SunStar STR-10.5 Installation Manual Download Page 1

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RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION

MANUAL FOR SOLAR POOL HEATING

Before attempting installation, read these instructions and acquaint yourself with the component names.

Great care has been taken to make this an easy-to-follow procedure. A little time spent understanding

the system and its parts will assure a successful, trouble-free installation.

CAUTION: SAFETY COMES FIRST

When working on or around your roof or pool, please take care to avoid hazards such as electrical wires and

loose shingles. If you have any product or installation questions, contact your SunStar representative.

Summary of Contents for STR-10.5

Page 1: ...this an easy to follow procedure A little time spent understanding the system and its parts will assure a successful trouble free installation CAUTION SAFETY COMES FIRST When working on or around your roof or pool please take care to avoid hazards such as electrical wires and loose shingles If you have any product or installation questions contact your SunStar representative UMA Solar 2020 ...

Page 2: ...s and tips gathered from experienced SunStar contractors throughout the country using this installation will save you time and effort PRE INSTALLATION NOTES BEFORE YOU START YOUR INSTALLATION HERE ARE A FEW IMPORTANT TIPS 1 CAUTION SAFETY COMES FIRST There is no substitute for safety Always exercise extreme caution care and good judgment when working on or around the roof and or pool Please take c...

Page 3: ... complete the installation 6 Do not take shortcuts Whenever possible collectors should be installed so they are accessible without being walked on Walking on the collectors should only take place when necessary 7 Depending upon your specific job you will need various plumbing items and materials Be sure to use quality products that will withstand direct sunlight year after year All components shou...

Page 4: ...ction Equipment Digital Multimeter IR Thermometer STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS Stainless Steel Lag Bolts Concrete Anchors Roof Sealant Flashings NOTE As the installer you are responsible for exercising good judgment when installing SunStar systems to protect the long term integrity of the collectors as well as the mounting surfaces ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Wire Ties Wire Nuts Sensor Wire Electrical Conduit ...

Page 5: ...st simultaneously be large enough strong enough and oriented in a way that will facilitate the best performance possible Ideally collectors should be located on a south facing pitched roof Western and eastern orientations are also acceptable with east facing systems producing more in the morning and west facing systems the afternoon Collectors should never be installed facing north in the northern...

Page 6: ...SUNSTAR RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION MANUAL 6 SYSTEM DESIGN SIZING CONTINUED ROOF ANCHOR SPACING STR 50 12 11 5 16 1 STR 40 10 107 8 1 STR 38 9 1011 16 1 STR 30 7 101 4 1 SUNSTAR ROOF ANCHOR SPACING Fig 1 ...

Page 7: ... flow rate of 40 GPM to any bank of collectors Below is a table displaying each model of Heliocol collector and the maximum bank size See Table 1 Banks of collectors may exceed the maximum limit provided so long as adequate pumping power and a means of flow balancing ball valves exist within the solar loop The maximum bank sizes should never be exceeded by more than 2 collectors for pool heating a...

Page 8: ...ed pool performance from the solar pool heating system Below Table 3 lists out total system flow rates and the minimum Sch 40 PVC pipe size to use For larger systems the main supply and return piping may be larger than the piping directly connected to each bank on collectors It is recommended that 2 Sch 40 PVC be used to connect directly to the collector banks Plumbing runs should be as short as p...

Page 9: ... series parallel plumbing or alternate connection to the pool may be employed For more information see the sections The Solar Collector and Collector Layout Plumbing later in this manual AUTOMATIC DRAINDOWN FREEZE PROTECTION The collectors piping should be installed in a manner that allows them to drain down by gravity when the pool pump shuts off This is especially important in areas of the count...

Page 10: ...on ground based structures offering a large amount of flexibility with system design Proprietary mounting hardware is used to mount the collectors to a variety of roof types and other structures SunStar collectors come in a variety of sizes and are configured into one or multiple collector banks to form a solar pool heating system The size quantity and arrangement of the collectors is used to dete...

