SunEarth SolaRay 2, Installation, Operation And Maintenance Manual

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Page 3: ...Earth SolaRay 2 solar water heating systems can be protected against freeze damage to temperatures as low as 60 F 51 C This system should not be installed in any area that has experienced ambient air tempera tures below 60 F Use Table 4 Section 4 of this manual to determine the required concentration of propylene glycol and distilled water to provide adequate freeze protection in your specific cli...

Page 4: ...tenance and Troubleshooting 26 10 SolaRay 2 System Component Parts 28 11 Estimated Component Life 30 12 System Operating Parameters 30 Appendix A Approved Primary Components 32 Appendix B Pump Sizing Guidelines 35 AppendixC System and Component Labels 36 Appendix D Collector Specification Sheets 38 Appendix E Heat Transfer Fluid Data Sheet 40 Appendix F SunEarth Collector Warranty Statement 42 App...

Page 5: ...e water heater s heating ele ment only A separate ther mostat should be utilized in monitoring the temperature from the collector To comply with safety reg ulations the thermostat is factory set at 120 F or less where local codes require DANGER Hotter water increases the potential for Hot Water SCALDS DANGER WATER TEMPERATURE SETTING Safety and energy conservation are factors to be considered when...

Page 6: ...to overheating fire flood physical damage or if the ECO fails to shut off Read this manual entirely before installing or operating the water heater Be sure your appliance is properly installed in accordance with local codes and the provided installation instructions SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Use this appliance only for its intended purpose as described in this Installation Operations and Maintenance Manu...

Page 7: ...he world in accordance with regional weather and water quality conditions System performance varies as a function of the household hot water load including daily showers laundry and kitchen uses average ground water and ambient air temperatures the home s roof pitch and ori entation and of course the seasonal intensity of solar radiation These variables some of which change from home to home on th...

Page 8: ...ntegral tank heat exchanger The heat exchanger consists of coiled tubing internal to the solar storage tank As the HTF passes through the heat exchanger the heat in the fluid is transferred by conduction to the potable water in your solar storage tank This process is con tinuously repeated during the average sunny day as the temperature in your solar storage tank rises The differential temperature...

Page 9: ... damage for any reason and absorber plate dam age resulting from the oxidation of the propyl ene glycol HTF In order to completely protect the integrity of the solar collector and piping the system is designed to be drained manually if subject to extended periods of disuse or persistent hard freeze conditions below minus 60 Fahrenheit See Sections 8 1 and 8 2 3 INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS GENERAL 3 ...

Page 10: ...tion and must meet applicable codes and best practices Roof penetrations whether for structural mounts or pipe penetrations must be sealed and leak proofed as per applicable codes and National Roofing Contractors Association practices Building penetrations must not allow vermin intrusion 3 7 Fire Rated Assemblies Penetrations through fire rated components must not reduce the fire resistance of the...

Page 11: ...stacle between 9 00 a m and 3 00 p m on any day of the year 4 2 Collector Tilt Optimal annual efficiency is achieved by tilt ing the solar collector at an angle that equals your latitude plus an additional 10 This tilt angle favors the lower winter sun when collec tor performance is at its lowest and minimizes overheating during the hottest summer months To ensure proper water drainage from the gl...

Page 12: ...hods The solar collector shall be attached to the mounting hardware as detailed in Figures 5 10 Note The drawings in this manual detail mounting hardware for the SunEarth Empire Imperial SunBelt and ThermoRay series collectors 4 3 2 The collector should be raised from the roof surface to allow for rainwater and debris to pass under the collectors and for proper ventila tion of the roofing material...

Page 13: ... sizing must be ade quately sized to handle the design flow rates for the collector s SunEarth recommends nominal diameter pipe sizes for single collec tor systems and nominal diameter pipe for two collector systems It may be necessary to increase the pipe size for longer pipe runs or reduce the pipe size for shorter runs or higher efficiency pumps The pipe must be large enough that the velocity o...

Page 14: ...utilized for joining by soldering any copper and copper alloy tube and fittings in the entire solar system Allowance should be made for expansion and contraction of piping due to changes in tem perature of the HTF and piping Use flexible pipe supports and avoid long straight piping runs Soft copper coils or other flexible piping is recommended if hard copper is used include bends and elbows to all...

Page 15: ...c trical practice and all applicable electrical codes for the jurisdiction having authority this may require the use of conduit for medium voltage wiring The differential controller must have a provi sion to manually turn the pump on and off manual override so that pump operation can be checked at any time and the pump can be manually stopped if required for maintenance or troubleshooting purposes...

