the backup storage tank.
Two temperature sensors have to be connected with wiring and installed along your hot water system. One sensor should be connected to your collectors and one to your storage tank's base. This device will connect to the central control system and provide guidance on when to circulate antifreeze fluid. For example, if the temperature at the collectors is lower than the temperature in the tank, there's no reason to circulate fluid – in fact, doing so will cool your water.
A central control system also needs to be installed and connected to your home electricity supply. This device will act as the "brains" of your new solar hot water installation, facilitating the pumping of antifreeze based on the data it receives from the temperature sensors.
Once all the pieces are in place, the last step in any solar hot water job is insulating each part. Your installer will plug holes in your roof, insulate piping, and double-check that connections between components are sealed. Any energy lost along the piping systems or within the storage tank itself is lost savings, so it is vital to insulate your system properly.
We at Sun Ray Solar would like to extend our congratulations on your decision to purchase a solar water heating system and join the millions who use this cost-effective and reliable choice for hot water.
Established in 1978 as an innovative company, Sun Ray Solar has positioned itself to be the supplier of choice for those contractors and customers who demand the utmost reliability, performance and cost-effective solar heating systems. Sun Ray Solar offers a variety of solar water heating systems to meet your needs and requirements.
Please take the time to read this manual thoroughly before attempting to install the system. The Sun Ray Solar water heating system appropriate for your geographical and climatic area will provide you an efficient, reliable source of free hot water for years to come when installed according to this manual. Thank you for doing your part in energy conservation.
This manual describes the WH-1. Active, direct systems. (See System Diagram). The Model Sun Ray WH-1. is an active, direct system. This system uses potable water in the solar collector and it is open to the city pressures. The WH-1 is designed for installation in areas where the air temperature falling below 41° F does not occur more than 3 to 4 times annually and this low temperature does not exceed an 8-hour duration.
Sun Ray Solar collectors are the heart of the system. Their main function is to absorb solar radiation and transfer the heat collected to the fluid circulating through the system. In the northern hemisphere the ideal orientation of Sun Ray Solar collectors are directly south and tilted to the degree of your local latitude. The collectors are mounted in an area (roof or ground) with a full solar window.
Sun Ray Solar collectors are made of all copper or copper aluminum absorber plate with high performance absorber coating, isocyanurate back and side insulation board, and safety tempered glass cover. All enclosed in a corrosion resistant galvanized steel frame. The collector absorber plate can easily be repaired or replaced if needed.
The storage tank has a glass lining and an anode rod for maximum corrosion protection. Its internal manifold provides even distribution of heat and an injected foam insulation minimizes heat loss. The tank is available with or without an electrical element. (UL Listed, 5-year warranty)
The controller is a differential temperature thermostat designed specifically to regulate a solar system operation. Its basic function is to monitor collector and storage temperatures and to automatically turn a small circulator ON or OFF at the appropriate temperature differentials. The controller can also provide additional functions, such as: system freeze protection (drain down / drain back or re-circulation), storage tank high temp. limit and positive OFF when the collector is below 80°F. (UL Listed. 5 year warranty)
All vital components are fabricated from corrosion-resistant, high-grade stainless steel. This quiet, self-lubricating circulator is maintenance free, and requires very little energy to operate. (UL Listed. 18-month warranty)
Using the basic system diagram a variety of system types and sizes and can be installed.
Storage tank: Select 15 to 20 gallon per person per day or 15 to 20 gallons per bedroom (min. 60 gallon tank)
Example: For four persons household or for four bedrooms home select 80-gallon storage tank
Solar collectors: Select one half to one sq/ft of solar panels per one gallon of storage
Example: 80-gallon tank will required 40 to 80 sq/ft of solar panels.
All plumbing, electrical and structural must be installed according to specific local codes.
The ideal orientation of Sun Ray Solar collectors are directly south (northern hemisphere) and tilted to the degree of your local latitude, but any direction within 90° from south is acceptable if the total degree of tilt + the orientation angle from due south is less then 130°.
Example-1: The roof slope is 15° and is facing S.W. or 45° from south: therefore 15° +45° =60° or less then 130°.This is an acceptable orientation.
Example-2: The roof slope 45° and is facing W. or 90° from south: therefore 45° +90° =135° . This is more then 130° and is not in an acceptable orientation.
Install the system according to the diagram.
At this point all electrical power to the system is off, the cold water supply valve is off, the collector isolation valves are off and the storage tank is empty. The air vent on top of the collectors is not installed so the collectors can be flushed.
(A) Fill the tank by turning on the main valve and allowing the air to flush out of the tank.
(B) Turn on the isolation valves to fill the collectors. (You can flush the impurities like loose solder; flax, joint compound ext. from the collectors threw the air vent thread connector).
(C) After the collectors have been flushed, install the air vent and pressurize the system, the automatic air vent will bleed remaining air out of the collectors if its plug is loosened. (The system must be free of air for the pump to circulate water).
(D) Once the system has been filled, follow the controller’s instructions for fine-tuning. Plug in the pump cord into the controller. Plug in the controller to the 110V outlet and set the controller switch to automatic operation.
(E) The system should begin functioning if the sun is shining. Within a few second the collectors return line will be very hot. Within a minute or two the return line should cool to about 10°F to 15°F higher than the feed line.
(F) Set the electrical element timer so it does not compete with the sun.
When solar energy is available the automatically controlled pump circulates solar heated water from the collectors through the solar storage tank to reach the desired temperature (130° F to 180° F). The collector’s basic function is to capture the suns energy and to transfer the heat collected to the fluid circulating throughout the system.
The controllers basic function is to monitor collector and storage temperatures and to automatically turn the pump ON or OFF at the appropriate temperature.
The solar storage tanks basic function is to store the energy collected. The tank is equipped with an electrical element and becomes a water heater as a backup. A timer can be added to control the electrical element so it cannot compete with the sun’s energy.
Sun Ray Solar water heating systems require relatively little attention. But, as with any mechanical system, some basic maintenance is essential to keep the system functioning smoothly. The maintenance requirements of Sun Ray Solar water heating system are similar to those of conventional water heaters. The collectors, piping and storage tank should be checked for leaks, the system should be flushed periodically to remove tank and collected impurities (scaling in hard water areas). The systems should be checked at least twice per year for a proper operation of the pump, controller and sensors. The collector’s glass can be rinsed periodically to remove dust collected in order to improve collector efficiency.
When the water in the collector reaches a temperature near freezing, the system’s freeze protection mechanisms will protect it as followed:
(A) The controller turns the pump on and off periodically to warm the collector with water from the storage tank.
(B) A flush-type freeze protection valve can be installed near the collectors opens to let warm water flow through the collector.
(C) For a longer freeze duration or if a power failure and freeze condition occurs at the same time. the collector must be manually drained (see Collector isolation and drainage above).
Note: Sun Ray Solar is the manufacture of the solar collectors for this system and offers this system major component as a package. Each major component comes with its own manufacturers warranty and its installation instructions.
The system installation is warranted by the contractor or the individual who installs the system.