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Solar Thermal settings


Chriswills

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https://www.resol.de/Produktdokumente/11204293_DeltaSol_CS4.monen.pdf
 

I have the above Resol solar controller, everything works fine until the tank reaches its max setting at 70 deg. Once the pump is then switched off the temperature on the roof goes up to about 170 deg C and the pressure goes up to over 6 bar. The warning icon flashes then too. Is there a way to cool the collector or is this normal?

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I've all the bits here to do a solar thermal install, really need to get on with it this year. 

 

Is it that you need a heat dump like a radiator to deal with the excess heat? 

 

@Marvin might be able to shed some light.

 

 

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11 hours ago, Chriswills said:

https://www.resol.de/Produktdokumente/11204293_DeltaSol_CS4.monen.pdf
 

I have the above Resol solar controller, everything works fine until the tank reaches its max setting at 70 deg. Once the pump is then switched off the temperature on the roof goes up to about 170 deg C and the pressure goes up to over 6 bar. The warning icon flashes then too. Is there a way to cool the collector or is this normal?

 

 

 

 

 

Hi @Chriswills

 

Yes on your model there are settings for cooling. How it works I do not know.

 

I do not know the settings for your particular system but it is normal a system to act like that.   The system has to have a pressure reducing valve so when the temperature of the system goes very high, and the liquid in the system expands and the pressure gets too high, it runs overspill liquid into a plastic barrel. 

 

Hi @Onoff

AS I understand it, the system temperature can go over the melting point of soldier and that is the reason why all pipe joints should be compression in the system...

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2 minutes ago, Chriswills said:

Not a dump. Just wondered if there was a setting to cool the collector??

There were drain back systems that got around the problem, and the opposite freezing problem.

As long as your pressurised system can handle the pressure, there should not be a problem, but even a couple of kilos of steam blowing off at 6 bar is potentially deadly.

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From those manual pages, it looks like you can let the tank temperature run up to 95C - collector cooling - but after that it hits the same problem but with everything a bit hotter.

 

Store cooling sounds like a non starter as you'd be cooling the tank off at night in anticipation of another sunny day, so if you didn't get that, the tank wouldn't have enough heat.

 

Maybe what you need is a hot tap you can turn on using a temperature controlled switch. Just run off some of the excess heat when the tank reaches the point you feel safe at.  Or you need a bigger tank, or a secondary tank.

 

In the old house ours used to get pretty hot but never that hot.

 

Simon

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I just upgraded the tank to a 300 litre from 200.

There are settings which allow it to cool the collector and the store but i don't know how to set it up.

We have the pressure valve and drain off all set up so good there, just worries me to see 6 bar plus on these very hot days

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14 minutes ago, Chriswills said:

just worries me to see 6 bar plus on these very hot days

Me too.

As I was waiting to order my coffee and plumber joined the queue behind me.

I asked him what he thought.

"(expletive deleted) that is a high pressure"

 

But a quick Google shows it is not unusual.

 

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At 70c you must have a tempering valve on your tank to protect users, so why not just increase store temp to 80c or more?

 

Is this a drainback system?

How many sensors are connected?

what is the setting for EM, collector limit?

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2 hours ago, dpmiller said:

At 70c you must have a tempering valve on your tank to protect users, so why not just increase store temp to 80c or more?

 

Is this a drainback system?

How many sensors are connected?

what is the setting for EM, collector limit?

EM is set at 130

sensoe on roof and one on tank. 
drainback installed

ive been told not increase it anymore in temperature!

 

Edited by Chriswills
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33 minutes ago, Chriswills said:

ive been told not increase it anymore in temperature!

 

 

Which one?

 

You can leave the setting for the collector where it is.

 

As above, turn on collector cooling (p30 in the manual). This will mean that if the tank has reached it's set point and the collector is getting too hot, the system will run, cooling the collector but warming the tank. Eventually, this will hit the maximum tank temperature of 95C and then the collector temperature will continue to rise.  So if you've set up collector cooling, the system will automatically adjust things if too much heat is being generated by the collector.

 

Sounds like the collector array has been sized to give you good output in the spring and summer but maybe a bit too much for the tank in the height of the summer.

 

Simon

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1 hour ago, Bramco said:

 

Which one?

 

You can leave the setting for the collector where it is.

 

As above, turn on collector cooling (p30 in the manual). This will mean that if the tank has reached it's set point and the collector is getting too hot, the system will run, cooling the collector but warming the tank. Eventually, this will hit the maximum tank temperature of 95C and then the collector temperature will continue to rise.  So if you've set up collector cooling, the system will automatically adjust things if too much heat is being generated by the collector.

 

Sounds like the collector array has been sized to give you good output in the spring and summer but maybe a bit too much for the tank in the height of the summer.

 

Simon

 

Just checked it now and the roof temperature is showing 168 deg C and the pressure at 6 bar. I have switched on the OCC but nothing happens.

The tank temp is set to a max of 70 deg C should that be increased to 95?

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20 minutes ago, Bramco said:

The manual says that it does that automatically.   You maybe need to experiment with the settings.  V difficult to work out what's needed from a distance.

why they cant make these things simple is beyond me

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22 minutes ago, Dillsue said:

If youve got ODB enabled for a drainback system then cooling options are disabled!!! See page 34 of the manual.

 

You could increase the max cylinder temp

ODB is off as per factory setting, what can you safely increase the max cylinder temp to?

Edited by Chriswills
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5 hours ago, dpmiller said:

I wouldn't expect it to immediately start doing things if it's already at elevated temperatures. Change the settings and monitor it tomorrow on heat-up.

Its been on since yesterday and had no effect today, it must be another setting but i cant quite understand some of the instructions. I guess increasing the tank max temp would do it but is that safe?

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