Solar panel question (is this series or parallel??)(picture)

[rcy]

Just wondering if this installation is series or parallel? It's hard to tell from the picture, and it's too dark for me to check now, but I 'think' the supply goes to the top of the upper panels, out the bottom of the upper panels then to the top of the lower panels, and the return line comes out of the bottom of the lower panels and back to the pool.

 

[JasonLion]

Re: Solar panel question (is this series or parallel??)(pict

It is difficult to be sure from this angle, but that looks like all the panels are in parallel. It is difficult to say for sure, It is possible that there are two parallel banks, upper and lower, which are in series.

I am a little concerned that the plumbing appears to go up and then down and then up again in places. If so, the panels will not fully drain. But again, I can't see everything so it is difficult to be sure.

 

[rcy]

Re: Solar panel question (is this series or parallel??)(pict

There is a drain valve at the bottom right hand corner (it drains into the gutter).

I'm going to have a better look when it's daylight (maybe binoculars), but I'm almost sure that the supply comes in from the left, goes to the top of the upper panels, feeds all four panels, exits the bottom of the upper panels and goes then to the top of the lower panels and feeds all five panels. Finally, it returns from the bottom of the lower panels back out and up to the left (this is the pipe you see running up from the bottom of the lower panels). If this is indeed how the water flows, is it the most efficient setup? You can't see in the picture but the supply line and return line are both coming from the left side of the roof, supply line above the return line.

(If you right click then click on 'view image', you can get a bigger picture (you can zoom the new image after right clicking)