EcoStor2™ SC Solar Indirect System Double-
Wall Single Coil Gas Backup Models
• Uses gas burner for backup when solar energy
does not meet hot water demand
• Electronic temperature sensor in upper portion
of tank allows maximum use of solar power
• Double wall heat exchanger located in lower
portion of tank optimizes heating performance
and provides protection between surrounding
water and heating fluid
• Atmospheric venting provides easy replacement
for existing water heaters
EcoStor2™ SC Solar Indirect System
Double-Wall Single Coil Power Vent
Gas Backup Models
• Same design features as atmospheric
vent models but with a powerful, quiet
blower motor for venting flexibility
EcoStor2™ SC Solar Indirect System
Double-Wall Single Coil Eco-Defender
Gas Backup Models
• Uses the Eco-Defender Safety System® Ultra
Low NOx gas burner as backup when solar
energy does not meet hot water demand
• State-of-the-art radiant burner
reduces NOx emissions by 75%
• Incorporates the latest advances in
technology to meet the most stringent air
quality requirements for allowable NOx
emissions in the country
www.bradfordwhite.com
EcoStor™ SC Solar Indirect System Single-Wall Solar Saver® Models
Single Coil Electric Backup Models • For open system applications
• Single-wall heat exchanger provides fast and efficient where water from a solar
water heating from the solar collector collector is pumped into tank
• Available with single or dual electric element for backup • Directly heats the potable water
• Dual element models can provide a full tank of hot (no internal heat exchanger coil)
water when solar heating is not available • Alternate collector supply and
return connections provided for
installation flexibility
EcoStor2™ SC Solar Indirect System Double-
Wall Single Coil Electric Backup Models
• Double-wall heat exchanger allows heated water from All EcoStor™ models feature an Integrated
a solar collector to flow through the coil and provides Mixing Device that allows for higher
additional protection required in certain municipalities stored water temperatures and sensor
and applications wires for solar thermistor connections.
• Available with single or dual electric element for backup
With so many types of solar water
• Dual element models can provide a full tank of hot
heating solutions to choose from,
water when solar heating is not available
Bradford White is
now the center of
EcoStor™ DC Solar Indirect System Dual your solar system!
Coil Heat Exchanger Backup Models
• Dual heat exchanger design provides superior For full details on
installation flexibility the entire line of
• Allows combination heat source systems to Bradford White solar
operate independently or simultaneously water heaters, ask your
• Top heat exchanger coil is single-wall; lower
Bradford White representative or
heat exchanger coil is double-wall
wholesaler for the Solar Water
• Typical applications: solar, boiler, wood burner,
Heating Solutions Brochure.
geothermal or space heating
| Built to be the Best™ | To Find A Wholesaler Call 800.523.2931
©2010, Bradford White Corporation. All rights reserved.
Circle 403
Choose FlexSure® solar tubing for a stellar
connection between solar thermal panels
and your hot water storage tank.

BENEFITS OF FLEXSURE SOLAR TUBING

• Continuous runs allow for bending around
corners and obstacles
• Minimal energy loss through tubing because
of high R-value insulation
• Closed cell elastomeric EPDM insulation
• Tough cover stands up to installation conditions
• 316L corrugated stainless steel tubing
• Self-flaring, reusable fitting: No special
tools required
• Pre-insulated tubing saves time and money
• Made in the USA

Call 1-888-353-9471 or visit www.flexsure.net

FlexSure® – Flexible Stainless Steel Tubing Systems
Titeflex Corporation
603 Hendee Street • Springfield, MA 01104
Circle 400
 Contents Solar Heating R
eport Spring 2010
15 4

4 Features
4 On The Cover: The Italian Job
The challenges of installing solar radiant
heating in an 800-year-old mill.

9 Thermal Handoffs, Part 1

Inside the fundamentals of heat exchangers in
solar thermal systems.

12 Photovoltaic = Sexy Solar

Thermal Solar = Not So Much
Thermal solar systems can do a big job at a
relatively low installed cost.

Departments
eport
Solar Heating R 15 Information Showcase
AD INDEX 15 Solar Heating Products
16 Reader Service Card 15
ADVERTISER PHONE WEBSITE RAC PAGE

Bradford White Corp. (215) 641-9400 www.bradfordwhite.com 403 IFC

IAPMO (909) 472-4100 www.iapmo.org 404 7

PAW (508) 943-4240 www.paw.eu 406 14

Stiebel Eltron Inc. (800) 582-8423 www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com 405 BC

