Shifting Solutions

Lifting it up and lining it up was relatively easy, except that the holes in the middle didn’t line up with the bolts in the middle rail. So we removed the lag screw at the bottom of that rail and moved it over until everything lined up.

The left and right ends attach to brackets on the rails with sheet metal screws into the side of the collector casing (see below right). I used stainless steel screws throughout.

So far it has taken the 4 of us about 45 minutes and the job looks really neat. The plumbing will connect at the right end and go

through the wall into the house at the bottom corner of the collectors. From there the umbilical will drop down the corner and into the basement. From there it’s another 12 feet across the ceiling to the water heater.

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The last thing to install is the PV panel that will power the circulation pump. I was able to hand it out the bedroom window and hold it in place while John and Tom secured it to the wall with long stainless steel screws. I decided on a low tilt angle that will optimize the winter sun.

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Thanks to the use of John’s staging the job was complete in an hour and no humans were hurt in the process! It’s great to have so many experienced and helpful friends and neighbors!

The final appearance is even more pleasing that we expected. The design integrates architecturally very nicely! The angled surfaces the black absorber plates inside the collectors even line up with the siding and look like a continued line.

See

For the curious – here’s how the collectors interconnect. The clever patented plumbing scheme allows them to interconnect

in a variety of ways and locate the inlet/outlet on one end.

After the guys left, I stapled the PV wire down and also added a ground wire to connect the frame of the PV to the collectors. I used a star washer under the electrical terminal to ensure good electrical connection.

Someone has since pointed out that I should secure the ground to the actual frame of the PV with a bolt that threads right into the frame – not just the mounting bracket. I’ll probably change that next time I’m up there. Since the copper pipe in the collectors will all be grounded to the house plumbing I was thinking that grounding the frames was secondary for the collectors anyway.

I will run a ground wire down to a ground rod below the PV later. I have learned the hard way that grounding is essential. I will also splice the PV wire to the orange power cable later. That wire will run all the way to the pump above the water heater.

At http://www.shiftingsolutionsllc.com you can explore books and related articles to this and other sustainable living ideas, helps and tips. Find books on sustainability and green construction and more along with solar garden lights, solar chargers and back packs and so much else at one easy site. find articles on grants and taxes, wind power generators and other fun to build projects.

Tomorrow We talk about Day 7

1. Installation of a solar assisted water heating system – part 7 … | Solar General Says:
   January 20th, 2010 at 9:22 pm

   [...] See the rest here:  Installation of a solar assisted water heating system – part 7 … [...]