DESIGNING YOUR SYSTEM
THE SOLAR SYSTEM LAYOUT
Magen eco-Spark
®
Installation manual. © 2012, all rights reserved
P a g e
|
9
DESIGNING YOUR SYSTEM
This chapter describes the factors you need to take into account when designing your system, and the
process planning of the systems' structure.
During all stages of the design and construction keep in mind that you want to produce a system for the
customer that will be as efficient and as AESTHETICALLY PLEASING as possible.
THE SOLAR SYSTEM LAY OUT
The first thing to do is determine the location of your solar heating system. The following factors must be
taken into account.
COLLECTOR AREA
The total panel area must be large enough to heat the pool efficiently. In addition to the pool's surface area,
the exact optimum size depends on many factors such as: solar radiation intensity, climate, latitude, roof
orientation, slope, winds, pool cover (at night), pool volume and shading.
An approximate “rule of thumb” is to allow for a collector area equal to 60% of the pool's surface.
PROXIMITY TO POOL
The panels need to be as close to the pool as possible to reduce heat loss in the plumbing and
eliminate the need for an additional pump.
LOCATION & ORIENTATION
Ideally the collectors should be mounted on a flat or tilted roof or on an elevated ground mounted rack,
facing south (in the North Hemisphere). Where necessary, East facing or west facing roofs can be used (in
that order of preference). If you have to mount collectors on a north facing slope, it is recommended to
construct a reverse rack.
Tip:
For ideal self-cleaning of the glazing it is recommended to install the collector at a
minimum
angle
of 15
0
.
How to locate the collector on the selected roof? The lower side of the collector is the side where the
Stoppers are connected. Stopper (Cat Num. 1233160) is attached to the edges of every single module (8 in
total) and mounted to the unglazed tubes. The stoppers eliminate the possibility of the glazing moving due
to thermal expansion/contraction and contribute to the collectors' strength and stability.
IMPORTANT
: A collector should be installed so the stoppers are located on the lower part of the
collector. A system that will be installed differently will function less efficiently.