Taco Inc. (401) 942-8000 www.taco-hvac.com 401 3

The Noble Co. (231) 799-8000 www.noblecompany.com 407 6

Titeflex Corp. (888) 353-9471 www.flexsure.net 400 1

Viega (800) 976-9819 www.viega.com 409 13

Viessmann Mfg. (800) 288-0667 www.viessmann-us.com 402 IBC

Zuwa (508) 943-6000 www.zuwa.de 408 8

12 13

2 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report

Great warm-ups.
The Taco Family of Solar Products
Domestic water heating is the #2 user of energy in
most parts of the country. That’s why homeowners
are warming up to solar. With Taco Variable
Speed Solar Pumps with integral controls, system
performance can increase by as much as 20%.
Our Solar X-Pump Block’s patent-pending design
includes a variable speed solar differential control,
collector circulator, storage tank circulator and
brazed-plate heat exchanger for system isolation,
all in a single unit. The Solar Pumping Station
is a complete closed loop system. With just 5
connections – 2 to the collector(s), 2 to the storage
tank’s heat exchanger, and 1 to the expansion tank –
the installation is done!
Flexible applications.
All Taco solar products work beautifully with any
solar thermal application: open or closed loop, drain-
back, 1 or 2 storage tanks and more. And each is a
snap to install. It’s solar everyone can warm up to.
www.taco-hvac.com
Circle 401
 by Kelly Faloon faloonk@bnpmedia.com
The Italian Job
The mill's roof is plumbed for rainwater catchment, providing a large part of the domestic water supply.
The challenges of installing solar radiant heating in
an 800-year-old mill on a tiny Mediterranean island.
“P
eople request solar
thermal systems for the
efficiency and energy
cost savings you can achieve with an
Photos courtesy of Bill Shady, Sustainable Design and Project Management.
integrated thermal system that pro-
vides domestic hot water, space and
pool heating — that it’s a sustain-
able technology is a bonus,” says Bill
Shady, P.E., owner of Santa Cruz,
Calif.-based Sustainable Design
and Project Management. “Saving
money over the long term helps save
the planet by investing in renewable
energy technologies today.”
Shady speaks from vast experi-
ence on the subject. His solar begin-
nings date back to the early 1980s
when he obtained an associate’s
degree in solar energy technology.
He went on to get his bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering
4 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report
before starting Sustainable Design
and Project Management, a con-
sulting mechanical engineering
firm, in 2002.
By 2005, he had three project
engineers and was doing primar-
ily HVAC design as a consulting
mechanical engineer; almost 95
percent of that work was radiant
and hydronic heating.
“From the outset, solar thermal
integration was a feature that we
were known for,” Shady explains. “I
realized there was an opportunity
to apply a lot of the technologies
we’d been using in commercial
buildings to small-scale residential
projects. The manufacturers were
seeing that as well.”
The firm now has clients all
over the country — and the world.
That’s how Shady ended up in Italy
to work on a unique job.
One of his American clients,
Bob Smith, fell in love with an
Italian island he discovered in the
middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Over the years, Smith continued
to visit the island, eventually pur-
chasing several connected proper-
ties that include an 800-year-old
house, a 20-acre organic winery
and an olive orchard. He wanted to
make his property sustainable and
energy-independent but wasn’t
sure how to go about it.
He contacted radiant heating
panel manufacturer Warmboard,
which recommended Pacific Solar
Radiant, Inc., a business Shady
started in 2006 with Greg Cross,
a plumber who wanted to branch
Left: Bill Shady, P.E., and the Pacific Radiant Solar team installed the home's solar thermal and PV systems, the radiant heating and cooling systems and
the hydronic water heating system. Right: The site before the solar thermal and photovoltaic panels were installed. The solar systems were fabricated in
California before being transported to the island.
out into mechanical contracting. “We
started a design-build company from
scratch,” he says. “The only customers
back then were my design clients. The
projects were very far apart geographi-
cally, because that was the nature of
my design practice.”
Smith hired the firm after discov-
ering that it specialized in the integra-
tion of solar thermal radiant hydronic
heating and cooling, domestic hot
water, swimming pool and spa heating
— as well as its experience traveling to
remote locations.
We Do Things Differently Here:
The first task for Shady and his crew
was to investigate the site and the
geography to understand the obsta-
cles and challenges of the project.
They studied climate data and satellite
images through Google Earth.
The process included learning
about the history of the area. It was
thought the house Smith bought was
originally a mill built by the Moors in
the 12th century. The most common
building style has a domed roof made
of cut and stacked volcanic lava stone,
plastered on both sides. The mill is
typical of island architecture for this
period and continues to this day, even
with new homes. The domed roofs
are all plumbed for rainwater catch-
ment that flows by gravity into a lava
rock cistern that is also plastered. It
provides a large part of the domestic
water supply.
Smith wanted Shady to design an
off-grid system that includes water col-
lection and water treatment, electrical
power, heating and possible cooling.
“Since we had designed and built
projects with similar energy sources,
we knew we had to source as many
products from the European Union
‘People request solar
thermal systems for the
efficiency and energy cost
savings you can achieve
with an integrated
thermal system that pro-
vides domestic hot water,
space and pool heating —
that it’s a sustainable
technology is a bonus.’
— Bill Shady, P.E., owner
of Sustainable Design and
Project Management
as possible in order to minimize the
chance of being stuck out in the mid-
dle of the Mediterranean Sea with the
wrong parts,” Shady explains. “The
most challenging aspect of the design
was finding controls and pumps that
were different dimensional units, and
motors that were European voltage.”
The team was finally able to source
the materials from Great Britain and
Italy and had them shipped to the
United States.The solar thermal and
radiant floor heating systems were
assembled in Pacific Solar Radiant’s
manufacturing facilities in Santa
Cruz and shipped in containers to
the island. The electrical systems
provided by Sandbar Solar and
Electric, the electrical contractor
that designed the PV electrical, were
included in the shipments.
But the project did encounter a few
obstacles. The first one came when the
containers were detained in customs
in Palermo, Italy. There were questions
about documents and whether the
system components bore the required
CE (Conformitee European) mark.
Most of them did, since they were
manufactured in Europe. Smith had
his attorney deliver the technical file
to Italian Customs and the containers
were finally cleared.
In late April 2008, the Pacific Solar
Radiant crew of six men flew to Rome
and then to the island to begin con-
struction. That’s when the next chal-
lenge presented itself.
“If getting our crates through cus-
toms wasn’t challenging enough, get-
ting them up the hill to the mill was an
equally daunting task, since most of the
roads were designed for donkey carts
and maybe the odd Fiat,” Shady notes.
They hired a truck with a crane to
remove the crates from the contain-
Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report 5
 The Italian Job
Radiant floor heating and cooling is distributed
throughout the home with PEX tubing in a grooved
subfloor. The radiant cooling system draws water
from the rainwater collection cistern.

