What is more important, postioning the collectors for maximum aesthetic appeal or maximum solar gain?

Do you want to make this system perform to its highest ability or should it look nice and fit the

architecture of the house?

We have all seen those albatrosses on the roof that are cantilevered at a compound angle to get

a few extra BTU’s at the cost of aesthetic appeal. Here are some guidelines to consider when

deciding what is most important in determining collector orientation and inclination.

For most collectors, tubes or flat plates, the angle of inclination has a 30 degree window of

variation and the performance will still be within 95% of the expected maximum. That is, if your

collectors should be mounted at 55 deg then you can mount them between 40-70 while losing

only a small fraction of energy gain.

As for the collector orientation, that window is 60 degrees for Evacuated tubes and 30 degrees

for flat plates. These considerations allow you to fit the collector to most homes’ pitch and

orientation without losing too much energy gain.

Obviously you want your client to get the most out of it, but you are more likely to get additional

jobs if the collectors are mounted in a way that takes into account the aesthetic appeal. Ask your

Sunmaxx Representative for a copy of the Inclination and Orientation performance Chart so you

can make informed decisions.