Page 16: ...and there are no electrical disconti nuities between the grounding point and the collector Grounding of the collector roof piping is especially important in locations that often experience electrical storms and electrical atmospheric activity 4 6 3 Low Voltage Wiring The low voltage wiring used to connect the sen sor lead to the controller shall be a minimum18 AWG The wiring should be bare or tinn...

Page 17: ...olar tank is heated indirectly through a coiled heat exchanger that is integral to the tank The heat exchanger is immersed in the solar storage tank In plumbing the solar storage tank and expan sion tank make sure that all the components are accessible and easy to reach Provide for clear access to the storage tank pump expansion tank mixing valve and other key components If a component in the pota...

Page 18: ... 16B 17A 17B The differential temperature controller shall have a screen readout to show temperatures of the collector and storage tank Otherwise line thermometers shall be installed in the collector supply and return lines to allow for a simple diagnostic check of proper system operation On a sunny day the hot water return line should be approximately 5 F 12 F warmer than the water in the collect...

Page 19: ...oximately R 17 3 Conventional back up electric water heaters have insulation values between R 12 and R 20 The R value expresses the thermal resistance of the tank insulation The higher the R value value the more effective the insulation material is at preventing heat loss The use of any solar storage tank with and R value below R12 is prohibited The storage tank should not be placed directly on an...

Page 20: ... tank If your solar contractor is not allowed by law to make these connections consult a licensed electrician Never activate the circuit breaker controlling the electrical heating element until the solar storage tank is completely filled with water This will prevent dry firing of the heating element The electrical heating element will be destroyed almost instantaneously if not completely submerged...

Page 21: ...enerally for an extended margin of protection you should select a temperature that is at least 5 F lower than the expected lowest ambient tem perature These figures are examples only and should not be regarded as specifications End use conditions are not within SunEarth control SunEarth does not guarantee that freeze damage may not occur at temperatures other than shown Water used to dilute the HT...

Page 22: ...or leaks Begin by connecting a washing machine type hose to the upper charge valve COMPONENT 9 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 16B 17A 17B and fill the collector loop with water The isola tion ball valve COMPONENT 10 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 16B 17A 17B remains P 18 1 3 7 3 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 4 6 5 17 18 20 21 22 32 23 FEED RETURN HOT SUPPLY LINE TO FIXTURES COLD SUPPLY LINE 3 PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 1 SunEa...

Page 23: ... discharge provided it is set to a higher pressure than of the typical mains pressure at the location Close the fill valve and allow the pressure in the loop to sta bilize if the city water pressure is higher than the PRV open the purge valve slightly to allow the loop pressure to drop to about 60 PSI Once stabilized the collector loop pressure should remain fairly constant A continuous drop in P ...

Page 24: ... WARNING THE NEXT STEP MUST BE CARRIED OUT THE SAME DAY DO NOT LEAVE THE COLLECTOR LOOP FILLED WITH WATER OVER NIGHT OR YOU RISK FREEZING THE LOOP AND BURSTING THE PIPES P 20 1 3 7 3 8 9 10 15 16 4 6 5 17 18 20 21 RETURN PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 1 SunEarth Solar Collector s 2 Collector Sensor 3 Option Tank and Line Thermometers 4 Check Valve 5 Isolation Ball Valve 6 Pressure Relief Valve 7 Press...

Page 25: ...tion ball valve COMPONENT 10 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 16B 17A 17B and connect a second hose to the lower charge faucet COMPONENT 11 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 16B 17A 17B Place the other end of the second hose in the empty P 21 22 COLD SUPPLY LINE HOT SUPPLY LINE TO FIXTURES 24 25 26 3 23 29 28 27 30 1 2 15 16 17 18 20 21 FEED RETURN PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 1 SunEarth Solar Collector s 2 Collector Sensor 3...

Page 26: ... be charged and the fluid quality main tained by an experienced contractor If the sys tem is drained during the winter or you notice a significant drop in collector loop pressure contact your installation contractor immediately for service The propylene glycol HTF provides the freeze protection for your system and must be properly maintained An experienced con tractor should periodically check the...

Page 27: ...mode of operation you must turn off the circulation pump To turn the pump off change the operational setting from automatic to off Failure to turn off the pump can quickly damage the pump motor shaft bearings or impeller TWO TANK SYSTEM INSTRUCTIONS 6 3 Solar Preheat Follow the instructions for the single tank system for setting the thermostat gas or elec tric heater for automatic operation The ba...

