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1.3  

Materials

In addition to standard tools and plumbing parts, 
make sure to include hole saws, silicone sealant, 
and roof flashing boots.  Collector piping should 
be 3/4" or greater for proper draining.  Use only 
metal piping in the collector loop.  Space heating 
and DHW circuits can use any code approved 
piping.

2.  Tank Installation

The tank should be protected from rain, wind, 
and prolonged freezing temperatures in case 
of extended power failures.  The preferred 
location is within the insulated area of a 
building, such as a garage, basement, or 
equipment room.  If no space is available 
inside the building, a good alternative is an 
adjacent shed.  See fig. 2.1 for examples.

The tank must be installed on a floor or 
surface substantial enough to carry the full 
weight of the tank plus water.  Table 2.1 shows 
approximate filled weights of five common residential tanks. Drain pans must be used 
where required by codes.  Do not install the tank in an area where future removal is 
difficult. 

Table 2.1 Approximate Weight of Full Tanks

 

 

Tank Size  

 

Approx. Full Wt. 

 

Water Treatment 

 

 

80 gallons    

    950 lbs.    

 

        1 qt 

 

          130 gallons    

  1500 lbs.    

 

      0.5 gal 

 

          250 gallons    

  2700 lbs.    

 

      1.0 gal 

 

          400 gallons    

  4200 lbs.    

 

      1.5 gal 

 

          500 gallons    

  5300 lbs.    

 

      2.0 gal 

HoloTech

tm

 Solar Installation Manual 

4

NOTE

All fittings needed at the tank are described in this manual. 
Additional fittings are not needed and usually cause extra 
expense and difficulty insulating the lines.  Do not use any air 
vents or valves not specifically called for. 

Figure 2.1. Tank 

Summary of Contents for HotoTech

Page 1: ...HoloTechtm Solar Hot Water System Installation Manual Ben Gravely PhD Holocene Technologies 1241 Wicker Drive Raleigh NC 27604 c 2012...

Page 2: ...Frame and Collector Mounting 3 2 Collector Piping 3 3 Pipe Insulation 3 4 Solar Controls and Wiring 3 5 Collector System Startup 4 Domestic Hot Water 4 1 Piping 4 2 Re circulator DHW Controls 4 3 DHW...

Page 3: ...th the less solar energy will be collected The placement of the collectors and the tank should be determined including the routing for piping between the components Shading considerations can be inclu...

Page 4: ...ig 2 1 for examples The tank must be installed on a floor or surface substantial enough to carry the full weight of the tank plus water Table 2 1 shows approximate filled weights of five common reside...

Page 5: ...the wiring finished the system startup procedure can begin Make sure the pressurized domestic hot water line and standard water heater are purged and filled with water Fill the tank using the boiler...

Page 6: ...rray of solar collectors The first is the south facing direction south azimuth and the second is the tilt of the collectors up from the ground both described in section 1 The third angle is critical t...

Page 7: ...ting from the lowest corner of the collector array On the opposite end mark the distance up the roof as shown in fig 3 3 Another method is to hold a bubble level perpendicular to the level line and 1...

Page 8: ...and under the feet with silicone sealant to keep water out Make sure to point the narrow dimension of the feet up and down the roof to prevent damming rain water and trapping leaves and debris The co...

Page 9: ...loTechtm Solar Installation Manual 9 Hi Sensor Location Horizontal Line Drain Slope Line Supply Return Low Sensor Location Figure 3 2 Collector Piping Circuit Figure 3 6 Collector to tank piping layou...

Page 10: ...rray from the lowest corner 2 water exits the collector array from the highest corner 3 the water from all collectors must rise to a common high point before it is allowed to drain back to the tank 4...

Page 11: ...e any water can return to the tank Figure 3 8 d shows collectors arranged vertically and horizontally It is a combination of two b type circuits placed one over the other The same result can be achiev...

Page 12: ...HoloTechtm Solar Installation Manual 12 b c Figure 3 3 Collector Piping Diagrams a Drain Slope d Figure 3 8 Collector piping for arrays in the same plane...

Page 13: ...HoloTechtm Solar Installation Manual 13 Supply Return Supply Return Figure 3 4 Dual Bank Piping Diagrams a b Flow Setter Valves Figure 3 9 Collector piping for arrays on a flat roof...

Page 14: ...rigid foam products Use the next thickness up Insulate all piping between the collectors Apply silicone sealant between the pipe jacket and the collector box to keep water from getting in and wetting...

Page 15: ...s lower temperature water to the heat source The low temperature sensor position is the bottom of the solar tank for collector circuits or the return line of the pool for the pool spa circuits The ter...

Page 16: ...ver the flat part of the sensor not the round part to avoid crushing the body of the sensor Connect the hook up wire to the sensor leads Use wire nuts or crimp connectors and fill with silicone sealan...

Page 17: ...ch to the AUTO position Refer to Table 3 3 Connect a low value resistor low R hot across the COL terminals and observe the controller response The system should turn on since the COL terminals appear...

Page 18: ...dard water heater a supply cold line from the bottom of the water heater and a return hot line to the top of the water heater Figure 4 2 illustrates the piping diagram The dip tube in the water heater...

Page 19: ...rasp the two pipes going in and out of the DHW exchanger Note the flow of water through the exchanger by the change in temperature of the pipes as the water flows through them Recirculator Startup Tur...

Page 20: ...quickly The different electrical circuits of a HoloTechtm solar system are all independent and can be treated separately This simplifies the procedure considerably The circuits are Collectors Domestic...

Page 21: ...sensor 3k and the third simulates the very hot OVT condition 1k Set the controller switch to AUTO and connect the STO COL and OVT resistors to the terminals in the patterns indicated in Table A1 1 No...

Page 22: ...ure vs Resistance HoloTechtm solar controls use 10K thermistor temperature sensors These devices change resistance with temperature They are defined by having 10K resistance at 25 C 77 F HoloTechtm So...

Page 23: ...uns pumps water flow stops Height greater than pump head Air locked lines traps in lines If a pump does not pump water the first test should be to swap out the capacitor If this does not work remove t...

Page 24: ...equirements solar performance and economic benefit that were recognized as authorized analytical methods by HUD the NC Energy Division and the US Army Corp of Engineers He has presented numerous paper...

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