Page 11: ... ft2 1 500 BTU ft2 1 000 BTU ft2 Water Temp Minus Air Temp A 9 85 43 65 09 48 82 B 9 40 68 24 41 8 14 C 36 4 07 0 0 D 90 0 0 0 Thousands of BTU s per day per panel STR 38 Solar Insolation Category T F 2 000 BTU ft2 1 500 BTU ft2 1 000 BTU ft2 Water Temp Minus Air Temp A 9 77 03 58 69 44 02 B 9 36 68 22 01 7 34 C 36 3 67 0 0 D 90 0 0 0 Thousands of BTU s per day per panel STR 30 Solar Insolation Ca...

Page 12: ...collectors It contains the parts necessary to connect the collectors to the feed and return lines 2 Panel Clamps Top Bottom Latch Gasket 2 Pipe Connectors 2 End Caps ROW SPACER KIT One of these kits is required if you need to bypass a vent pipe or obstacle larger than 6 It is also used to connect collectors into one row that are on different roof levels or that are facing different directions It c...

Page 13: ...810 018 Panel Clamp Latch 2 1810 017 Panel Clamp Gasket 2 1810 005 Pipe Connector 1 5115 028 Ball Valve 2 3020 001 0 60 PSI Pressure Gauge 2 1810 007 Pin Insert Tool 2 1910 008 1 4 Chisel 2 1810 029 Vacuum Breaker 2 1020 007 Repair Plugs 2 2015 064 Two Way Valve 1 5060 021 3 8 x 4 Stainless Steel Lag Bolt 2 1810 007 2 1910 008 2 1810 005 1 5115 028 2 3020 001 Pressure Test T Assembly 2 1810 003 2 ...

Page 14: ...not feasible it is important to use balancing valves through the system to ensure balanced flow to all collectors and avoid short circuiting any point in the system 3 Systems should always have a means to drain down from the roof preferably automatically by gravity when the pump shuts off For systems that cannot automatically drain a means of manual drainage should be installed as required Never c...

Page 15: ...SUNSTAR RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION MANUAL 15 COLLECTOR LAYOUT PLUMBING CONTINUED Fig 2 1 SINGLE ROW Fig 2 2 DOUBLE ROW Fig 2 3 SINGLE ROW SPLIT FEED ...

Page 16: ...RN END CAP END CAP END CAP FIGURE 5 5 SERIES PARALLEL FEED FIGURE 5 4 SERIES FEED RETURN FEED END CAP END CAP END CAP FEED END CAP END CAP RETURN END CAP END CAP END CAP FIGURE 5 5 SERIES PARALLEL FEED FIGURE 5 4 SERIES FEED Fig 6 4 SERIES FEED Fig 6 5 SERIES PARALLEL FEED Fig 2 4 SERIES FEED Fig 2 5 SERIES PARALLEL FEED Fig 2 6 DOUBLE ROW ...

Page 17: ...lds meet Fig 3 A 2 Clean the groove of both manifolds 3 Spray the gasket with silicone and insert it into the groove of one of the manifolds Make sure that the gasket is fully seated into the manifold groove by pushing firmly with your thumb all the way around the gasket Fig 3 B 4 Place the bottom half of the plastic collector clamp under the collector manifold with the hook portion of the collect...

Page 18: ...ector manifolds Squeeze the top and bottom portions of the collector clamp together using channel lock pliers and lock both halves of the clamp together using the latch Fig 3 E F NOTE Slide large end of locking clip over small end of plastic collector clamp assembly 7 Use channel lock pliers to tighten the clip grip by squeezing it with reasonable force until it seats flush or even slightly farthe...

Page 19: ...owever is to ensure no harm is done to the structural integrity or weatherproofing of the host roof It is highly recommended that approved roof sealants and flashings be used when making any roof penetrations Top Mounting Pad Fig 4 Panel Header Top L Latch Top Panel Clamp Bottom Panel Clamp Gasket Top S roof mounting pad left Bottom S roof mounting pad right 2 mounting pads required for each side ...

Page 20: ...onnect collector manifolds together with a Plastic Panel Clamp PPC and slide the mounting pad onto the track before mounting Fig 5 B If the mounting location at a truss does not align with the middle third of a mounting track then use one of the methods described in the section following this one 5 Direct mounting application NOTE While direct mounting Mounting Pad to the roof has been common prac...