Page 28: ... with an opaque material or to manu ally drain the collector loop HTF SunEarth recommends that you cover the collectors if practical If you choose to drain the HTF in the collector P 24 1 3 3 18 RETURN PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 1 SunEarth Solar Col lector s 2 Collector Sensor 3 Option Tank and Line Thermometers 4 Check Valve 5 Isolation Ball Valve 6 Pressure Relief Valve 7 Pressure Gauge 8 Expans...

Page 29: ...on manual When you return home contact your service contractor to recharge the system with HTF After the system has been recharged set the controller to the automatic position Reset the time switch if necessary P 25 30 HOT SUPPLY LINE TO FIXTURES 24 25 26 3 1 2 15 16 17 18 21 FEED RETURN PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 8 1 SunEarth Solar Col lector s 2 Collector Sensor 3 Option Tank and Line Thermomete...

Page 30: ... Dow com A high quality HTF diluted with pure water and properly maintained will prevent appearance of deposits on the piping corrosion of compo nents and loss of freeze protection System pH must be maintained between 8 and 10 to avoid damage to the collector loop and absorber plate piping Ask your installation contractor to estab lish a maintenance schedule to inspect balance or replace the glyco...

Page 31: ... to wash off the dirt that settles on the col lector glass once a month Note Be sure the col lector glass is cool before cleaning When the collector glass is clean it allows the collector to maintain a high level of thermal performance 9 5 Check the exterior pipe insulation annu ally and patch or repair any exposed surfaces or degraded areas Repaint as necessary with high quality exterior latex pa...

Page 32: ...ircuit breaker has been turned off remove the access plate on the storage tank or water heater and depress the red reset button on the thermostat If it clicks when depressed the heating element should fire immediately when you reconnect the circuit breaker It the reset button does not click and you do not have hot water after one hour the heating element or thermostat may be defective Contact your...

Page 33: ... collector loop with Propylene Glycol and also to elimi nate air from the system 10 Isolation Ball Valve Used in conjunction with component No 5 to isolate the solar col lector loop from the solar storage tank Also used with the charge valves to fill and pressur ize the collector glycol loop Nos 9 and 11 11 Drain Purge Valve Used to charge the col lector loop with glycol purge air from the loop an...

Page 34: ...om ing city cold water to an acceptable set point A mixing valve must be installed on every SolaRay 2 solar water heating system 11 ESTIMATED COMPONENT LIFE You can expect a long useful life from the primary components in your SolaRay 2 solar water heating system by adhering to the routine service and maintenance tips provided above The SunEarth solar collectors have a design life of twenty five t...

Page 35: ...l operating differential will be 4ºF 40ºF If the solar tank reaches its maximum tempera ture the pump will stop If this happens during the middle of the day the collector temperature will rise rapidly while the tank temperature will remain static In this case a temperature differen tial of up to 300 F is not unusual 12 3 HTF Acidity The propylene glycol HTF should be slightly alkaline at all times...

Page 36: ...rth manuals standard residential drawings and or plan sets Storage Tank with Integral Single Wall Heat Exchanger Make Series Model Numbers SunEarth SunEarth SE80HX 6 SE120HX 6 AO Smith Cirrex SUNX 80 1 SUNX 120 1 Includes auxiliary 4 5 kW heating element suitable for one or two tank systems Differential Temperature Controller Make Series Model Numbers SunEarth SETR0301U SETR0502U SETR0603mcU SETR ...

Page 37: ...Thermostatic Mixing valve shall be third party listed and certified to one of the following ASSE standards ASSE 1016 ASSE 1017 ASSE 1070 Ball Valves Ball valves shall be of bronze brass or stainless steel construction Maximum working temperature shall be no less than 200o F and maximum working pressure shall be no less than 125 psi Three Way Valves Optional Three Way valves shall be of bronze bras...

Page 38: ...tdoor use Piping and Hoses Piping and Hoses shall be copper tube or corrugated stainless steel with a maximum operating temperature of not less than 220o F and maximum working pressure of not less than 125 psi Pipe Insulation Pipe insulation shall have a maximum operating temperature of no less than 220o F All pipes shall be insulated to R2 6 or greater typically this will require a wall thickness...

Page 39: ...art GRUNDFOS UPS 15 58FC 3 4 Type L Copper Tubing Example System 3 Pump Sizing Conditions Speed 1 Pump Sizing Conditions GRUNDFOS UPS 15 58FC Speed 1 1 2 Type L Copper Tubing Example System 1 Example System 2 Component Friction Pressure Loss SE120HE 1 1 2 4 X 8 0 012 2 2 GPM 12 Head Loss 100 1 2 Type L 10 5 misc 1 Total 11 6 Rounding 12 Ft of pressure loss Component Friction Pressure Loss SE120HE ...

