TECHNICAL
69
Retrofitted solar geysers and
SANS 10400-XA requirements
The requirements of SANS 10400-XA for the installation of retrofitted solar
geysers on new property developments have been causing some confusion.
By Mark de Wet
With retrofitted installations being cheaper,
developers are opting for the retrofitted systems,
but they are unaware that the installation
will not be compliant with the requirements
of SANS 10400-XA and SANS 1307. This also
becomes problematic for the plumber issuing the
PIRB CoC, as it will fail in an audit.
WHAT DOES SANS 10400-XA REQUIRE?
Functional regulation XA2:
Not more than 50% of the annual volume of domestic hot water
should be supplied by means of electrical resistance heating, i.e.
50% or more of the hot water used must be heated by energy
sources other than electricity.
So, with a standard electrical geyser being used as a
solar retrofit installation, the standing heat loss on the
cylinder does not allow for 50% alternative heating as
the water in the tank cools down overnight, or during
the winter season the geyser will be required to use an
electrical element to heat the water, thus not allowing for
the required 50% as per SANS 10400-XA2.
If we take a closer look at SANS10400-XA, it states the
following regarding solar hot water heating installations.
4.1.1 In order to comply with functional regulation XA2, contained
in part XA of the National Building Regulations, the following
guidance is provided:
•
The volume of the annual average hot water heating
requirements shall be calculated in accordance with tables 2
and 5 of SANS 10252-1; and
•
If solar water heating systems are used, these shall
comply with SANS 1307, SANS 10106, SANS 10254, and
SANS 10252-1.
Some might experience difficulty in grasping a complete
picture of the solar water heating system and its
installation requirements, because numerous normative
referenced standards are not examined, which is where
a lot of the detail resides. These include SANS 151,
SANS 60335-2-21, SANS 10254, SANS 198,
SANS 10152-1, as well as NRCS VC 8055 and VC 9006.
SANS 10106 5.1.6, in turn, requires that the solar water
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
heating system must comply with SANS 1307.
Therefore, the solar water heating system must comply
with SANS 1307 — which includes the two main
components of the collector and the storage tank (3.1.6),
as well as all the prescribed control and safety valves,
and pipework thermal insulation — and the installation
i tself must comply with SANS 10106 (which covers many
aspects as well).
SANS 1307 specifies the tests, the design, and the
performance of some of the components separately
(like hail, condensation, and cover strength tests on the
collectors; other tests on the storage tank; as well as tests
on the components together as a system, such as thermal
performance, standing losses, and freeze resistance).
SANS 1307 compliance cannot be achieved by the sum of
the individual components on their own, tested separately.
There is no test in SANS 1307, or in any other SANS
standard, for the thermal performance of the collector on
its own. You cannot, therefore, test a collector on its own,
mix and match it to any other storage tank, and then
prove or certify compliance of such a combination as a
SANS 1307 system.
So, in conclusion, any inspectorate like the PIRB, the
municipality, or any other inspection or approvals
authority or body (for example the Department of Energy
and CEF) needs proof in the form of a valid and current
SANS 1307 system test report, mark certificate, or
JASWIC listing and certificate.
If a retrofit system is to be used at a new development,
then a SANS 1307 test report will need to be provided by
either the manufacturer, importer, or plumber doing the
installation, and presented to the developer or consumer
as proof that the complete installation is compliant and
has been tested in full to the requirements of SANS 1307.
The installation will also require the plumber to provide the
consumer with a copy of the SANS 1307 test report and a
PIRB CoC as per the requirements of SANS 10106. PA
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.
SANS 1307
compliance
cannot be
achieved by
the sum of
the individual
components on
their own, tested
separately.
January 2018 Volume 23 I Number 11