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It has long been the basis of solar pool heat design to have an opposite end feed and return. In fact, it’s published in several books and manuals about solar pool heating. This is not the case with FAFCO brand solar pool heating panels, which can be installed with same side feed and return. The downside is greatly increased backpressure. Opposite end feed and return simply means that the plumbing that brings up to the solar panels and connects to the lower header is connected at the opposite end of the bank of solar panels from where the plumbing connects to the return line toRead More →

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I finally got around to installing my Pentair SunTouch Solar Controller at my Fort Myers home. I don’t have solar pool heat (yet), so I have been procrastinating. Why install a SunTouch without a solar pool heating system? Because it does so much more than just control a solar valve! The SunTouch is made to work with an actuator to automatically turn solar pool heating on and off based on the desired temperature and the available heat on the roof. Here are several great reasons to install a SunTouch Controller: It’s a great compliment to my Pentair Variable Speed Pump (VS-3050). The SunTouch takes overRead More →

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When you’ve got it all, things can get pretty complicated. Solar pool heat plumbing with a heat pump and a spa can result in a spaghetti factory of plumbing at your pool equipment. Pictured below is an Estero, FL system containing: Solar Pool Heat Auxiliary Electric Heat Pump Pool and Spa with Blower Combination Cartridge Filter Pool Drain Valve Aqualink automatic controller Landscape lighting The good news is that the automatic controller does just about everything you can expect to control the pool and spa heating automatically. The only user intervention required is to set desired temperatures and priorities for heating sources. The owner mayRead More →

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In Southwest Florida’s upscale communities, you find homes with lots of small, broken up, hip roof surfaces. Roof layouts can be very challenging for solar energy systems, especially because we are targeting the south facing roofs to maximize performance. Solar water heating systems come in various sizes, but are all generally rectangular in shape. On almost any roof we can find a suitable location for a solar water heating (SDHW) system. Some roofs are simply not suitable for larger solar pool heating panels, but can accommodate solar water heating or solar photovoltaic systems. While installation can be more challenging on smaller roofs, it’s absolutely possibleRead More →

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What does the Acronym SPH stand for? SPH = Solar Pool Heat a.k.a Solar Pool Heat SPH is an acronym for Solar Pool Heat or Solar Pool Heating systems. SPH systems use polymer solar panels to heat pool water. SPH systems use solar thermal technology and do not produce electricity. Solar Pool Heating systems circulate pool water through the solar panels to transfer solar radiation to the pool, increasing water temperatures.

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If you have a solar pool heating system, your dealer may mention the manifold. This is just a set of valves that control the flow of water in your solar pool heating system. The function of the solar pool heat manifold is to turn you solar on or off by bypassing the solar panels when necessary. Your manifold may or may not include isolation valves to isolate the solar panels in the event that the system must be serviced. Let’s take a look at an example manifold. The one pictured below includes two high quality Jandy brand isolation valves, a Jandy brand bypass valve, andRead More →

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What does the Acronym PV stand for? PV = Photovoltaic a.k.a Solar Electric Panel, Solar Photovoltaic Panel PV is the term used in the solar industry to shorten the tongue-twisting word Photovoltaic, which describes a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect (Photovoltaics, 2012). The photovoltaic effect is how electricity (voltage and current) is generated from light. The term is often used in the context of PV Panels, PV Modules, or PV Systems.     References “Photovoltaics.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 Jan 2012. Web. 22 Jan 2012.

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After years of seemingly nothing but tile roofs being installed in Southwest Florida, metal roofs are getting popular again. The longevity, durability, and energy efficiency of metal roofs are great selling points, and they look great, coming in many profiles and colors. The metal roof is known for protecting roofs against leaks, and minimizing penetrations is very important for roof warranties and customer peace of mind. There is an aluminum clamp called an S-5! that attaches solar panels to the standing seam of metal roofs without penetrating the metal. The strength of these clamps is amazing. Test results on many roof profiles indicate that theyRead More →

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What does the Acronym SDHW stand for? SDHW = Solar Domestic Hot Water a.k.a Solar Water Heating, Solar Water Panels SDHW is the term used in the solar industry to describe solar water heating collectors (panels) or systems. Several types of SDHW exist, including flat plat collectors made of copper heat exchangers in aluminum and glass enclosures, heat pipe collectors with copper pipe enclosed in evacuated (vacuum) glass tubes, and polymer collectors like the Fafco Revolution SDHW system.

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Solar water heating systems obviously heat water only during the day when solar radiation is hitting the solar collector. You might realize why it is important for Solar Water Heating Systems to store water, but to what extent should this be considered? In North America, most hot water is consumed in the morning, presumably for personal hygiene. The second most water is consumed in the evening, as people clean the kitchen and prepare for bed. This creates a scenario where hot water is required at times when the most energy is not available. Much of the water stored in a tank may be exhausted inRead More →

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I had a little fun creating this video from an older post about how you need different solar panels for different tasks. One solar panel can’t do it all – at least, not as effectively as panels designed for a specific purpose. Let me know what you think of this animated video. No Flash Player? View Here: http://www.youtube.com/v/GAA3BYpdPww I’m toying with the idea of creating some how-to videos using XtraNormal… just for fun.      

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One great feature of the Pentair Intelliflo Variable Speed Pump is the self-priming option. The pump is sent from the factory with this option on. However, because the pump runs at maximum power at start up, it is very loud and some people are bothered by it. If your pump is located outside a bedroom or office, you may be annoyed by the sound when the pump starts. My pump never loses prime, so I am not concerned with the priming feature. When I clean my filter basket I may need to prime the pump again, but that is easy to accomplish by selecting oneRead More →

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A solar water heating project for the Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation is in Cape Coral at the Coconut Apartments. Each of the two multi-tenant buildings have four dwelling units with three 2’x8′ solar water heating collectors per unit. Installation of the solar panels just started, and here’s the day one picture of the first building. Like the Broadway Apartments project, the panels are mounted on rails attached to the standing seam metal roof with non-penetrating S-5 clamps. Can you spot anything wrong with this photo?

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I’m at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Broadway Apartments affordable housing project where we have 40 solar water heating systems installed. This is the largest polymer solar collector water heating project in Florida! Solar water heating will reduce the electric bills for residents of the two-building multi-tenant property. The goal of the project is to provide affordable housing that features low utility bills in a LEED Platinum facility. The solar water heating systems were one part of the LEED criteria that allowed the Broadway Apartments to achieve Platinum status. The Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation reports that previous residents are already asking forRead More →

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My employer has installed lots of Canadian Solar photovoltaic modules, and now the company is improving its already great warranty. New solar panel buyers will get a 10 year workmanship warranty (up from 6) and a 25 year linear power guarantee. Many module manufacturers offer a 10 year 80% power output guarantee and 25 year 90% guarantee. Canadian Solar was on par with this standard, but the linear warranty guarantees that you will now have at least 97% of rated output after one year, with only 0.7% degradation each year after that. This is a great upgrade that more and more companies are offering asRead More →