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Alpha SolarSmart 100 - Contents/Introduction

CONTENTS

1  Introduction ........................................3
2  Technical data ...................................4
3  General information ...........................7
4  Installation .........................................13
5  Commissioning ..................................18
6  System operation ..............................21
7  Routine inspection .............................22

8  Component replacement ...................23
9  Wiring diagram ..................................25
10  Diagnostics and fault codes...............26
11  Parts list .............................................28
 

Benchmark Checklist

 

Service Record

The Alpha SolarSmart 100 system is a pre-heat drain back solar collector system which includes an unvented 103 litre 
cylinder to store water heated by the solar collector. It is recommended that the system is used in conjunction with an Alpha 
combination boiler fitted with the Alpha solar inlet sensor which is supplied with the system. The cylinder is fitted with a 
pump, control unit, expansion vessel, safety valves and temperature sensors. A universal drain back unit (DBU) with pump, 
stainless steel heat exchanger and vessel for use with one or two collectors is also supplied.
The SolarSmart 100 should be used with one or two collectors.
A tundish and 2.5 bar pressure reducing valve are supplied with the cylinder, the pressure reducing valve must be installed in 
the mains inlet to the cylinder. All hot water blending valves fitted to the system must take the cold supply after the pressure 
reducing valve to maintain a balanced pressure. 
The solar collectors should be ideally facing South and when using two collectors (portrait only) they must both face in the 
same direction. For more information see Section 3.6.
The solar collector is supplied in special packaging to protect it during transit. The four corners are protected and the 
exposed edges are protected. The glass front and back panel are exposed. The packaging is not intended to support the full 
lift weight of the collector.
When manually carrying the collector, always hold the exposed edges and not the packaging alone. The collector can be lifted 
both horizontally and vertically. The collector can only be carried using lifting forks when on the original wooden pallet base.

IMPORTANT

This is in accordance with the Building Regulations for unvented hot water storage systems and the Local Authority must be 
notified of the intention to install. Therefore the installation must be carried out by a person competent to install unvented hot 
water systems.

The installation must be carried out in accordance with the following recommendations:-
All current Building Regulations issued by the Department of the Environment, i.e. Approved Document L1
Building Standards (Scotland) (Consolidation) Regulations issued by the Scottish Development Department
UK Water Regulations/Byelaws (Scotland)
Health & Safety Document No. 635 (The Electricity At Work Regulations 1989)
The installation should also be in accordance with the following British Standard Codes of Practice:-
BS 5449 ..................Forced circulation hot water systems
BS 5546 ..................Installation of hot water supplies for domestic purposes
BS 5918 ..................Solar heating systems for domestic hot water
BS 6700 ..................Design, installation, testing and maintenance of services supplying water
Failure to install this appliance correctly could lead to prosecution and will invalidate the guarantee. It is in your own interest and that 
of safety to ensure that the law is complied with.
Manufacturer's instructions must 

NOT 

be taken in anyway as over-riding statutory obligations.

These appliances meet the requirements of IP20, i.e. degree of protection against moisture.
Reference should be made to Criteria for gas fired combination boilers used as after heaters in solar thermal systems and BRE 
Solar heating UK:1981.
Proviso: WRAS Approval - Solar heating system components. Compliance with the relevant requirements of the Water Supply (Water 
Fittings) Regulations 1999 has been assessed for this product only as a component of a heating system. If it is to be installed as 
part of a system using solar energy or ground - or air - source heat pumps for pre-heating water which is to be used as domestic hot 
water, the Water Fittings Regulations place a legal duty on the installer and user to ensure that the installation and operation of the 
complete system prevents contamination of domestic hot water by Legionella bacteria, which can grow in water stored at temperatures 
between 20° and 45°C. Where disinfection by heating is relied on to meet this obligation, information on minimum conditions for thermal 
disinfection of Legionella bacteria can be found on the WRAS website - www.wras.co.uk

The Alpha SolarSmart unvented hot water cylinders have been specifically designed to prevent the proliferation of legionella 
bacteria in this hot water system, and disinfection by heating is not relied upon to meet this obligation.

Lightning Protection

Refer to BS6651 for lightning protection, however this does not give specific requirements for solar panels and generally collectors 
mounted on non-metallic roof structures will not require lightning protection.
Advice should be sought if mounting on metallic roof structures or mounting in situations where the risk of strikes are high.

1  INTRODUCTION

Summary of Contents for SolarSmart 100

Page 1: ...ions have been carefully prepared but we reserve the right to alter the specification at any time in the interest of product improvement Alpha Therm Limited 2014 Part No 1 032744 ST15 000233 0314 D337...

Page 2: ...emedial or improvement work identified during the course of commissioning or servicing work Refer to the manufacturer s helpline where assistance is needed Report product faults and concerns to the ma...

Page 3: ...t of the Environment i e Approved Document L1 Building Standards Scotland Consolidation Regulations issued by the Scottish Development Department UK Water Regulations Byelaws Scotland Health Safety Do...

Page 4: ...ction Return Connection Max Working Pressure Heat Exchanger Content Collector Circuit Flow Connection Return Connection Max Working Pressure Vessel Size Max Filled Content Case Insulation 2 2 SOLAR CO...

Page 5: ...Energy Loss of Solar Cylinder Global Warming Potential Ozone Depletion Potential Insulation Blowing Agent The collector installation must be carried out using the kits and connections supplied by Alp...

Page 6: ...e 11 Expansion vessel 12 Immersion heater boss use Alpha immersion kit only 13 Drain point for cylinder 14 Pressure relief valve 15 Inlet filter 16 Pressure reducing valve 17 Tundish 18 Isolation valv...

