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earth, the final frontier

Clean Energy, Clean Environment

We are at a cross roads in human history, we can choose to continue on as we have been, or we can make a change to improve our future and quite possibly the future for several generations to come. We are here to promote energy independence, a better environment with a higher return on investment for your hard earned money. It is what I believe in, it is why I am in the solar business.

Solar Equipment Service Calls

12 Jul 08 | Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, solar thermal

I have been receiving many calls from home owners with old solar equipment installed on their houses.  Mainly, they are interested in seeing if the equipment is working or is worth repairing. What I am finding is that in many cases, it is worth the effort to repair these systems.

Last week I came across a drain back solar domestic hot water system that was installed in 1980,  After 28 years, It was still working.  The home owner had a pump replaced by the local plumber.  Unfortunately, I think the plumber did not fully understand the concept of the drain back tank.

The problem with that system was the pump was installed higher than the bottom of the drainback tank, so it was cavitating every so often.  I filled the drain back tank to the top and that reduced the cavitation but did not eliminate it.  Even so, it seems to be working well and the homeowner was happy that they were back in hot water, so to speak.  A well maintained solar domestic hot water system, particularly a drain back system, can last almost indefinitely.

Another antifreeze type system was left to stagnate over several years.  I seems that some of the antifreeze has boiled off.  This system needs to have its HTF (Heat Transfer Fluid) flushed out and replaced.  While I was there, I pressure tested the solar loop to see if there were any leaks.  After several minutes, the pressure began to rise as the panels heated up in the sun.  After a good flushing and a few gallons of Noburst-100, the system should be good as new.

Was is really great to see, is that many of these orphaned 1980’s era solar systems are actually in good shape and with a little work can be put back in working order.  I am also enjoying the challenges of trouble shooting of these legacy systems.  No two systems are alike and they all seem to have different problems.

If you have an old solar system on your house, it may be worth it to see if it can be put back in service.  If you have a working solar system, it may be good to have somebody look at it and see if there are any problems.  Contact us for more information.

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12 Jul 08 | Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water, solar thermal | Comments (0)