Page 21: ...eel off the protective paper and firmly press the RT Mini onto the roof making sure the butyl sealant has adequate contact with the roof surface Slide the stainless steel 20 HWH bolt into the top slot in the RT Mini Fig 6 A e If mounting into the roof truss install the 2 included M5 x 60 mm 10 x 2 375 wood screws through the two holes in the center of the mount If deck mounting then 5 screws are r...

Page 22: ...mounting pads on the mounting tracks opposite those on the upper manifold The bottom mounting pads should be mounted in the same way and mirror those on the upper manifold See details later in this manual on how the bottom mounting pad assembly functions 9 Slide the bottom mounting pads onto the tracks opposite the top mounting pads These should be aligned along the same truss 10 Pipe supports sho...

Page 23: ...here are a variety of other roofs types that may be encountered in the field Concrete tile metal and low slope roofing are less common but are still able to support SunStar systems These roof types will require different strategies and mounting hardware please contact your Heliocol representative for assistance NOTE Heliocol systems should always be mechanically attached to the host structure The ...

Page 24: ...folds and the spacer bars closest to the manifolds Spreading the riser tubes out close to the manifold places too much stress on them and could cause damage and or leaks 3 Unsnap the riser tubes at the obstruction from the spacer bar 4 Spread half of the tubes to the right and half to the left of the obstruction 5 Use zip ties around the bundles of tubes to keep them in place around the obstructio...

Page 25: ... section on Connecting Collectors Together 2 Cut two lengths of PVC pipe long enough to overcome the gap created by the obstruction 3 Cement the PVC pipe to the CPVC Pipe Connectors as shown in Fig 8 This should be done on both the top and bottom manifolds 4 If the distance between the collectors is over 4 a pipe support should be used on both pipes to prevent sagging PPC ASSEMBLY PPC ASSEMBLY CPV...

Page 26: ...ntrolled expansion and contraction can lead to pipe ruptures and damage to other system components COLLECTORS SunStar collectors are designed to allow for normal vertical expansion contraction along the riser tubes using the mounting hardware design for the collector The Top Mounting Pads are designed to be a fixed position for the collector while Bottom Mounting Pads are designed to be a secure c...

Page 27: ...tor of a bank may be locked in place by locating the mounting pad in place and using a heavy duty zip ties on either side of the mounting pad The zip ties should be fed through the slots in the mounting track and tightened that the track and mounting pad are locked in place See Fig 9 3 2 Repeat this with at the bottom manifold with Bottom Mounting Pad Do not use this procedure more than once on an...

Page 28: ... line will be connected to the top manifold on the opposite end of the bank This provides the heated pool water with the shortest path back to the pool 2 End caps will be located on the unused corners of the collector bank s Attach the end caps using the PPC sets as described in the section on Connecting Collectors Together Fig 11 Fig 10 Panel Clamp Header CPVC Pipe Connector 1 PVC Stub End Cap A ...

Page 29: ... a vacuum relief valve to the collector bank the end cap on the upper manifold may be replaced by a CPVC connector with a female threaded adaptor to accept the vacuum relief valve 4 The CPVC Pipe Connector allows a 1 PVC fittings to be inserted into the socket or 2 PVC fittings to be fit over it Multi purpose cement used for cementing CPVC to PVC should be used when attaching PVC fittings or pipe ...

Page 30: ...cess for the feed line manifold connection and face the elbow down away from the bank Fig 12 2 Determine where the feed and return piping will transition over the eave or edge of the roof 3 Measure the distance from the return elbow down to the location of the next transition either over the edge of the roof or to the next elbow Be sure to include the depth of the fitting socket s in your measurem...

Page 31: ...SUNSTAR RESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION MANUAL 31 INTERMEDIATE PLUMBING CONTINUED Fig 12 ...

Page 32: ...y Valve Non Positive Seal Ball Valve TO SOLAR COLLECTOR Cool RETURN FROM SOLAR COLLECTOR Warm TO ROOF SENSOR Valve Actuator Wire Install before this point Chlorinator Heater Other Pool Accessories optional FROM POOL Cool RETURN TO POOL Hot TO POOL SENSOR Pump Filter Pressure Test Kit used here to pressure test the system NEW PLUMBING EXISTING PLUMBING ...

