Solar Plumbing Layout ?s

[mas985]

Yea, that's fine. It really isn't that important how you do it just that the supply and return are tied together somewhere. Are you planning to tie the solar return into the heater supply or the heater return?

 

[jblizzle]

Heater is not connected and currently no plan to add it as I think it is starting to rust out.

I had originally planned to add a few tees to connect the heater with a bypass between ... thus all the extra straight pipe which also had room for the SWG and flow switch.

Seems easier at this point to put the solar bypass at the house which is pretty far from the pad, but it is not there to reduce head loss.

Don't you have a small pump? Why did you decide to add the small bypass? Did you panels not need the flow?

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[mas985]

From my estimates, I had about 52 GPM going though a 450 sq-ft panel when I needed only 45 GPM. As it turns out, the panels need close to 45 GPM for priming so I set the valve so the panels just prime. If they would prime at lower GPM, I would drop it down further to sacrifice solar efficiency for pump efficiency. I am only bypassing about 20% of the flow rate but I gain an additional 4 GPM by bypassing.

 

[jblizzle]

From an efficiency standpoint,I suppose putting the bypass at the pad would be better ... no reason to pump the bypass water all the way to the house just to come back.

But just realized my thought above won't work because when the solar was off, the water would go the other way through the small pipe into the solar supply line since it would bypass the solar valve.

I will have to see what is available as far as straight pipe.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short