SunEarth SolaRay AC, Installation, Operation And Maintenance Manual

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Page 3: ...nEarth SolaRay AC 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 temperatures 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 cl...

Page 4: ...tenance and Troubleshooting 26 10 SolaRay AC 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 Ap...

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: ...g and integral tank heat exchanger The heat exchanger consists of copper tubing wrapped around the solar storage tank As the HTF pass es 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 continuously repeated during the average sunny day as the temperature in your solar storage tank rises The differential t...

Page 9: ...ludes freeze 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 REQUIREMENT...

Page 10: ...ion 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: ...thods 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 materia...

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: ...ar tank is heated indirectly through a double wall heat exchanger that is integral to the tank The heat exchanger wraps around the tank shell and under the insulation and tank jacket Any leak in the heat exchanger will be seen as fluid will leak out from the bottom tray of the tank jacket In plumbing the solar storage tank and expan sion tank make sure that all the components are accessible and ea...

Page 18: ...rage tank from the city cold water supply line by means of an isolat ing ball valve COMPONENT 23 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 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 oper...

Page 19: ... Tank Insulation SunEarth heat exchanger tanks have an insula tion value of approximately 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 va...

Page 20: ...licensed contractor shall make the 230 VAC electrical connection to the water heater or solar storage 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 elemen...

Page 21: ... water concentration than necessary as this will adversely impact the relative heat transfer effi ciency of the solution Generally 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...

Page 22: ...s and sol der joints for leaks 4 14 2 STEP 2 Thoroughly flush all impuri ties out of the collector loop and check collector loop for leaks Begin by connecting a washing machine type hose to the upper charge valve COMPONENT P 18 1 3 7 3 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 4 6 5 17 18 19 20 21 22 32 23 FEED RETURN HOT SUPPLY LINE TO FIXTURES COLD SUPPLY LINE 3 PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 1 SunEarth Solar Collector...

Page 23: ...g flushing to prevent debris from lodging inside the expansion tank cham ber Close the lower purge drain valve The collec tor loop now has been subjected to city pres sure The PRV should not 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 P 19 1 10 15 16 5 17 18 19 20 21 22 32 23 FEE...

Page 24: ...nt A flow meter allows you to monitor and adjust the flow rate through the piping and also to visually inspect the HTF fluid quality Set the controller to the off position and pro ceed to the next step WARNING THE NEXT STEP MUST BE P 20 1 2 3 7 3 8 9 10 15 16 4 6 5 17 18 19 20 21 RETURN PIPE INSULATION ROOF JACKS 1 SunEarth Solar Collector s 2 Collector Sensor 3 Option Tank and Line Thermometers 4...

Page 25: ... charge side of the pump to the bucket with the HTF Run the charge pump for approximately 30 seconds or long enough to ensure priming of the pump Connect the discharge side of the charging pump to the upper charge faucet COMPONENT 9 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 16B 17A 17B Close the isolation ball valve COMPONENT P 21 22 COLD SUPPLY LINE HOT SUPPLY LINE TO FIXTURES 24 25 26 3 23 29 28 27 30 1 2 10 15 16 5 ...

Page 26: ...e system is operational on a good sunny day Contact your solar contractor if the charged collector loop pressure exceeds this threshold Your SolaRay AC solar water heating system must 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 i...

Page 27: ...tility Power Leave the circuit breaker to your solar storage tank on and close the isolation ball valves in the collector loop COMPONENT 5 14 FIGURES 15A 15B 16A 16B 17A 17B In this 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 impell...

Page 28: ...ol manual to activate this function Remember to deactivate this function upon your return During extended summer vacations 4 weeks or more it is advisable to either cover the solar P 24 1 3 7 3 8 9 10 13 15 16 4 6 5 17 18 19 20 21 FEED 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 Pressu...

Page 29: ...NY BODY OF WATER BE CAREFUL THE HTF MAY BE EXTREMELY HOT 8 3 If the electric water heater is installed with an optional time clock controlling the element make sure the clock is not preset to go ON during your absence If you have a time switch deactivate per clock s instruction manual P 25 30 22 COLD SUPPLY LINE HOT SUPPLY LINE TO FIXTURES 24 25 26 3 23 1 2 10 15 16 5 17 18 19 21 FEED RETURN PIPE ...