ers; it showed up an hour late with two

flat tires. They rented cars, which took
a bit of a beating, in order to fetch odd
parts from the local hardware store.
The final obstacle occurred when
they met with the Italian construction
contractor and his crew. “Everything
he and our foreman had agreed upon
a year earlier was ‘forgotten,’” Shady
says. “Their construction methods and
tools were outdated and somewhat
primitive. None of us spoke Italian and
they spoke no English.”
So, the crew picked out the guy
with the best English — Alfredo, who
grew up on the island and knew where
to find everything the crew needed.
“Even with our careful packing, we
would have been lost without him,”
Shady states.
The Particulars: Due to the high
cost of propane and the cost to trans-
port the multiple tanks up to the mill,
Shady and his team decided to design a
high solar fraction. Solar fraction is the
percentage of annual expected energy
use that the collector array generates.
“A high solar fraction normally
means that at certain times of the
Antifreeze & Heat Transfer Fluid year, usually summer in the Northern
Hemisphere, you generate more than
• Non-Toxic - made with 100% FDA you need for domestic hot water
G.R.A.S. ingredients and space heating,” Shady explains.
• Extended Temperature Range “Serving the pool where you would
(up to 325oF) otherwise burn fuel is the best way to
• For Applications such as Solar Heating, ‘shunt.’ If there is no pool, then some
form of low-energy-use dump of heat
Hydronic Heating and Water-Based is required. This gives you the highest
Heat Extraction Systems true solar fraction.”
NOBURST Freeze Flow Burst The mild Italian climate and the
HD Point Point Point minimal load in the summer led the
100% -60°F -70°F -100°F Pacific Solar team to the installation
75% -60°F -60°F -100°F of a shunt fan assembly to relieve solar
50% -30°F -40°F -75°F gain from the system. The addition of
40% -7°F -15°F -60°F
a heated swimming pool in a future
35% 0°F -10°F -60°F
phase of the project will keep the shunt
Noble Company produces a variety of antifreeze products including NOBURST -100 and NOBURST AL
to a minimum.
for Aluminum systems. The finest raw materials (including deionized water) contribute to Noble’s high Additionally, five 16-tube Sunda
quality. The company also markets refractometers, test strips, inhibitor boost, and other accessories to Seido 1 evacuated-tube collectors are
help ensure system performance.
installed on a low-profile ground-
mount array, piped to a 50-gallon
domestic water heater and a 200-gal-
lon insulated storage tank. All solar

