68
TECHNICAL
Breaking down
basic mistakes
Having worked through the requirements for retrofit installations
in a previous issue, I decided to take a picture of an installation and
point out the errors that we often find when performing audits or
inspections on retrofit or new solar installations.
By Mark de Wet
Mark de Wet
Mark de Wet is the national
technical manager at
IOPSA. He is a qualified
plumber and registered
gas installer. He also sits
on the SABS technical
committees and working
groups on behalf of IOPSA
and the IOPSA National
Executive Board, as well as
being a PIRB inspector.
REQUIREMENTS
1. The collectors
To maximise the amount of sunlight that the solar
collector receives during a day, it should be mounted at
25–26°C for the Gauteng region and facing true north.
2. Overflow pipe from the T&P safety valve
As per SANS 10254, the overflow pipe from the safety
valve is required to be piped downwards, away from the
geyser. The pipe is required to also be of a size not less
than the size of the connection to which it is fitted.
(Note: For additional details on the requirement for the
T&P safety valve, see SANS 10254: 5.2 Discharge
from Valves.)
The mistakes may appear to be minor, but when we
take a closer look at manufacturer requirements
and SANS, this could become a far more serious
issue at a later stage. And with manufacturers also
calling for all installations to be installed to the
SANS requirements, you may find the manufacturer
not covering the warranty and leaving you as the
plumber liable for the installation.
Sample installation for a solar retrofit.
3. Vacuum breakers
The vacuum breaker on the hot water pipe has been
placed directly above the hot water outlet. As per the
manufacturer’s requirements, this is not allowed and
may become a warranty issue.
Figure 1 shows an installation diagram from the
manufacturer, showing the installation requirements
of the vacuum breakers. You will see that the vacuum
breaker is required to be piped a minimum of 200mm
away from the hot water outlet.
February 2018 Volume 23 I Number 12
Figure 1: An
installation
diagram.
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