P.30
water quality. Determine a replacement sched-
ule with your installation contractor.
21. Heating Element & Tank Thermostat: The
solar storage tank is equipped with an auxiliary
4500 watt, 230 VAC electrical heating element.
The thermostat controls the temperature setting
of the auxiliary heating element.
22. Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve:
Universally required by the plumbing code on
water heaters. Will automatically release and
dump water at either 150 PSI of pressure or
210° F in temperature.
23. Cold Water Supply Line Isolation Ball
Valve: When open allows potable water to fill
the solar storage tank or back-up water heater.
When closed isolates the solar storage tank and
back-up water heater from the pressurized city
cold water supply line.
24. Ball Valve: Used in conjunction with com-
ponent Nos. 25 & 26 to establish the desired
mode of system operation.
25. Ball Valve: Used in conjunction with
component No. 24 to completely isolate the
solar storage tank for repair or replacement as
necessary.
26. Solar Bypass Ball Valve: Used in conjunc-
tion with components No. 24 & 25 to establish
the desired mode of system operation.
27. Cold Water Dip Tube: See No.16 above.
28. Anode Rod: See No. 18 above.
29. Heating Elements and Thermostats: See
No. 19 above. In a two tank system the back-up
electric water heater has two heating elements
and two thermostats.
30. Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve: See
No. 22 above.
32. Mixing Valve: Automatically blends hot
water from the solar storage tank with incom-
ing city cold water to an acceptable set point.
A mixing valve must be installed on every
SolaRay 2 solar water heating system.
11) ESTIMATED COMPONENT LIFE
You can expect a long useful life from the
primary components in your SolaRay 2 solar
water heating system by adhering to the routine
service and maintenance tips provided above.
The SunEarth solar collectors have a design life
of twenty-five to thirty years. The HTF must
be maintained as specified in this manual to
maximize collector life. The solar storage tank
should last twelve to twenty years in most areas
provided the anode rod is periodically replaced.
The circulating pump and differential control
should last 10 to 15 years before needing to
be replaced. Like EPA mileage estimates for
automobiles, these component design lives rep-
resent average figures for system components
installed in the United States. The life of your
components may vary.
To obtain warranty service, please see the com-
pleted Appendix F on the back of this manual
with your installation contractor contact infor-
mation or contact SunEarth for the name of an
authorized service agent near you.
12) SYSTEM OPERATING
PARAMETERS
12.1 Collector Loop Pressure
The pressure in the collector loop will normally
increase as the HTF heats up and expands dur-
ing the day and cools down and contracts at
night. The amount of pressure variation will
depend on the degree of temperature swings and
the size of the expansion tank. Larger expan-
sion tanks allow more fluid expansion and con-
traction with less pressure variation.
Recommended initial system charge:
25 PSI – 60 PSIG
Normal operating pressure: 20 PSI – 100 PSIG
Operating pressures below the normal operating