Circle 407
6 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report
Circle 404
The Italian Job

fluids are closed loop and all thermal
storage is domestic hot water. Radiant
floor heating is distributed through
Uponor TruFlow manifolds with ther-
mal actuators and five zones of control.
Composite PEX-al-PEX tubing was
installed in the Warmboard thermal
subfloor for heating and cooling.
THE TOOL FOR SOLAR PROFESSIONALS
TOP GERMAN QUALITY
Make Solar Easy! The secret of German Solar Installers.
The best ¿lling station for solar collectors in the market is now available
all over the United States and Canada. ZUWA‘s perfect device for ¿lling,
Àushing and venting collector loops – fast, clean, ef¿cient. Save up
to 50% of installation time – and lots of money.
For more information please get in touch
with one of our distribution partners.
Don’t waste time – CALL NOW!
USA East:
Alpha Thermal Systems Inc.
T 508 943 6000
info@alphathermalsystems.com
www.alphathermalsystems.com
USA West:
Free Hot Water Inc., Jack Alter
T 408 432 9900
info@freehotwater.com
www.freehotwater.com
Canada:
SOLARNETIX Inc.
T 416 699 6746
info@solarnetix.com
www.solarnetix.com
... and:
Exclusive model available for the
SunMaxx solar dealer network
www.sunmaxxsolar.com
You won‘t believe you went without
i h
www.zuwa.de
Controls for the project were
Kanmar injection-mixing controllers
with pumps supplied by Wilo and
Grundfos. The innovative Wilo Stratos
Eco is the first known application of
the pump in the region, Shady says. It
provides heating with the bare min-
imum use of valuable solar power
iit!!
stored in the battery system or used as
it is being generated. The Kanmar tem-
perature controllers are also variable
speed, thereby limiting the power used
and maximizing the wire-to-water
heating efficiency of the system.
Cooling is accomplished through
a heat exchanger in the radiant floor
loop that draws water off the rainwater
collection cistern and cools the water
going into the home down to a com-
fortable 67 degrees F for passage into
the interior of the building.
The home is continually condi-
tioned in the wet and windy winter
season — beginning in October and
continuing into late spring — by the
solar thermal array. In order to moni-
tor the system remotely, a Sensophone
remote monitoring system with a cel-
lular data modem allows alarms to call
out and the users to call in to download
temperature and climate data in real
time to diagnose potential problems.
An Engineered Solution: After
Shady returned from Italy, he began to
work on a simple, engineered system
that could be installed in remote loca-
tions — the ClimateRight System. It’s
an easy-to-install system that evolved
from the design and engineering
work he has done over the past eight
years, including the extremely long-
distance Italian project. It’s factory-
built and factory-tested in Oregon and
California; all a contractor needs to
do is rough in the utilities with a
standardized, dimensioned wall-hung
template, bolt it to the wall and make
the final connections.
And while he believes solar thermal
and solar radiant systems will continue
to gain in popularity, Shady says the
economic climate today is a hindrance.
He wants to change that by having a
financing option that contractors can
offer their customers, making it easier
for them to buy the product.
“People love to do these projects,
they just don’t have the money,” he
explains. “The biggest factor in grow-
ing the solar thermal business is the
opportunity to lease the equipment.
When I offer a customer a completely
engineered product and I can offer
financing, that’s when this thing is
going to take off.” SHR

Circle 408
8 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report
 by John Siegenthaler, P.E.

Thermal Handoffs,
Part 1 Inside the fundamentals of heat
exchangers in solar thermal systems.

M
ost of the solar domestic water heating
systems now deployed in the United States
use antifreeze to protect the collectors and
Figure 1 exposed piping from freezing. The antifreeze absorbs
heat in the collectors and conveys this heat to the “hot”
side of a heat exchanger. This heat conducts through
air vent
the metal wall of the heat exchanger and passes into
w/ shut-off water on the other side of this wall.
valve Like most things hydronic, the performance of heat
exchangers can vary widely, and that performance can
have a profound effect on the overall energy yield of a
solar thermal system.
Two Flavors: Heat exchangers for solar thermal
systems are classified as either internal or external.
y
ra
ar

An internal heat exchanger usually takes the form of

or
ct

a helical coil made of stainless steel or copper. The

lle
co

coil is suspended within the lower portion of a stor-

r
la

age tank — essentially the same configuration found

so

in most indirect water heaters. Figure 1 is a schematic

showing a typical internal heat exchanger in a solar
water heating system.
Heat moving from the coil’s external surface to the
cooler water is transferred by natural convection. In
this situation the word “natural” implies there is no
pump or other device to create vigorous water flow
across the coil’s external surface. This significantly lim-
its the rate of heat transfer relative to a heat exchanger
where flow is forced across both sides. To compensate,
some internal heat exchangers have large surface areas
and may use fins or other “extended-surface” detailing
to further increase surface area and enhance the rate
of heat transfer.
An external heat exchanger has forced flow through
both sides. Forced flow produces higher rates of heat
transfer relative to natural convection. This allows a
relatively small heat exchanger with forced flow to
transfer heat at the same rate as a significantly larger
internal coil.
PRV Figure 2 shows how an external heat exchanger is
typically used in a solar water heating system. Notice
that two circulators are required: one for the collec-
ll / purge
tor side and the other for the tank side of the heat
storage tank
valves exchanger. When the tank contains domestic water, the
expansion
internal heat exchanger tank-side circulator must have a stainless-steel, bronze
tank or engineered polymer volute to prevent contamina-
tion of the water.

Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report 9

 Thermal Handoffs, Part 1

Figure 2 air vent
Figure 3

w/ shut-off
valve
hot side cool side

fh fc
Thin Tcout
y
ra
ar
or
ct
lle
co
r
la
so

Thout Tcin

Qactual = (8.01 Dh  ch )  fh  (Thin
Thout )

differential
or
temperature

controller Qactual = (8.01 Dc  cc )  fc  (Tcout
Tcin )
Where:
Qactual = actual rate of heat transfer across heat
exchanger (Btu/hr.)
8.01 = unit conversion factor
collector
Dh = density of fluid through hot side of heat
circulator exchanger (lb./ft.3)
Dc = density of fluid through cool side of heat
pressure
exchanger (lb./ft.3)
relief ch = specific heat of fluid through hot side of heat
valve exchanger (Btu/lb./degrees F)
tank

circulator

ch = specific heat of fluid through cool side of heat
ll / purge

valves (bronze or
exchanger (Btu/lb./degrees F)
stainless steel) solar storage tank
fh = flow rate of fluid through hot side of heat
external heat exchanger exchanger (gpm)
expansion
fc = flow rate of fluid through cool side of heat
tank exchanger (gpm)
T = temperatures at locations shown in figure
An Effective Approach: Heat exchanger perfor- (degrees F)
mance is often expressed as “effectiveness,” which is
defined as follows: The maximum possible rate of heat transfer through
the heat exchanger can be calculated as follows:
actual heat transfer rate
e=effectiveness = e =
maximum possible heat transfer rate
To calculate effectiveness, you need to first deter-
mine:
a. The actual rate of heat transfer across the heat
exchanger.
b. The maximum possible rate of heat transfer
across the heat exchanger.
The actual rate of heat transfer can be determined
based on the flow rate, specific heat and temperature
change of fluid flowing through either side of the
heat exchanger. Figure 3 provides the formulas and
nomenclature to calculate the rate of heat transfer
across the heat exchanger.
10 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report
Qmax >8.01u D u c u f @min u Thin  Tcin 
Where:
(8.01xDxcxf)min = the smaller of the two fluid
capacitance rates. This can be found by calculating the
product (8.01xDxcxf) for both the hot and cool side
of the heat exchanger and then selecting the smaller
of the two.
Thin = inlet temperature of the hot fluid (degrees F)
Tcin = inlet temperature of the cool fluid (degrees F)
As the size of the heat exchanger increases relative
to the rate of heat transfer, its effectiveness approaches
the theoretical limit of 1.0.
 Here’s an example. Consider a heat exchanger in a solar The next step is to determine the maximum possible
thermal system operating at the conditions shown in Figure 4. heat transfer across the heat exchanger. This corresponds to
a thermodynamic limit in which the outlet temperature of
Figure 4 the fluid with the lower fluid capacitance rate approaches
hot side cool side the inlet temperature of the other fluid stream. It is deter-
mined by multiplying the minimum fluid capacitance rate
4 gpm 6 gpm by the difference in temperature between the entering hot
130ºF 116.3ºF
fluid and the entering cool fluid.

40% Qmax >8.01u D u c u f @min u Thin  Tcin  [8.01u 64.0 u 0.91u 4] u 130 110  37, 320Btu / hr

propylene water
Finally, determine the effectiveness of the heat exchanger
glycol under these conditions.
120ºF 110ºF Qactual 18, 660
e= = 0.50
Qmax 37, 320

The fluid in the collector loop is a 40 percent solution In the next issue, we’ll look at how the effectiveness of a
of propylene glycol. The fluid on the cool side of the heat heat exchanger affects the overall energy yield of a solar ther-
exchanger is water. Here is how you determine the rate of mal system. As you might expect, the higher the effectiveness,
heat transfer across the heat exchanger and its effectiveness. the higher the solar fraction. But as usual, the numbers pro-
Start by finding the fluid properties of both the 40 vide a more complete story and also guide design decisions.
percent propylene glycol solution and water at the aver-
age temperature of each fluid as it passes through the heat About the author: John Siegenthaler, P.E., is principal
exchanger. These can be found in reference books on heat- of Appropriate Designs, a consulting engineering firm in
ing or, in the case of antifreeze solutions, referenced from Holland Patent, N.Y., and the hydronics editor for Plumbing
specifications at the manufacturer’s Web site. & Mechanical and pme. E-mail him at john@hydronicpros.
For the 40 percent propylene glycol solution: com. More than 200 of John’s articles on hydronic system
D = 64.0 lb./ft.3 design are now available in the “Hydronics Know How II”
C = 0.91 Btu/lb./degrees F DVD collection. To order, go to http://store.bnpmedia.com/
For water: store/aec_online/index.html. SHR
D = 61.8 lb./ft.3
C = 1.00 Btu/lb./degrees F
Next, calculate the actual rate of heat transfer across the
heat exchanger. This can be done using data from either
T RELEASED!
flow stream. In this case, data from the flow stream through JUS
the hot side of the heat exchanger (using the 40 percent JO N SIE
JO
JOH
R’S
R’
SIS GENTTHHAALLLEERR’S
propylene glycol solution) is used: NICS
HYDRO OW II PM
Plumbing &Mechanical

