Pressure gauge placement for solar?

[MJF54]

I'm installing a solar panel and the manufacturer recommends a maximum pressure of 21 psi for the panel.

i will have a home made pvc 3 valve diverter rather than a 3-way valve for the system and am not sure if the pressure gauge should be placed on the feed line or the return line for the panel to get the most accurate readings? I intend to place the gauge at the diverter, just after the filter. The panel will be 30-40 feet away

Thanks,
Mike

 

[duraleigh]

Unless I am mistaken, the pressure will be identical throughout your system so placement of the gauge is not important.

 

[Isaac-1]

Ok, first off you want pressure at the panels to be as LOW as possible, to maximize panel life, there is a good article or two on this at h2otsun.com

Hot Sun Industries Case Study Rigid Solar Pool Heating Panel Issues with Pressure and Variable Speed Pumps

They have a section in one of their pdf manuals also that goes into locating a pressure gauge after the solar diverter valve and subtracting the pressure from the height of the water column to get pressure level at the panels.

Ike

p.s. I have a flow meter and pressure gauge set up for my panels after my diverter valve here is a photo
(note wrap around plumbing layout was needed due to existing equipment, holes in wall, plumbing, etc.)

Also if you look carefully in the photo you can see I have a water flow of about 40 GPM and a pressure of about 8 psi, top of panels are located 16 feet higher than gauge so about 7 psi of water column (14.7 psi for every 34 ft water column fresh water)

 

[Isaac-1]

You might also want to read this Solar Pool Heating Challenges: Cheap Solar

 

[MJF54]

Thanks,
The panel will be on the ground, I won't have to add for water column. Normal pressure on the filter is 20 psi so I think I am splitting a fine hair here. Just want to make sure I get max flow without bursting the panel/ causing leaks etc.

Mike