Apricus Installation Manual
18
Sizing and Designing your Solar
System
When starting to design your solar system,
the first issues to consider are regarding the
installation site and the practicalities of
installing the solar collectors.
This section will provide you with detailed
guidelines about assessing the suitability of
any given site for the installation of the Solar
Collector.
Standard System Designs
CoolSky have developed a standard set of
system designs, which represent the most
commonly installed configurations in the UK
and Ireland. We recommend adhering to
these system designs. Any modifications to
the design should be checked by a qualified
engineer.
When using these designs it is important
prior to installation, to confirm that the
designs meet any local regulations.
All systems must be installed by authorised
persons. Upon completion of the
installation, the system may also need to be
checked by a plumbing inspector prior to
commissioning, depending upon local
regulations.
Free Bespoke Design Service
The CoolSky Technical Design Team can also
offer our customers a full bespoke design
service. System designs and configurations
for both small and large systems can be
tailored to our customers particular
requirements. Contact CoolSky for more
details on our Free Design Service.
Collector Direction
Ideally the collector should face as close to
due South as possible. A deviation of up to
15
o
to the East or West is acceptable and
will have minimal effect on collector
performance.
If installed due east or west, the solar
collector output will be considerably
reduced, with predominately morning output
or afternoon output for each direction
respectively. However, a dual collector
option exists with one collector facing east
and the second collector facing west. This is
commonly referred to as an “East-West
System”.
NOTE:
Installations at or near due East or
West will mitigate the passive tracking effect
of the round absorbers within the Apricus
evacuative tubes. Collectors should not be
installed facing a northerly direction.
Collector Orientation
The collector manifold is normally installed
on the flat horizontal plane with the tubes
pointing downwards from the manifold. The
collector must not be installed up-side-down
(tubes pointing upwards) or with tubes lying
