Kelvinator solar hot water systems
general installation 7
General installation
Pipe lengths
The solar hot and solar cold pipes between the hot water
storage tank and the solar collectors must:
• have a continuous fall from the solar collectors to the hot
water storage tank of 5 (1 in 10 grade).
• not exceed the maximum recommended length of 10
meters (20 meters total).
Notes:
• It is important not to cross connect the solar cold and
solar hot pipes to the incorrect connections.
• In the flat panel solar hot water system, the solar cold
pipes connect to the bottom of the solar collectors
and the solar hot pipe connects to the top of the solar
collectors diagonally opposite to the solar cold pipe
connection.
• In the evacuated tube hot water system, both connections
are located at the top of the collector.
• The collector sensor must be located in the same end as
the collector array outlet connection on both flat panel
and evacuated tube collectors.
It is essential for these requirements to be followed for the
system to operate correctly and efficiently. Solar pipe work that
is undersized, does not have the correct fall or is too long can
result in the solar hot water system not operating effectively.
Maximum height to collectors
The solar collectors must be the highest point of the system.
The maximum height of the solar installation, from the
base of the hot water storage tank to the top of the solar
collectors, is 9m. The pump supplied will not circulate closed
circuit fluid through heights greater than 9m and solar gain
will not be achieved.
For heights greater than 9m, an auxiliary pump must be
installed above and within 1 m of the hot water storage tank.
Water quality
Water quality can vary in different locations and affect the
performance and safe operation of the hot water system.
If the water supply is not within the acceptable limits as
indicated below, the hot water system should not be
installed, and will not be covered by warranty from the
manufacturer. A suitable solution is to implement a water
pre-treatment process to bring the water quality to within
acceptable limits to support the installation.
The saturation index (SI) is a measure of the corrosive or
scaling properties of the water supply. Corrosive water (SI<-
1.0) can corrode copper components. In these conditions
warranty will not apply. Scaling water (SI>0.5) can cause
build up of CaCO3 (Calcium carbonate) which can impact
to the correct operation of moving parts within the system,
including the temperature and pressure relief valve. In these
conditions warranty will not apply.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and water hardness can also
impact the life of the hot water system, and warranty does
not apply outside the following limits:
• TDS exceeding 600 p.p.m
• Electrical conductivity exceeding 850us/cm
• Total hardness exceeding 200 p.p.m
• Chloride exceeding 250 p.p.m
• Magnesium exceeding 10 p.p.m
• Sodium exceeding 150 p.p.m
• Acidity/Alkalinity must also be within the limits of
pH 6.5 - 8.5
Protecting the solar collectors
The solar collectors are designed to withstand impact and
be hail resistant, so it is not necessary to install any special
hail guards to protect these collectors. However, if it is
possible that the collectors could be damaged due to falling
branches, vandalism etc. it is recommended that guards are
made and installed to prevent damage to the collectors.
Note: The installation of protective guards will impact on the
performance of the collectors.
Frost protection and damage due to freezing
The solar hot water system has been approved to level 2 frost
protection and can therefore withstand frosty conditions.
However, it is not recommended to install flat panel type
collectors in areas 400m above sea level. It is recommended
that evacuated tube type collectors are installed in high altitude
and frost prone areas. The warranty for frost damage will not
apply if the hot water system is damaged due to freezing when
using flat panel type collectors in high altitude areas. The
warranty for frost damage will also not apply to solar hot water
systems with either type of collectors installed if the pipe work
between the collectors and the hot water storage tank has
insufficient piping insulation.