H
KNOW
Qactual (8.01u Dh u ch ) u fh u Thin  Thout  (8.01u 64.0 u 0.91) u 4 u 130  120  18,660Btu / hr

© Copyright 2009, BNP Media. All rights Reserved.

The original purchaser of this DVD may make one
printed copy of the articles it contains for personal

Then determine which side of the heat exchanger has the

use. No one is allowed to create or distribute
additional copies of these articles, either in print
or electronic form, without written permission from
BNP Media. To secure permission contact BNP at
248-362-3700 or www. PMmag.com.

minimum fluid capacitance rate (e.g., calculate the product Requires Adobe
Acrobat® Reader

(8.01xDxcxf) for each flow stream and determine which is

(version 3.0 or higher)

smaller).
For the hot side of the heat exchanger:
Over 200 of John's articles and
Btu columns from the last 12 years
(8.01u D u c u f )40%PG (8.01u 64.0 u 0.91u 4) 1866
hrxº F
of PM and PM Engineer covering
For the cool side of the heat exchanger: everything from heat loss to
hydraulic separators. All in full color,
Btu
(8.01u D u c u f )water (8.01u 61.8 u 1.00 u 6) 2970 fully searchable files.
hrxº F
Now available at the AEC Store
The fluid capacitance rate on the hot side of the heat http://store.bnpmedia.com/store/aec_online/index.html
exchanger is the smallest.

Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report 11

 by Gerry Wagner

Photovoltaic = Sexy Solar

Thermal Solar = Not So Much
Thermal solar systems can do a big job
at a relatively low installed cost.

I
can relate to the lack of respect
and attention that thermal
solar systems experience in the
marketplace as well as within our
state and federal governments. As
a teenager, my best buddy was this
good-looking, smooth-talking guy
and standing next to him, I kind of
blended into the wallpaper. I wasn’t
ugly and/or dull but next to my
buddy, the ladies couldn’t see my
attributes. So goes it for thermal
solar systems!
Photovoltaic (electricity-gener-
ating) solar systems have become the
“sexy solar” systems in the press and
in the legislatures around our coun-
try. Don’t get me wrong, producing
electricity via the sun’s energy is
awesome and deserves attention. My
concern is that thermal solar systems
may not be getting the attention
they deserve and, thus, opportuni-
ties may be missed.
Thermal solar systems that gen-
erate hot water for domestic use as
well as supplemental heat are gener-
ally a fraction of the cost of a PV sys- Gerry Wagner, training manager at The Wales-Darby Learning Center, teaches his students
tem. Although thermal systems can’t the many benefits of thermal solar systems compared to photovoltaic systems.
create an income-generating source
as photovoltaic can, I don’t believe it builders to offer a solar energy option Thermal solar collectors are
is realistic for average homeowners to potential home buyers in projects much more efficient than PV col-
to think they will be getting checks of 25 or more units. I believe ther- lectors. Depending on the collector,
from their local electric utility for mal solar systems are the best choice. a solar thermal system can convert
the unused kilowatts that a residen- TSS can be installed by properly 50 to 70 percent of the sun’s energy
tial PV system could generate. Small trained plumbers and HVAC install- into hot water. Photovoltaic collec-
residential PV systems are just that ers. Sixty vacuum tubes or four flat- tors convert somewhere between 12
— small — and as a result can’t gen- plate panel collectors can do most, to 15 percent of the sun’s energy into
erate income and fulfill unrealistic if not all, of a typical domestic hot electricity. Hot water can be stored
expectations of potential buyers. water requirement for a four-person at low- or no-usage periods in an
On March 31, 2009, the governor family, as well as supplement low- insulated tank with less than one
of New Jersey enacted the Residential temperature heat (approximately 30 degree of heat loss per hour.
Development Solar Energy Systems percent) and high-temperature heat PV systems large enough to pro-
Act, which requires residential home (approximately 10 percent). duce more electricity than the home

12 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report

 When
Seconds Count.

Viega’s ProPress® system is the fastest, most reliable

way to join metal piping in commercial, residential
and industrial applications.

You can rely on Viega’s ProPress system to back you up in an

emergency. That’s why hospitals have entrusted their piping
systems to Viega. With Viega’s patented Smart Connect®
feature you can make connections in less than seven seconds.
During pressure testing, water and air flows past the sealing
element, indicating an unpressed fitting.