Page 40: ...AL FOR INSTRUCTION ON SHUTTING DOWN AND DRAINING THE SYSTEM HEAT EXCHANGER THE HEAT EXCHANGER USED IN THIS SYSTEM IS DOUBLE WALL VENTED TO ATMOSPHERE THE HEAT EXCHANGER IS INTEGRAL TO THE SOLAR STORAGE TANK FREEZE LABEL A 60 CONCENTRATION OF PROPYLENE GLYCOL AND DISTILLED WATER CAN PROTECT YOUR SOLARAY SYSTEM TO TEMPERATURES AS LOW AS 60 F LESSER CONCENTRATIONS OF DOWFROST HD AND DISTILLED WATER W...

Page 41: ...INING THIS FLUID IT MAY BE DISCHARGED AT A VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE VALVES NOS 11 SYSTEM PURGE VALVE VALVE 11 IS NORMALLY CLOSED WHEN OPEN IT IS USED TO CHARGE AND DRAIN THE SOLAR COLLECTOR LOOP PIPING BE EXTREMELY CARFUL WHEN DRAINING THIS FLUID IT MAY BE DISCHARGED AT A VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE ADDITIONAL TWO TANK SYSTEM VALVES VALVE NO 24 COLD FEED TO SOLAR TANK ISOLATION VA...

Page 42: ...per Absorber Plate Copper Riser Tubes and Manifolds Secondary Silicone Glazing Seal Primary EPDM Glazing Seal Low Iron Tempered Glass Vent Plugs Riveted Corners Painted Aluminum Backsheet Rigid Foam Insulation Low Binder Fiberglass Insulation Extruded Anodized Aluminum Casing and Capstrip Stainless Steel Fasteners Minimum 5 Silver Brazed Joints THESTANDARD INSOLARWATERHEATINGTECHNOLOGY Integral Mo...

Page 43: ...solate the manifold from the aluminum casing The absorber plate shall be designed for 160 psig maximum operating pressure ABSORBER COATING AND PERFORMANCE CURVE A BlackChrome ECSeries Theabsorbercoatingshallbeblackchromeonnickel with a minimum absorptivity of 95 percent and a maximum emissivity of 12 per cent TheinstantaneousefficiencyofthecollectorshallbeaminimumY intercept of 0 735 and a slope o...

Page 44: ...st of this product can burn Spills of these organic liquids on hot fibrous insulations may lead to lowering of the autoignition temperatures possibly resulting in spontaneous combustion Container may rupture from gas generation in a fire situation EXTINGUISHING MEDIA Water fog or fine spray carbon dioxide dry chemical foam Alcohol resistant foams ATC type are preferred if available General purpose...

Page 45: ...nage used drums Telephone Dow s Customer Information Center at 800 258 2436 or 989 832 1556 for further details 14 TRANSPORT INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION D O T For D O T regulatory information if required consult transportation regulations product shipping papers or contact your Dow representative CANADIAN TDG INFORMATION For TDG regulatory information if required consult transportatio...

Page 46: ...spa water is isolated from the above SunEarth Products through the use of a heat exchanger FIELD LABOR Field labor to repair or replace any defective SunEarth Product is reimbursable as follows Year 1 100 collector Year 2 5 75 collector Year 6 10 50 collector FREIGHT AND SHIPPING EXPENSES In the event of a valid warranty claim approved by SunEarth SunEarth will pay for freight and shipping expense...

Page 47: ... ANY WARRANTY OR NON INFRINGEMENT SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU LIMITATIONS OF REMEDIES IN NO EVENT SHALL SUNEARTH BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE ABOVE SUNEARTH PRODUCTS OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY A THIRD PARTY SOME...

Page 48: ... 1 1 1 1 2 1 6 1 8 2 2 1 5 1 9 1 5 1 7 1 7 1 9 2 1 3 3 3 7 2 9 3 3 4 1 7 8 30003928 30003929 30003930 30003931 30003932 30003933 30003934 30003935 30003936 30003937 30003938 30003939 30003940 30003941 30003942 30003943 30003944 30003945 30003946 30003947 30003948 30003949 30003950 30003951 30003952 30003953 30003954 30003955 30003956 30003957 30003958 30003961 SE32P 80 1 SE32C 80 1 SE40C 80 1 SE40...

Page 49: ...ntractor Installer Information Service Warranty Information Name Address Phone Email System Info Model NO Date Puchased Date Installed Product Serial Company Comments For Service and Repair Contact Appendix H ...

Page 50: ...email sales sunearthinc com www sunearthinc com 8425 Almeria Avenue Fontana CA 92335 Phone 909 434 3100 Fax 909 434 3101 Revised 12 10 16 ...