1 Tight Fittings…Use Stainless Hose There is seldom enough space. Four connections required: Solar fluid to (top of pump) and from (top of tank) collectors; and Potable water in (upper) and potable water out (lower) of exchanger in tank.

2 Ceiling penetrations? Yes…two. And two connections to water line. Heres the connection for potable cold inlet. Consider the placement of ceiling joists. You want to leave room for insulation around pipe leading to attic space.

3 Cut in and solder water line. Tie-in to an existing water line can be problematic. Here, the system was set to pre-heat an on-demand system. A shop vac is very useful to remove any trace of moisture in existing water lines.

4 Pump in separate packaging. Pumps are rated according to head height. System 1, 2, 3 and 4 use different pumps. This is a Star 21, rated to 21 of head. Measure from top of pump to top of collector.

5 Attach pump to flange at bottom. Notice the arrow showing direction of flow? The rubber gasket is shown on pump. Tighten down two bolts. Next, attach flow meter.

6 High head pumps. Gang two pumps together for higher head applications. Here are two ganged Star 21 pumps for a three story application.

7 Dont fill the tank before its time! Before filling tank, install the drain valve, pump and flow meter. Shut all valves. Leave P/T valve and solar fluid return (top of tank) available for filling tank. Youre ready to fill.

8 Fill fitting…hose to pipe thread! Not shown is the rubber hose gasket. The plan is to fill the tank with hose water. The tank will fill, then overflow when full. Where will overflow go?

9 Ready to fill...let r rip!!! Sheetrock dust visible from ceiling penetrations. This hose filled the 80 gallon tank in 10 minutes. Other hoses took 20 minutes to fill tanks. Hose and Pipe Fitting

10 Drain 2 ½ Gallons for Expansion Draining off water allows tank to be its own expansion tank. A 5 gallon bucket, filled a bit over halfway, will provide ample expansion in tank.

11 Quick Disconnects Are Nice This is the fitting from collectors to tank. A quick disconnect may be useful sometime in the future. Everything lines up, nice and tight, after filling the tank!

12 Tape AND Pipe Compound Here This flow meter fitting, copper to plastic, deserves extra attention. It is recommended to use both tape and plumbers putty on this fitting. Tighten this down all the way.

13 What about PEX to collectors? Some say: Supply fine, return not good. Others say: Supply fine, return after 15. Pex is rated to 180 degrees pressurized, and 200 degrees unpressurized. Pex has been reported to have failed on return lines after only 3 years. Use Shark tooth connection for copper/pex connections.

14 Connect T1 from Collector 18 gauge, 2 wire cord, and 2 wire connectors. Open controller, youll see tiny T1 lugs. Need little screwdrivers!

15 Tank filled? Lines Connected? Time to test for leaks, adjust pump for head. Now for fun! Plug pump to controller, and controller to wall. The pump should come right on, youll see action in flow meter. 5 Gal./Min

16 Adjust flow to collectors. No leaks, correct?! Excellent job!!! You may now insulate your joints. In the last slide, flow was at 5 gallons per minute. Here, its adjusted using ball valve down to 2.1 gallons per minute. Liters Gallons

17 Why 2.1 gallons per minute? This installation involved 3 Solene 4 * 8 collectors. The recommended flow rate is 0.7 gallons per minute for a 4 * 8. If using 4 * 10 collectors, the recommended flow rate is 1 gallon per minute per collector. Three collectors at 0.7 gallons each is 2.1 gallons per minute. Measure at top of slide.

18 Check out display! T1 or T2 blink, temperature shown in display. Minus button causes readout to display alternating sensors and associated temperatures.

19 Mount Controller As Appropriate T1 (collector ) is up to 129 degrees! The controller was finally mounted on the wall, but temporarily mounted here and there as the install progressed. Chose a visible placement for controller.

20 Almost Finished With Install. This 80 gallon tank is feeding pre-heated water to a boiler. The boiler has 1-1/2 lines, while the exchanger has a ¾ line. A flow regulator was used to divert the first 10 pounds of water pressure through exchanger.

21 No leaks. All lines insulated. Everything checks out. All lines insulated. Having observed the system and finding no issues, all joints and lines are insulated, and the job is complete. Congratulations.

22 Congratulations! Youve Won!!! For the next years, your system should effortlessly provide abundant, solar heated water. Enjoy!

23 Hardware Store Partial List 2- 3/4 - 1 connectors (Collectors) 4- 1 no-stop unions (Collectors) pipe (collector to first 90) 6- 3/4 - 3/4 stop unions 8- 3/4 – 3/4 elbows 2- 3/4 Shut off valves 2- 3/4 T- Connections (H 2 O supply) 40 – 3/4 Pex (Collector supply) 2- 3/4 Shark Tooth connectors 50- 3/4 Copper (10 Sticks) 40 – 18/2 thermal wire (T1) 2- Wire crimp connectors (T1) 1- Stainless steel connector (T1) /4 Pipe insulation zip ties 4- 3/4 thread -3/4 slip fitting 2- 3/4 quick disconnect fittings 1- Flux and Brush 1- Contact cement (insulation) 1- 50/50 solder 1- Polyurethane sealant 2- 3/4 hose to 3/4 pipe fitting 6- 3 lag bolts/washer (collectors) 1- Strap for water lines in attic Handfull of roofing nails Handfull of 16p nails Handfull of 1-1/2 screws 10 – 2 * 4 bracing (attic) Pipe dope Pipe thread wrap Electrical tape Exterior flat paint and brush 2- 1 hole roof jacks Pipe cutting tool, Emory paper

24 BTU Calculation 25 degree observed T1 and T2 difference 2.1 gallons per minute flow 60 minutes per hour flow, 7 hours per day 8.34 pounds per gallon of water 1 BTU is one pound of water raised one degree. 25 Degrees * 2.1 gallons/minute * 60 minutes * 7 hours * 8.34 pounds per gallon = 183,897 BTU/Day Check: 2000 BTU/S.F. Collector/Day Estimate 3- 4 * 8 collectors = 96 S.F. area 96 S.F. * 2,000 BTU/S.F. estimate = 192,000 BTU

25 Thank you. Questions or comments are appreciated. So are pictures of your installations. Communicate with us at: