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SUN HoM DB-8040, Instruction Manual, Page: 14 / 17

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14

line to the water heater. It is used to isolate the 
system for maintenance, repairs and service. 
THIS VALVE SHOULD ALWAYS BE OPEN IF 
ELECTRIC POWER IS ON TO THE HEATING 
ELEMENT IN THE WATER HEATER TANK. 
Other types of solar water heating systems 
have collector isolation valves. Since this 
system employs Drainback freeze protection. 
the system does not have collector loop 
isolation valves. 

 

•

  Drainback Tank: This is a vented reservoir tank 

attached to the side of the water heater tank 
that holds the collector loop heat transfer fluid 
(HTF). (The vent is in the cap supplied with the 
system) This system uses distilled water for the 
HTF. When the pump is turned on water is 
drawn from the drainback tank and supplied to 
the collectors. When the water returns it enters 
the drainback tank through a copper dip tube 
that is inserted into the top of the drainback 
tank. This copper dip tube is a very important 
part of the systems and cannot be replaced by 
a simple tube. It has been pre-cut and drilled to 
perform a precise function. 

It is extremely 

important for the water to enter the 
drainback tank below the water level in the 
tank. If it does not, serious damage or injury 
can occur.

 

 

•

  Freeze Prevention: The system uses the 

principle of draining water from the collectors to 
prevent freezing. No other valves, control 
functions or devices are required to prevent 
freezing of the collectors. When the pump is de-
energized the water in the collector loop drains 
back to the Drainback Tank thereby preventing 
collector freeze damage. Proper installation is 
key to insuring this type freeze protection 
works. 

 

•

  Heat Transfer Fluid: This is the liquid added to 

and stored in the Drainback Tank. Distilled 
water is the recommended fluid. Use of potable 
tap water is prohibited. As described earlier, 
propylene glycol can be added at a ratio of 8:1, 
(8 parts water to one part propylene glycol). 
This is not required.    

 

SERVICE: 

 

START UP PROCEDURE

: At this point the water 

heater tank should already be filled and on line for 
hot water. This includes the electric element 
connections. 
 

1.  Fill the Drainback Tank to the level indicated on 

the side of the cover. 

2.  Insure all connections, both plumbing and 

electrical have been made. Plumbing 
connections include the To and From piping to 
the collector. The electrical connection is the 
sensor wire from the collector sensor to the 
controller. 

 
3.  Plug in the controller. 
 
If sufficient solar energy is available the pump 
should come on right away.  
 
 
 
 
 

DO NOT TEST THE RETURN LINE FOR HEAT BY 

TOUCHING IT WITH YOUR BARE HAND. 

 

This is the end of the start up procedure. 
 

SHUT DOWN PROCEDURE

: Depending on the 

requirement, not every step needs to be followed. 
 
1.  Unplug the controller. 
 
2.  If required, attach a hose to the System Drain 

Valve. See Figures 1 and 2. 

 
3.  Open the System Drain Valve and drain HTF to 

a container if it has the propylene glycol 
additive. If not discharge the HTF to a drain or 
ground. 

 
 
This is the end of the shut down procedure 
 

SYSTEM HTF CAN BE HOT. USE CAUTION!!! 

If the water heater tank is to be shut down 
follow these steps only after the Shut Down 
Procedure for the solar system has been 
completed. 

1.  Disconnect electric power to the water heater. 

(Throw the breaker.) 

 
2.  Close the Shut Off Valve. 
 
3.  If the water heater tank needs to be drained: 

Attach a hose to the Drain Valve on the bottom 
of the water heater. 

 
4.  Open the drain valve. 
 
5.  Open the T&P relief valve to allow the tank to 

vent. The T&P valve can be opened by lifting 
the lever on top to the vertical position. 

 
To recharge the water heater tank follow the 
instructions contained in the Installation section. 

 14

Summary of Contents for DB-8040

Page 1: ...12063 SUN HoM DBSA 12064 SUN HoM DBSA 12072 SUN HoM DBSA 12080 This Manual Contains Installation Instructions Operating Instructions Maintenance Procedures Safety Precautions PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE MANUAL BEFORE BEGINNING INSTALLATION OR ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THIS SYSTEM All Safety Precautions are posted as WARNINGS or CAUTIONS in text boxes Figure 1 Tank System Assembly DB type Figure 2 Tank Sys...

Page 2: ...ve the heat collection fluid from the heat exchanger to the collector Table 1 shows the flow rate curves for these pumps If the distance from the pump to the top of the collectors is sufficient to keep the flow at or below 4 gpm then no flow control is required If not it may be necessary to install flow metering devices in the collector loop Only a licensed certified contractor should do this This...

Page 3: ...ons to the solar collector Serious injury and damage can occur DO NOT introduce heat transfer fluids to potable water lines Refer to Figures 1 2 for the following Install the T P relief valve in the 3 4 NPT fitting provided and marked for the purpose on the water heater The outlet of the relief valve should be directed to a suitable open drain so that the discharge water cannot contact live electr...

Page 4: ... household use If water of different temperature is required set indicator on thermostat to the desired temperature NOTE Households with small children elderly people or invalids may require lower temperature settings to prevent accidental contact with HOT water Adjustments to the temperature setting of the electrical element can be made through the access panel located on the front panel of the w...

Page 5: ... Drainback tank has been filled Do Not plug in the controller prior to this WATER HEATER TANK SERVICE It is recommended that a few gallons of water be drained from the water heater every two months This will flush lime and sediment deposits from the bottom of the water heater and lengthen the water heater s service To flush the tank 1 first attach a hose to the 3 4 hose connection on the Drain Val...

Page 6: ...N HōM solar System can be mounted in either a vertical or horizontal orientation on the roof Figure 3 Because the freeze protection method is Drainback it is strongly recommended the collector always be mounted in vertical orientation It is still important to slope the collectors just slightly to allow for complete drainage during off mode The required slope is at least 1 4 vertical rise per foot ...

Page 7: ...ial series collectors are available upon request The collector must be raised from the roof surface to allow for rainwater and debris to pass under the collectors and for proper ventilation of the roofing material There should be at least 1 1 2 of clearance between the roof surface and the bottom of the solar collectors In selecting mounting hardware and fasteners it is extremely important to avoi...

Page 8: ...8 8 Fig 6 Fig 8 Fig 7 Fig 9 ...

Page 9: ...on material is Rubatex Insul Tube 180 or equal Fig 11 To the extent possible slide the insulation material over the pipe without cutting or taping All butt joints must be sealed with contact adhesive The use of rigid polyethylene pipe insulation is prohibited The temperatures generated by your collector in the summer months or under stagna tion conditions can melt this type of material Any above g...

Page 10: ...or piping is 5 8 OD copper Piping in new solar installations can be covered with dirt grease solder flux or other impurities that over time affect the quality of the distilled water heat transfer fluid HTF A thorough cleaning is required before charging the system Carefully review the cleaning procedures in Charging The System All vertical piping between the storage tank and the collector shall be...

Page 11: ...o connect the collector sensor to the controller should be a minimum18 AWG The wiring should be bare or tinned copper two conductor PVC insulated with a PVC UV rated gray jacket suitable for exterior use Use Eastman Wire Cable No 5704 Belden Wire and Cable No 8461 or equal The system comes pre wired for the tank sensor Do not attempt to install a tank sensor Interconnect Plumbing Piping to and fro...

Page 12: ...ollectors can reach temperatures over 3000 F under the right conditions Always be cautious when working around flat plates that are exposed to sun light Water passing through tube incorporated in the plate picks up heat to transfer to the water heater This completes the system installation procedure OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Refer to Figures 1 and 2 or the system schematics at the end of this manual ...

Page 13: ...and the collector comparing them to see if the collector is hotter then the tank When the collector reaches a 120 F higher temperature than the water heater tank the controller energizes the pump As stated above the pump will continue to run until the differential temperature the difference between the collector and the tank drops to 40 F When this happens the pump is turned off and the heat trans...

Page 14: ...r is the recommended fluid Use of potable tap water is prohibited As described earlier propylene glycol can be added at a ratio of 8 1 8 parts water to one part propylene glycol This is not required SERVICE START UP PROCEDURE At this point the water heater tank should already be filled and on line for hot water This includes the electric element connections 1 Fill the Drainback Tank to the level i...

Page 15: ...hut Down Procedure and drain the HTF Then repeat the Start Up Procedure See also Charging Procedure MAINTENANCE WATER HEATER TANK Once each year it is recommended that the water heater tank be purged To do this follow the steps below 1 Disconnect power to the electric element DO THIS BY THROWING THE CIRCUIT BREAKER 2 Attach a hose to the Drain Valve on the bottom of the water heater tank 3 See Fig...

Page 16: ...r is too HOT Check high limit setting on solar controller Reduce setting if too high If solar supplied water is at preferred temperature Install optional tempering valve between cold and hot lines on water heater SYMPTOM CHECK REPAIR Check for thermostat failure on electric element If bad replace it NO lights on on controller Check to insure unit is plugged in If plugged in replace unit or call te...

Page 17: ...t became defective as result of normal use This Limited Warranty does not extend any Warranty written or implied by others with respect to time or limits of coverage This Limited Warranty does not cover valves How To File a Claim A Warranty Card is supplied with the system when it is sold THIS CARD MUST BE FILLED OUT AND RETURNED AT THE TIME OF SALE The Warranty Card has two sections Fill out both...

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