P.5
fuel. The installation of an optional water heater
time switch allows you to control both the fre-
quency and duration of supplemental electric
resistance water heating. Supplemental electric
heat may not be required for much of the year
depending upon your specific requirements,
thus providing an effective third mode of opera-
tion – 100% solar.
Section 6 provides instructions for setting the
system for automatic operation in each of these
two modes.
The propylene glycol HTF protects your
SolaRay AC solar system against freezing.
SunEarth suggests Dowfrost HD which can
provide reliable freeze protection at tempera-
tures as low as minus 60° Fahrenheit if properly
applied and maintained.
Use of uninhibited propylene glycol, ethylene
glycol, plain water or any mixture of these
fluids as the HTF in this system is strictly pro-
hibited.
Propylene glycol can degrade over time. The
process of degradation is accelerated in presence
of oxygen and/or heat. We strongly encourage
you to establish a preventative maintenance
schedule with your installation contractor. The
HTF pH level must be maintained between 8
and 10 in order to prevent glycol oxidation and
corrosion of the collector piping. SunEarth’s
collector warranty specifically excludes freeze
damage for any reason and absorber plate dam-
age resulting from the oxidation of the propyl-
ene glycol HTF.
In order to completely protect the integrity of
the solar collector and piping, the system is
designed to be drained manually if subject to
extended periods of disuse or persistent hard
freeze conditions below minus 60° Fahrenheit.
(See Sections 8.1 and 8.2)
3) INSTALLATION
REQUIREMENTS - GENERAL
3.1 Permits:
The contractor shall obtain all required permits
and approvals.
3.2 Codes, Ordinances and Standards:
The installation shall conform to all federal,
state and local regulations, codes, ordinances
and standards governing the installation of solar
water heating systems. The contractor shall
adhere to sound building safety and trade prac-
tices. Special consideration must be given to
building code requirements for roof loading and
the penetration of structural members as well as
fire rated assemblies.
3.3 Shading Considerations:
The collectors must be located in an area of the
roof that will not be shaded for the majority
of the day all year round. Adjacent buildings
and trees should be checked for possible winter
shading. The collector should not be shaded by
any permanent obstacle between 9:00 a.m. and
3:00 p.m. on any day of the year. An instru-
ment such as the Solar Pathfinder can be used
for solar site analysis.
3.4 Roof and Site Inspection:
Before the installation, the contractor shall
fig. 3
SIDE PITCH MOUNTING