MeriSolar
Integrated Pressurized and Non-pressurized
Solar Water Heaters
Operation and Installation Manual
Thank you for purchasing a MeriSolar Solar Water Heater.
This quality product uses:
- a stainless steel tank,
- integrated evacuated solar tubes with heat pipes,
- and electric boost for no solar conditions.
Please take time to read this manual and familiarize yourself with the function of this product.
Table of Contents
- Notice ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
- General ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
2.1 The Merisolar solar hot water systems ……………………………………………………………………………………. 4
2.2 Evacuated tube technology ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
2.3 Water Heating ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
2.4 Electric Boosting …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
2.5 Maintenance ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
2.6 Evacuated Tubes ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
- Important ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
3.1 Standards ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
3.2 Authorised Person/s ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
3.3 Safety ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
3.4 Roof & Structural Integrity ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
3.5 Water Quality …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
3.6 Installation Preparation ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
- Installation ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
4.1 Deciding the Direction and Angle of Installation ……………………………………………………………………… 6
4.2 Components ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
4.3 Mounting Assembly – Flat Roof ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
4.4 Mounting Assembly – Sloping Roof ………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
4.5 Evacuated Tubes ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10
- Warranty ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
5.1 Warranty Conditions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11
5.2 Warranty Exclusions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
- Technical Specifications …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
- Notice
1.1 The information in this manual is subject to change without notification. Additional pages may be inserted in future editions. The user is asked to excuse any technical inaccuracies or typographical errors in the present edition. They will not affect the performance of the product or any statutory warranties.
1.2 The series number can be found on packaging, user manual and the storage tank. If there is no series number or the series number is damaged, this product may not be genuine and will not be covered under warranty. Please contact the supplier for more details.
1.3 Please ensure that cold water is not pumped or supplied into an empty tank when the collector area has been exposed to direct sunlight for more than 15 minutes. The solar tubes will become extremely hot and this may result in cracked tubes. Before filling for the first time after installation or if refilling after maintenance, ensure the collector are covered so they don’t overheat. Breakage due to incorrect installation or filling of the tank are not covered by warranty.
1.4 The evacuated glass solar collector tubes can stand temperatures as low as -50°C when there is no water inside. If using this unit in alpine areas prone to long periods of freezing temperatures, we recommend using all the water in the tank every two days if there is no direct sunlight to stop the tank water from freezing.
1.5 Installation needs to be done by a qualified plumber to ensure all local laws and standards are met. Warranty may be void if incorrectly installed.
1.6 The system should be mounted facing north or as close as practical to north. If there is no northern roof available, then the preference is west for domestic installations and east for commercial or day time use of hot water.
1.7 All exposed piping should be insulated properly to prevent heat loss and provide freeze protection. In the areas with ambient temperature under -5°Celsius electric heating wire can be used to avoid frozen pipes.
1.8 Any modifications to the components will void the warranty.
- General
2.1 The MeriSolar solar hot water system
The core of these systems is the evacuated tubes. They collect solar energy all day which heats a special internal coating and around 97% of the heat is retained to create hot water. The heat transfers to copper pipes which in turn pass the heat to water in the collector tank. In an integrated system, the water is heated directly and stored without the need for a pump, making it more efficient and generally cheaper to install and operate.
2.2 Evacuated tube technology
Evacuated tubes offer the most efficient way to heat water, especially in southern Australia and cooler climates. Traditional flat plate solar collectors lose much of their heat to the cold air during the cooler days and nights. Evacuated tubes act like double glazed windows to prevent the heat escaping from the internal collector surface. Also, by having a tube rather than a flat plate, the sun can heat the absorber surface at the optimum angle from early morning to late afternoon, not just in the middle of the day. This increases the overall sunlight able to be collected and turned into hot water.
The evacuated tubes are more resilient to hail and dirt as it glances or rolls off the curved surface rather than hitting or sticking to a flat surface.
The vacuum also allows the solar system to operate at below freezing temperatures. Many flat plate solar collectors have to pump hot water through the collector to stop it from freezing and cracking as temperatures approach zero, using more energy in the pump and losing much of the hot water gained during the day.
Solar cannot totally replace the need for gas or electric heating as there are sometimes days when there is little sunlight. Although the heat output of the solar collector is reduced on days when there is little sunlight it will still be able to provide heating. If it is a heavily clouded day or raining, then more electric boosting may be required to maintain water at the required temperature. This system will be automated so you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water on a rainy day. When averaged over a year, a correctly sized solar system can provide 60%-70% of a household’s hot water needs. Providing more than this is unadvisable, as too much heat will be produced in the summer months.
2.3 Water Heating
Water heating is traditionally done with an insulated metal tank full of water with an electric heating element or gas burner. Depending on the thermostat setting the water is heated to around 60°-70° Celsius. In order to kill Legionella bacteria, it is an Australian standards requirement that the hot water in the storage tank be heated up to at least 60° Celsius at least once every 24 hours, either while in the storage tank with solar, electric element boost or gas boost. The electric element on the tank must not be turned off. Any instruction to a home owner to turn off the electric element is in direct contradiction with national and state regulations.
In order to prevent scalding due to excessively hot water most new houses have a tempering valve installed. A tempering valve is an important safety device as it controls the temperature of the water supplied to the hot water taps to no greater than 50° Celsius. If a tempering valve is not installed in the home the plumber should advise that a tempering valve be installed and/or install one.
Merisolar – Operation and Installation Manual
