What Is The SRCC OG-300 Solar Thermal System Certification?
Your TitanPlus Flat Plate Collectors Are Now Covered For A Full 20 Years!
Three choices- Steam, Drain or Dump. For most places in the US, there will be more solar gain in the summer than in the winter. This occurs during a time when your load is lowest, so that means EXCESS HEAT. You must deal with this if you are to design and/build a solar thermal system [...]
General Solar Thermal Systems Information
How long does it usually take to install a typical Solar Hot Water System?
Well, this all depends on many things. But for an average home with average difficulty level and experienced installer shouldnt take much more than two full days. I have seen some that were installed by two men in one full day and others that take a week. If you are using a pre-packaged system, such [...]
How long does it usually take to install a prepackaged DHW kit?
Well, that all depends but usually 2 workers can install a simple DHW kit and have it fully commissioned within 3 days. There are some cases where only 2 days is required and some days more. Our Heliomaxx kits are designed for simplicity and we expect that you shouldn’t really need more than 48 total [...]
Do I need any experience in electricity to install a solar water heater?
No, you do not. In fact, if you purchase a pre-packaged kit from Sunmaxx, the pump station (which is has the controller and pump built in) simply has a 3-prong plug that you insert right into a 110v wall outlet. The only thing that you would need to do is to insert the sensor wire [...]
How do I know if my system is performing the way it should be?
First of all, your system performance will be measured by BTU’S produced, NOT by temperature achieved. The simplest way to accomplish this is by following this method: 1- Record your solar tank temperature first thing in the morning, before the solar pump turns on. 2- be sure that no one uses hot water during this [...]
How do I size a solar hot water system for my household?
Typically, an american average consumption of 20 gallons of hot water per day per person can be used to size systems. There are some variations in that however so we need to be careful about just using rules of thumb. For most of the Sunmaxx TitanPower Flat plates and Thermopower Evacuated tubes will yield about [...]
Can I tie a solar thermal system into my existing system?
Yes, you sure can. There are very few systems in the US that will not accept a solar thermal upgrade, The only exception would be a steam system. Whether you have forced hot air, boiler with baseboard, sub-floor radiant, in-floor radiant or wall heaters you can very easily integrate a solar thermal system upgrade. We [...]
Simulating Performance of Solar Thermal Systems
Solar thermal systems will behave differently depending on a few variables such as, the obvious, location but also angle of tilt (slope off horizon), orientation angle, temperature of inlet fluid and also daily ambient temperature. We can calculate the efficiency of collectors for various times throughout the day but given the dynamic nature of production [...]
Reducing fuel bills and increasing solar thermal output
Q: What is the best way to reduce my fuel bills by incorporating a solar thermal system? A:Reduction +Reduction = Reduction This should come at no surprise to any of our readers but the single best way to save money on energy bills is by reducing your consumption. It is surprising to me still, to [...]
Keeping propylene glycol from freezing in my solar thermal system.
A: How do I prevent my glycol from freezing during those rare deep freeze nights? Q: Your glycol, although rated for very low temperatures may be un-pumpable at a temperature higher than you expect. This can cause you system to overheat when the sun comes out in the morning. To prevent this you can activate [...]
How do I remove air from my system?
Question: How do I remove air from my system? Answer: Take a deep breath and let all your air out… of your Solar thermal system One of the biggest issues with a successful commissioning is air removal. Any time you spend with this detail will be time well spent. Air pockets become entrained within your [...]
Do I need to use glycol if I live in an area where I only have a few days of freezing per year?
Question: Do I need to use glycol if I live in an area where I only have a few days of freezing per year? Answer: If you live in an area that doesn’t get below freezing often (less than 5 days per year) it is possible to get away with using water instead of glycol. [...]
What is the most appropriate delta T for Northern climates?
Question: What is the most appropriate delta T for Northern climates? Answer: 17