Page 30: ...e the HTF initially or during subsequent re charges de ionized water is recommended The recommended propylene glycol HTF is Dow Chemical Dowfrost HD Technical and engineering data for Dowfrost HD is available at www 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 Syst...

Page 31: ... make sure the tank is completely full of water before restoring power to the thermostat and heating element Turn the controller to the on position 9 4 If you live in a dusty climate it is a good idea 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 ...

Page 32: ...THE PROTECTIVE ACCESS PLATE ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE SOLAR STORAGE TANK OR CONVENTIONAL WATER HEATER WITHOUT DISCONNECTING THE 230 VAC POWER SUPPLY AT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER After the circuit 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 wh...

Page 33: ...he HTF as it heats and cools thus maintaining the entire collector loop pressure within the design parameters 9 Charge Valve Used to charge the 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 pr...

Page 34: ...the back up electric water heater has two heating elements and two thermostats 30 Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve See No 22 above 32 Mixing Valve Automatically blends hot water from the solar storage tank with incom ing city cold water to an acceptable set point A mixing valve must be installed on every SolaRay AC solar water heating system 11 ESTIMATED COMPONENT LIFE You can expect a long u...

Page 35: ...ectly During the middle of the day when the pump is running the normal 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 Acid...

Page 36: ...nting hardware per SunEarth manuals standard residential drawings and or plan sets Storage Tank with Integral Double Wall Heat Exchanger Make Series Model Numbers SunEarth SunEarth SU80HE 1 SU65HE 1 SU120HE 1 Rheem Solaraide 81V80HE 1 81V80HE T 81V120HE 1 81V120HE T 81V65HE 1 Ruud Solar Servant RSPE80HE 1 RSPE80HE T RSPE120HE 1 REPE120HE T RSPE65HE 1 Includes auxiliary 4 5 kW heating element suita...

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: ...rt 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 SU120HE 1 6 5 2 4 X 8 0 012 2 2 GPM 18 Head Loss 100 1 2 Type L 10 5 misc 1 Total 18 012 Rounding 18 Ft of pressure loss Component Friction Pressure Loss SU120...

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: ... Solar Energy Factor SEFD SRCC Cert No System Model 1 20 2001001C TE48P 80 2G 1 40 2001003R TE80P 120 2G PV 1 60 2001001F TE64C 80 2G 1 40 2001001M TE64C 120 2G 1 2001001P TE40P 120 2G 1 10 2001003A TE40P 80 2G PV 1 10 2001003B TE40C 80 2G PV 1 10 2001001K TE40C 120 2G 1 80 2001001N TE80C 120 2G 1 30 2001001R TE64P 120 2G 2 2008024G TE48P 80 TLG 1 50 2001003M TE80C 120 2G PV 2 50 2008024Q TE64P 12...

Page 49: ...tana CA 92335 USA Solar Energy Factor SEFD SRCC Cert No System Model 2 10 2000004D TE40P 80 PV 3 30 1996001P TE80P 120 2 1 10 2001001A TE40P 80 2G 4 50 1993001R TE80P 120 1 2 1993001T TE40P 120 1 1 70 1996001A TE32P 80 2 1 70 1996001B TE32C 80 2 1 90 1996001C TE40P 80 2 2 1996001D TE40C 80 2 3 1996001E TE64P 80 2 3 40 1996001F TE64C 80 2 2 20 1996001I TE48P 80 2 2 30 1996001J TE48C 80 2 1 90 19960...

Page 50: ...actually installed This product certified by Solar Rating Certification Corporation www Solar Rating org SunEarth Inc 8425 Almeria Avenue Fontana CA 92335 USA Solar Energy Factor SEFD SRCC Cert No System Model 1 90 1993001A TE32P 80 1 2 40 1993001D TE40C 80 1 4 70 1993001H TE64C 80 1 2 60 1993001K TE48P 80 1 2 80 1993001L TE48C 80 1 2 20 1993001C TE40P 80 1 1 90 1993001B TE32C 80 1 3 90 1993001G T...

Page 51: ...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 52: ... email sales sunearthinc com www sunearthinc com 8425 Almeria Avenue Fontana CA 92335 Phone 909 434 3100 Fax 909 434 3101 Revised 11 15 13 ...