Determine the installation services that your installer offers in-house. Some providers subcontract these services to reduce labor costs. A licensed electrician or plumber may be required to take out a permit and be responsible for all electrical connections on site. To reduce risk and protect all parties, you may decide to give preference to certain [...]
A number of factors are used to calculate the projected performance for your solar installation. Ensure the quote you obtain documents the following: Estimates the total costs of the solar equipment; Sets out the approximate life of the components (manufacturer’s warranty period). Indicates the potentially significant costs for replacement parts such as inverters or collectors [...]
Ask for a written accounting of the costs and certifications covered in the total estimate. We can help you with the incentive application (where applicable) We can verify if your order includes the required components. In other words, does the total cost estimate include a complete turnkey installation?
Installing solar technology is about much more than getting a system at the lowest cost. It is about analyzing your unique needs, coming up with the best overall solution, choosing the right components that are certified and labeled for use in your jurisdiction, installing them correctly and keeping the system running as expected. You want [...]
A heat dissipater is a heat coil (heat exchanger) that can be used to off load excessive heat. It is basically a radiator. This is normally placed outside the home and helps to remove heat from the hot water system in the summer months. By using a heat dissipater you can add more solar energy [...]
Yes you can, solar heating is becoming very popular! This it is call also the “hydronic” heating However with solar home heating you need to have a secondary heating source such as hot water, forced air electric, etc. You may also need a heat dissipater to off load your excess heat in summer months. Our [...]
Purpose-built "solar hot water tanks" can be very expensive. However, most installations use a residential domestic water heater. An electric version is preferred as it has existing top and bottom heater element ports that can be made into solar ports. For example you can buy a regular electric water heater at most hardware stores for [...]
For the hot side (collector to heat exchanger) we recommend the stainless steel corrugated pipe (1/2” or 3/4”). The copper pipe as it can withstand the high temperatures. 3/4" copper flex pipe is optimal and comes in rolls and is very easy to use. No experience in soldering is needed if you use compression fittings [...]
Thermo-siphon is the natural convection process that results from hotter fluids rising to the top. You can heat a hot water tank without the need for a pump. As hotter heated water rises to the top it is replaced by colder water sinking to the bottom or drawn from elsewhere.
ISCS stands for Integrated Solar Control System. This is the summary of devices, sensors and actuators, all integrated into one, easy to manage system. The ISCS allows do-it-yourselfers to easily build a solar heating system. The ISCS contain the fill/drain valve, pressure valve, expansion tank, pump, digital controller, heat exchanger, flow meter, pressure meter, one [...]