Page 33: ...heck valve etc Isolation valves two way ball valves etc should be included on the supply and return lines 1 Ensure that the pool system is turned off and isolated if possible 2 Locate a point in the filtration line after the filter and prior to any other pool equipment to make the interconnection for the solar loop See Fig 13 1 Pool equipment that has been plumbed tightly together may require sign...

Page 34: ... reducer bushing NOTE The vacuum relief valve may also be installed at the collector bank The end cap on the upper manifold may be replaced by a CPVC connector with a female threaded adaptor to accept the vacuum relief valve NOTE If not installing the vacuum relief valve on the supply line a tee should still be installed with a threaded reducer bushing to facilitate pressure testing A threaded plu...

Page 35: ... solar collectors or piping using a roofing screw and sealant The sensor element needs to be in contact with the roof surface to read an accurate temperature 4 Use approved sensor wiring and connect the roof temperature sensor to the controller per manufacturer instructions 5 Install a pool water sensor into the pool filtration piping The sensor should be installed in a location that allows it to ...

Page 36: ...d use the garden hose to fill the system 4 Once the solar loop is completely full of water turn off the pool pump and or turn the three way diverter valve to bypass the solar loop Quickly turn off the isolation valves on both the feed and return lines 5 Turn on the water to the garden hose and open the ball valve on the Pressure Test T assembly until the pressure gauge reads 40 50 PSI and then tur...

Page 37: ...collectors are mounted properly and that all roof penetrations have been flashed and or sealed as required by governing codes 6 Ensure all collector riser tubes are snapped into the spacer bars except where they circumvent obstructions 7 Ensure that collector riser tubes are NOT rubbing on the roof surface between the spacer bars If they are adjust the spacer bars as needed to prevent this or the ...

Page 38: ...00 AM to 4 00 PM but this will vary with geographical location and time of year 6 When the solar pool heating system is running you should notice A slightly higher pressure reading on the filter pressure gauge If the sun is out warmer water should be coming into the pool This water should be 3 5 F warmer than the surrounding pool temperature All the collectors should feel cool to the touch when th...

Page 39: ...in the controller 3 Turn the control mode to auto 4 The controller will now control the operation of the solar pool heating system by turning the three way diverter valve via the actuator motor depending on the temperature sensor readings The controller will send water to the solar loop when the roof sensor is some number of degree warmer than the pool water sensor and when the pool water is below...

Page 40: ... solar D If you have a clear lid on the pump and can see air bubbles in the trap run water over the lid and each joint individually to see if the air bubbles will clear up using a garden hose If there is not a clear lid listen to pump noise for a smoother operation repair any air leaks 2 If the vacuum breaker is installed on the roof there is not enough water pressure in the solar system to keep t...

Page 41: ...of the panels Warm panels indicate low water flow Install issue A If the system is a single row array and there is adequate flow use the HBV on the return line to throttle the flow back to produce more back pressure on the system This will even out the flow through the panels If the array contains more panels than the maximum recommended on page 7 of this manual change the array to a double row or...

Page 42: ...damage THE 3 WAY OR BALL VALVE WILL NOT TURN Internal parts need to be lubricated or replaced If the valve has a grease fitting turn it clockwise to inject grease into valve then turn the diverter past the grease fitting to spread the grease If the grease fitting is dry fill it with silicone grease If there is not a fitting disassemble valve and lubricate with silicone grease Replace worn or broke...

Page 43: ...lugs The repair tool kit consists of a 1 4 repair chisel an insert tool and a PVC carrying case Follow instructions for repair 1 Utilizing the repair chisel cut the damaged riser as close as possible to the header carefully avoiding damaging adjacent riser The sloped side of the chisel should face away from the header 2 Spray the shaft of the insert tool and the rubber insert with silicone spray I...

Page 44: ...rt tool Using your fingers or channel lock pliers push a poly insert into the rubber insert as far as you can 4 Cut the riser tube to the desired length and slide it over the stub of the poly insert for a straight eye pleasing fit 5 Repeat steps 1 4 for the other end of the riser tube At the opposite header ...

Page 45: ...FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR ISSUES PLEASE CONTACT YOUR UMA SALES REPRESENTATIVE 800 79 SOLAR www umasolar com ...

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