Sol-Reliant OG 300-2004008A, Installation, Operation And Maintenance Manual

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Types of roofs - Instructions are included in this manual for composition, cedar shingle and
cedar shake roofing. For tile, metal, built up or other, contact Sol-Reliant or your dealer for
supplemental pages dealing with specific mounting instructions for your type of roof
Mounting hardware included with the Sol-Reliant system consists of a minimum of 4 UniRac
7” two piece standoffs placed about 8 feet apart in two rows. Additional brackets are available if
desired or needed (steep pitch, high winds or heavy snow loads). Your local building department
will be helpful in determining to what extent the new roof load from the solar collector needs
support.
Ground Mounting . If installing a ground mounted Sol-Reliant collector, the bottom of collector
must be higher than the top of the heat exchanger (about the middle of the solar storage tank) to
facilitate a full gravity drain of the collector fluid.
Solar Loop Plumbing : The maximum one-way length using 3/4” copper pipe is 100 feet. Using
1” pipe the maximum one-way distance is 150’. All plumbing lines in the solar loop must have
continuous fall (downhill slope of at least 1/8” per horizontal foot) from the bottom of the solar
collector to the top of the heat exchanger. The distance between the solar tank and the collector
should be kept to a minimum.
Potable water . An expansion tank is necessary if a check valve or back-flow prevention device
is present in the incoming water supply. To maximize the operational life of the solar storage
tank the potable water supplied to the system shall have: a) less than 1000 parts per million
(ppm) total dissolved solids, b) less than 500 ppm total hardness, and c) less than 400 ppm total
alkalinity. If necessary, an adequate filter or other water treatment equipment should be installed
upstream of the solar tank to insure water quality at the levels listed.
Wire runs . To ensure less than a 2% voltage drop # 10 wire for runs of 100’ to 150’, # 12 for
runs under 100’. NOTE: NEC Code requires all photovoltaic circuits that enter a building or
structure to have their wiring contained within metallic conduit or raceways between the point of
penetration and the first readily available disconnecting means (the toggle switch located on the
Sol-Reliant storage tank). The PV module must also be grounded against lightning using a #6
bare copper wire, which terminates at a proper earth ground.
Installing the Collector - Rooftop Installation
STEP 1 (ROOF): Determine where on the roof you want the collector to be placed.
Including the width of the PV module, the collector will occupy a footprint of 15’9” from side
to side by 46-1/2” from top to bottom.
NOTE : the Sol-Reliant collector must slope no less than
1’4” and no more than 1/2” from the high side of the collector to the low side where the pipes
come out of the collector. In other words, there should be a very slight slope. In no case should
the collector slope away from the piping. It is recommended that the collector be mounted so
that the top is at least a foot lower than the peak of the roof. Before leaving the roof and
heading for the attic, take a measurement from the peak to where you have determined to place
your top-most brackets. Remember this dimension.