ProPress features and benefits:

„ Make connections in 4 to 7 seconds on sizes
1/2" to 4".
„ Achieve a consistent, strong, reliable, air/water-tight seal.
„ No need for cumbersome equipment such as
tanks and hoses and no need for supplies such
as thread cutters, solder and flux.
„ ProPress meets the most rigorous testing
codes and standards in North America.
„ ProPress allows you to join wet connections,
making it the fastest, flameless solution for
maintenance and emergency repair jobs.
„ More than 600 fitting configurations available.

Circle 409

Viega… The global leader in plumbing and heating systems. www.viega.com 1.800.976.9819
 Photovoltaic = Sexy Solar
Thermal Solar = Not So Much
can use can be connected directly
to the “grid” and excess kilowatts
sold to the local utility. However, it’s
more typical in small PV systems that
electricity may be stored in a battery,
or a series of batteries, which require
space, maintenance and can be very
expensive.
Thermal solar systems have very
little maintenance issues. A circulator
is virtually the only moving part and
it, as well as the other system compo-
nent parts, are familiar to all plumbers
and HVAC technicians because a TSS
is a traditional hydronic system. The
only thing different is, instead of a
boiler and/or water heater, the panel
is your heat source. Thermal solar is a
simple system that can do a big job at a
relatively low installed cost compared
to complicated PV systems.
In my role as the training manager
at The Wales-Darby Learning Center,
I have plumbers and HVAC techni-
cians calling me daily to ask when
14 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report
our next “solar” class is scheduled.
I have learned to ask the question,
“You do understand our class is for
thermal solar and not photovoltaic?”
Unfortunately, I have found that
people are using the word “solar”
in an all-encompassing way. Early
on, I had a few guys in my class ask,
“When are we going to talk about
systems that produce electricity?” It
brought me back to my younger days
when I would get phone calls from
pretty girls asking me if I thought
my buddy liked them. Ugh!
There are signs that the spotlight
is starting to shine (pun intended) on
TSS. The feds finally came around and
raised the $2,000 limit on tax credits
related to residential TSS installations
and put it in line with what had been
standard for PV systems (up to 30 per-
cent of installed cost) since the enact-
ment of the 2005 Federal Energy Act.
Eventually my good-looking,
smooth-talking friend moved away
Circle 406
and I started to get some attention
(and I stress some) from the female
population.
Hang in there, thermal solar fans.
I’m proof that every “dog” has his
sunny day!
This article was previously published
in sister publication Supply House
Times’ January 2010 issue.
Gerry Wagner has been in the
HVACR industry for 29 years, the last
18 with the manufacturers representa-
tive firm Wales-Darby Inc., Warren,
N.J. He is now the training manager
at The Wales-Darby Learning Center,
where he brings his unique combina-
tion of experience, both in the field
and in the classroom, as well as humor,
communication skills and love of the
HVACR industry to life. You can con-
tact Gerry at 732/907-1763, gwagner@
walesdarby.com. SHR
solar i.s. solar products
{information showcase}

STORAGE TANK AND WATER HEATER: Solar

Usage Now’s S.U.N. Equinox Heating System
is a combination hot water storage tank and
instantaneous water heater that provides
100 percent of domestic hot water and
space-heating needs while placing a special
emphasis on water hygiene. Solar Usage
Now. www.sunequinox.com. Circle 411
Stiebel Eltron Thermal Solar
Water Heating System
Stiebel Eltron SOLKITs 2 and 3 are now
Energy Star-rated and have OG300 sys-
tem certification from the Solar Rating
and Certification Corp. Each solar closed-
loop system includes flat-rate collector DRILL PUMP: Zuwa’s Unistar 2001 series drill
panels and mounting hardware, a stor- pump is ideal for refilling solar collectors
age tank with heat exchangers, a pump and features a light aluminum body, dry
station with expansion tank and various self-priming from 10 feet and flow rates of
temperature/pressure gauges, pressure 8, 16 and 24 gallons per minute. The pump is
relief and check valves, and a control- available in stainless steel and different im-
ler unit with corresponding sensors. A peller materials for different fluids (not for
five-year warranty is also included.www. gasoline). Zuwa. www.zuwa.de. Circle 412
stiebel-eltron-USA.com. 800/582-8423.
Stiebel Eltron USA
Circle 410

SOLAR TRILOGY: Taco introduces all-in-one solar pumps, components and controls to fit
a wide variety of solar thermal applications. The Solar Pumping Station combines all fea-
tures needed for a closed-loop water heating system (five connections to make). The
Solar X-Pump Block combines a stainless-steel, flat-plate heat exchanger with two bronze
circulators and a solar differential temperature control in one compact package. The Vari-
able Speed Solar Pump line includes circulators with integral solar differential temperature
controls. Taco. www.taco-hvac.com. Circle 413