Page 7: ...e in 15 mm copper pipe and be as short as possible Where possible the pipework should be insulated to reduce heat loss Thoroughly flush out the mains water supply pipe before connecting it to the boil...

Page 8: ...is 9 m Subtract the resistance for four 22 mm elbows of 0 8 m each 3 2 m Therefore the maximum permitted length equates to 9 3 2 5 8 m 5 8 m is less than the actual length of 7 m therefore calculate...

Page 9: ...itch or cylinder control utilizing mains electricity The bottom of the solar cylinder must be located within 6 metres vertically of the top of the drain back unit Dimensions The dimensions of the cyli...

Page 10: ...to the DBU The pipework must be insulated with high temperature insulation Dimensions The dimensions of the DBU and clearances required for servicing are shown in Fig 5 Fig 5 DBU Connections A Return...

Page 11: ...g from the sun One solar collector is required upto a maximum of two collectors can be installed using one of the following methods a Integration of the collector into the tiles of a pitched roof Usin...

Page 12: ...ctor is fixed at an inclination of 30 and ballast or fixings must be used to secure the frame in the required position Refer to Fig 9 for details of location of the drain back unit in relation to the...

Page 13: ...3 023223 b Twin collectors portrait or landscape Part No 3 023241 8 Solar collect On Slates kits a Single collector portrait or landscape Part No 3 023224 b Twin collectors portrait or landscape Part...

Page 14: ...the template includes the minimum clearances required and mark the positions of the fixing holes Drill the holes to suit the fixing supplied or alternative fixings suitable for the mounting surface w...

Page 15: ...the fixing supplied or alternative fixings suitable for the mounting surface wall If using only the top fixings fit two of the screws supplied with the heads about 5 mm proud so that they will locate...

Page 16: ...lastic caps are removed from all connections Note If soldering union bends ensure that the bends are not connected to the valves etc otherwise the internal seals may be damaged soldered connections ca...

Page 17: ...res to terminals 45 and 46 the polarity is not important on the terminal block Ensure that the cable is secured in the cable clamp 5 Connect the Mains Supply The solar cylinder has been fitted with a...

Page 18: ...tly installed and that all the terminal connections are tight Switch on the electrical supply and press the On Off button on the control panel see Fig 23 to start the system 6 Check for any leaks and...

Page 19: ...and S3 S3 is always the upper temperature on the display Button Description Description Function Function Symbol State Decription DBU pump Cylinder pump Warning Sun Degrees celsius Digits Temperature...

Page 20: ...ler hot water thermostat to be left at the maximum position No 9 and that it is the purpose of the label Fig 18 to maintain this and that the label must not be removed 5 Weekly cleaning of shower head...

Page 21: ...cylinder sensor and the solar cylinder temperature is less than 65 C the drain back unit pump will start to circulate water around the collector At the same time that the drain back unit pump starts...

Page 22: ...ended that it is inspected and checked by a competent person as necessary at regular intervals Warning Before removing any covers or working on the system isolate the electrical supply The data badge...

Page 23: ...scribed in Section 8 2 Disconnect the union from the bottom of the expansion vessel and remove the locknut see Fig 27 then carefully lift the vessel out Reassemble in reverse order with a new vessel a...

Page 24: ...taken when carrying out repairs to the DBU as it reaches very high temperatures and can emit steam from connections when being removed Isolate the mains electric supply and remove the front case of th...

Page 25: ...plug housing with another spanner to prevent damaging the pipe Expect about 8 litres Loosen the flow and return connections beneath the drain back unit and slacken the locknuts Disconnect the flow an...

Page 26: ...ctor has the correct fall and length Check the collector sensor and the lower cylinder sensor do they operate check sensor resistance in Section 10 3 Check the collector tubes are they blocked with di...

Page 27: ...INDER SENSOR TEMPERATURE and RESISTANCE DATA Temperature C 0 20 50 80 105 130 160 Resistance Ohm 20 Ohm 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 Collector Sensor Resistance Table Temperature C 25 30 65 85 R...

Page 28: ...sembly Ref Description Qty Part No Solar Cylinder Assembly Note Washers and seals are not supplied with the replacement components and the relevant seals kit should also be used Ref Description Qty Pa...

Page 29: ...washers Complete seals kit all DBU seals washers Wall fixing pack plugs screws Collector sensor Collector sensor extension lead 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 026759 1 033644 1 033420 1 0...

Page 30: ...luid details What type make of heat transfer fluid used System volume litres What is the fluid mix Water Glycol Frost protection provided to C Is the installation in a hard water area above 200ppm Yes...

Page 31: ...mpleted YES NO Engineer Name Company Name Telephone Number Comments Signature Date Energy Efficiency Checklist completed YES NO Engineer Name Company Name Telephone Number Comments Signature Date Date...

Page 32: ...ed Kingdom What this warranty does not cover Free of charge repairs to appliances that have not been installed by a qualified and competent person Repairs to appliances that have not been installed an...

Page 33: ...ly failure the system will not operate When the supply is restored the system will return to normal operation If the mains water supply fails there will be no hot water from the taps 3 Pressure Relief...

Page 34: ...starts the cylinder pump will start at 16 full speed to circulate the cylinder water through the drain back unit heat exchanger The drain back unit pump will stop when the temperature difference betwe...

Page 35: ...isplay panel and push button controls The display indicates the working modes of the system with symbols to indicate the working components of the complete system 2 USER CONTROLS Fig 1 S1 S 2 3S S1 S...

Page 36: ...ully prepared but we reserve the right to alter the specification at any time in the interest of product improvement Alpha Therm Limited 2014 Part No 1 032744 ST15 000233 0314 D337 Alpha Therm Limited...

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