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Silicon Solar IncInnovat ive Solar Solut ions TM
Ph: (800) 653-8540 Fax: (866) 746-5508 Silicon Solar 2917 St Hwy
7, Bainbridge NY 13733
www.siliconsolar.com
SunMaxxInnovative Solutions
How To Deal With Excess Heat from Your Solar Collectors
A solar hot water system should have a good way to disperse
potential excess heat.This is particularly important in systems
that incorporate solar water into the heatingsystems of the home.
These systems will need to provide enough hot water to at
leastpartially heat the home in the winter months, but they will
produce much more hotwater during the summer when the demand for
hot water in the home decreases
Solar collectors should never stagnate in the sun. Such
stagnation will cause the waterin the collector loop to become very
hot, which will build pressure and eventuallydamage the system.
Therefore, because the solar collectors and domestic hot waterare
used year round, it is wise to integrate a heat dump to disperse
excess heat withinthe system.
properly angle the solar collectors in a south facing direction,
so that the collectors
o o
The second mechanism that helps the system cope with high
temperatures is theoperation of the temperature and pressure relief
valve. Every domestic hot water tankis required to have a relief
valve that is designed to open when temperatures reacharound 200 F,
thus easing the pressure that has built inside of the system.
However,
to protect the system from being damaged by heat and pressure.
If this valve isoverused, it will likely begin to leak which could
create a whole other host of problems.
The real hero of heat dispersion is the heat dump, which is a
reliable and lost cost
operate together to monitor a systems temperature level and
regulate it accordingly.Sensors are connected to a control device
that opens the solenoid valve when thesensors record high
temperatures. The hot water can be diverted down a drain, into ao o
o
can be used.
7/30/2019 Heat Dumps
2/2
Silicon Solar IncInnovat ive Solar Solut ions TM
Ph: (800) 653-8540 Fax: (866) 746-5508 Silicon Solar 2917 St Hwy
7, Bainbridge NY 13733
www.siliconsolar.com
SunMaxxInnovative Solutions
How To Deal With Excess Heat from Your Solar Collectors
continued
If you have a pool or spa, it is probably most economical to
divert you excess heat to it. o
you have to do is connect a bypass to the solar loop heat
exchanger, so that openingthe bypass will start the heating process
as seen below. For this application, it isnecessary to use a
stainless steel heat exchanger to protect against the corrosive
If you enjoy the feeling of relaxing in the hot tub, or making a
splash in your pool, justimagine the feeling you would have knowing
that you heated the water usingrenewable energy that didnt cost you
a dime while youre working on your tan.
But pools are not the only way to cool an overheated system. You
can run loops from
o can even use the heat exchanger salvaged from an old air
conditioning unit. The
preserve any anti-freeze in the solar loop, as well as to save
water.