SOLAR THERMAL COMBISYSTEMS: SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS: Solar’s

Caleffi released its 6th edition of Smart received formal SRCC (Solar
idronics, a semi-annual design Rating and Certification Corp.) industry
journal for hydronic professionals, certification of its Smart 10, 15 and 20
on solar thermal combisystems. Solar Thermal Collectors. The collectors
The journal provides information are designed for use in domestic hot
to assist those designing solar water, radiant home heat and swimming
combisystems. Caleffi also has pool heating applications and are con-
state-of-the-art hardware to sup- structed to perform under a wide vari-
port installation of the systems. ety of weather conditions. Solar’s Smart.
Caleffi. www.caleffi.us. Circle 414 www.solars-smart.com. Circle 415

Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report 15

 solar products

CIRCULATION PUMP: PAW’s FlowCon FA

(U.S. version) is for use in a closed-loop
design only. The circulation unit is used
on the primary circuit of solar heating
systems to control temperature in the hot
water storage. The pump inside the unit is
activated by the signal from the differen-
tial temperature regulator. PAW GmbH &
Co. KG. www.paw.eu/us. Circle 416

INTERNAL TEMPERATURE SENSOR: Solar STORAGE TANK: Rheem’s SolPak systems fea-
Skies Mfg. offers an option to maximize the turing Marathon storage tanks combine the
efficiency of its solar collectors. The new longevity of the Rheem Marathon electric
internal temperature sensor well allows water heater with the energy savings of an
for a more accurate internal temperature active solar water heating system. This new
measurement of the collector, allowing the option for SolPak provides homeowners ac-
system’s controller to respond quicker and cess to a high-efficiency storage tank with
collect more Btu per day. Solar Skies Mfg. a lifetime leak-free guarantee. Rheem.
www.solarskies.com. Circle 417 www.rheem.com. Circle 418

T Yes! I wish to receive (continue receiving) Plumbing & Mechanical - FREE! T No

Signature Date Mail back to:

T Yes! I would like to receive the Radiant T No 3 We do the following type(s) of work: CREATIVE DATA SERVICES
& Hydronics E-Newsletter FREE of charge! (check all that apply) 440 QUADRANGLE DR STE E
31 T Plumbing
32 T Hydronic Heating (boilers/steam)
BOLINGBROOK IL 60440-9726
T Yes! I would you like to receive the T No
OR
33 T Bath & Kitchen Remodeling
Bath & Kitchen E-Newsletter FREE of charge!
35 T Process Piping Fax back to 1-888-533-5653
Please check your preferred format: 36 T Private Water Systems
OR
37 T Sprinkler/Fire Protection
T Digital Version Subscribe online at @
38 T Radiant Heating
T Print Version
39 T Other (please specify) ________________ www.pmmag.com
1 My firm is a: (check one only) 4 I receive the following other trade magazines:
01 T Plumbing/Hydronic Heating Contractor 01 T Contractor Magazine Circle
Circl
Ci le th
the
he n
number
umbe
b r whi
which
hich
h correspo
corresponds
nds
d to th
the
he
02 T Mechanical Contractor 02 T Plumbing & Heating Contractor News information you’re interested in.
04 T Other (please specify) _________________ 03 T Jobsite 400 401 402 403 404 405 406
407 408 409 410 411 412 413
2 My title is: (check one only) 5 If you'd like to receive literature from
02 T President/Owner 07 T Estimator ADVERTISERS in this issue advertising products 414 415 416 417 418 419 420
03 T Vice President 09 T Sales in the following category, just check the
04 T Secretary/Treasurer 10 T Engineer boxes. If you'd like literature on only a specific Print Name/Title_____________________________________________
Company ___________________________________________________
05 T General Manager 11 T Other manufacturer's product, check the number Address ____________________________________________________
06 T Supervisor (please specify) listed below that company's ad. City ____________________________ State _______ Zip ___________
08 T Foreman ______________ Solar Thermal 507 T Work Phone ________________________________________________
Work Fax ___________________________________________________
You may also respond to ads in the Solar Heating Report via the Reader Action E-Mail Address _____________________________________________
Card in the August issue of Plumbing & Mechanical (that SHR was bound into). s"YPROVIDINGYOURFAXNUMBERYOUREGIVINGUSPERMISSIONTOFAXFUTUREREMINDERS
TOYOUs9OUWILLRECEIVESUBSCRIPTIONANDRENEWALNOTICESFROM".0-EDIAVIA

Request for information expires JUNE 2010 APRIL 2010 RACT04 E MAIL)FYOUDONOTWISHTORECEIVETHIRD PARTYEMAILOFFERSREGARDINGINFORMATION
RELEVANTTOYOURINDUSTRYPLEASECHECKHERET

16 Spring 2010 Solar Heating Report

Circle 402
Circle 405