Shifting Solutions

Day four and five ” It is like a puzzle with a number of options for connecting the parts”

I decided to run the wire that goes to the PV panel through the mounting rails to keep it out of sight and reduce the weather exposure. This 50 foot wire will follow the plumbing umbilical run all the way to the solar powered pump above the water heater.

There is also a small sensor mounted to the end of the expansion tank that responds to a float in the tank. If the tank level falls too low, this sensor lights a small red light n the home. I ran this wire through holes in the rails too.

I spent over an hour looking at the manual to get it clear in my head how the Solar Wand plumbing will assemble together after it is installed on the hot water tank. It is like a puzzle with a number of options for connecting the parts. Again I am impressed by the considerable attention to detail and the unique and unorthodox plumbing design.

This system has the “fingerprints” of an inventor who thinks outside the box and reminds me of my own design methodology!

The day before installing the collectors, my neighbor John Rogers (in the red shirt) came by to look over the equipment and discuss installation strategy. He is an experienced home builder, and he helped convince me that using ladders would be trouble. So we went over to his place and got his fancy aluminum staging equipment and put it up in preparation for the next day. This is very cool equipment and will definitely make the job mu ch simpler!

John quickly mounted the support brackets to my window frames with 1/4″ lag screws while I steadied the ladder and handed him tools. That’s me in the white shirt! Since the platform remains several inches from the wall we will be able to lift the collectors up between the staging and the wall. This will really make the job easier, and having a work platform while attaching the mounts and finalizing the plumbing will be very helpful!