Charging the Solar Hot Water System
Parts in black box should be pre-assembled. Make sure you are using proper threading kit.
System charging steps
- Makes sure air vents on roof are closed (or glycol will leak out).
- Prepare transfer pump, hoses, and glycol for charging of solar loop.
- You will need mixture of 50% glycol, 50% water. Approximately 0.5 gal per one collector.
- Connect discharge pump to top connection on solar pump station
- Connect return hose to glycol drum (from the bottom connection on solar pump station) .
- Prime transfer pump (make sure you have pressure).
- Open fill/flush port valves on pump station (black valves).
- Make sure flow meter valve is turned perpendicular to the valve body (this is fill mode).
- Turn the solar pump on in manual mode (usulally relay 1); which will turn on the solar pump.Make sure your red / blue temp gauges are not closed (they are open).
- Start transfer pump, build pressure until glycol returns from return hose into glycol drum.
- Make sure suction hose (from transfer pump) is installed below the water line in the glycol drum.
- If you have multiple collector banks; isolate the cold supply on the upper bank (lets the system fill the lower bank first. Let glycol run for 10‐15 minutes; most air should be purged out of the system (you will notice steady stream of glycol from the return line)
- Next, open the upper bank balancing valve and close the bottom bank, let run for 10‐15 minutes
- Open both valves on the collector banks.
- Begin to close the return valve on the fill/flush ports (this will allow for building of circulation loop pressure. Build pressure to 50+ PSI (as long as you have some flow coming out into the glycol drum).
- High pressure pushes the air out of the fluid.
- Bleed the air out of the air bleeding points (air vents in collectors, air vent on pump station, air vent on pump).
- Let system circulate at this pressure for 20‐30 minutes
- Close the fill/flush ports, turn off the transfer pump.
- Turn the flow meter valve to the verticle position; leave the pump in manual mode.