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Active DHW System - Freeze Procedures PDF  | Print |  E-mail

System Shut-Off or Drain Down Procedures


There may be times when you want to completely shut the solar system off and drain the water. For instance, you may need to shut off the main water feed to the house, or you may want to turn your solar system off while you are going on an extended vacation. To completely shut off and drain your solar system, refer to the plumbing schematic on page 13 and do the following:

  1. Turn the Automatic Control Switch to OFF.
  2. Close both Isolation Valves.
  3. Connect drain hose to the Drain Valve on the return line of the solar system, or use a water vessel to catch the water. Open the Drain Valve on the return line. (CAUTION - WATER MAY BE EXTREMELY HOT - POSSIBLE STEAM) Allow all the water to drain out of the solar system.
  4. Move drain hose or water vessel to the Drain Valve on the feed line and open the Drain Valve on the feed line.
  5. Leave these Drain Valves open while the system is turned off. If water is leaking past the isolation valves, even though they are shut off, you'll want to see that this is happening rather than allowing the system to inadvertently fill with water when you think that they are empty, especially if you are draining the system during freezing conditions.
  6. Your system is now fully shut off and drained. When you want to start-up your solar system again, follow the steps outlined in the Start-Up Procedures.

Freeze Protection

Your system is designed not to be damaged due to freezing when installed in areas where ambient temperatures remain above 20F. Freeze tolerance limits are based upon an assumed set of environmental conditions. Extended periods of cold weather, including ambient air temperatures above the specified limit, may cause freezing in exposed parts of the system. It is the owner's responsibility to protect the system in accordance with the Solene's instructions if the air temperature is anticipated to approach the specified freeze tolerance limit.

Your system has two methods of freeze protection: 1) Automatic Freeze Protection, and 2) Manual Drain Down Freeze Protection.

Automatic Freeze Protection

You solar system is designed to automatically protect itself in the event of a freeze without any manual intervention required. (Shutting off the Isolation Valves without completely draining your solar system, thinking that this will help protect it from freezing, is the worst possible thing you can do as this will ensure that the system will freeze.) Here is how your automatic freeze protection works.

A FP-45 Dole Freeze Valve is installed at the top outlet of your solar collector. This valve has an internal mechanism that is sensitive to temperature and operates without any electrical power or sensors. When the temperature reaches 45F, this valve begins to open up allowing a trickle of water to flow through the valve to the roof. Because there is a check valve on the solar return line, the only direction this water can come from is from the feed line. As the valve opens up, water flows from the bottom of the storage tank, up through the feed line, through the solar collector and out the FP-45 Freeze Valve. As the water from the storage tank flows through the solar collector it prevents the collector from freezing thus providing your system with automatic freeze protection.

The colder the Freeze Valve gets the more water the valve allows to flow through it. When the Freeze Valve warms up by the water flowing through it, it closes again. This cycle happens as much as is necessary during freezing conditions.

Note that water pressure must be maintained to allow the Freeze Valve to operate properly. This is why you don't ever want to turn off the isolation valves without completely draining the system during freezing conditions.


Manual Drain Down Freeze Protection

Another way to protect your system from freezing is to follow the steps listed in the System Shut-Off or Drain Down Procedures. Be sure that your system is completely drained and leave the drain valves open to make sure that the system does not inadvertently fill back up with water.
 
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