To turn on the water heater, Pipe work and insulation, Rain water tank – Rheem GAS BOOSTED SOLAR WATER HEATER User Manual
Page 7: About your water heater
ABOUT YOUR WATER HEATER
7
TO TURN ON THE WATER HEATER
• Screw in the drain plugs at the cold water inlet and hot water outlet of the gas booster if the gas
booster has been drained.
• Open the cold water isolation valve fully at the inlet to the water heater.
• Open all of the hot water taps in the house (don’t forget the shower).
Air will be forced out of the taps.
• Close each tap as water flows freely from it.
• Open the gas isolation valve fully at the inlet to the water heater.
• Plug in the water heater at the power outlet and switch on the electrical supply.
The power outlet must be switched on for the solar controls to operate and solar gain to be
achieved and for the gas booster to operate.
The gas booster will operate automatically when you open a hot tap, if boosting is required.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THE WATER HEATER IS INSTALLED CORRECTLY?
Installation requirements are
25. The water heater must be installed by an authorised
person and the installation must comply with National Standards AS/NZS
3500.4, AS
5601,
AS/NZS 3000 and all local codes and regulatory authority requirements. In New Zealand, the
installation must conform with the New Zealand Building Code.
Temperature controllers must not be fitted (refer to
under
“How Hot Should The Water Be?”
on page 5).
PIPE WORK AND INSULATION
The solar hot and solar cold pipe work between the solar storage tank and the solar collectors
MUST BE of copper and fully insulated with closed cell polymer insulation or similar (minimum
thickness 13 mm). The insulation must be weatherproof and UV resistant if exposed. The insulation will
offer corrosion protection to a metal roof against water runoff over the copper pipe, assist in avoiding
accidental contact with the solar pipe work and also reduce pipe heat losses.
The insulation must be fitted up to the connections on both the solar collectors and the solar storage
tank, as very high temperature closed circuit fluid can flow from the solar collectors to the solar storage
tank under certain conditions.
There must be a continuous fall in the pipe work from the solar collectors to the solar storage tank. The
continuous fall is essential to assist in the drain back function of the solar system.
Plastic pipe MUST NOT be used, as it will not withstand the temperature of the closed circuit fluid
generated by the solar collectors under certain conditions
RAIN WATER TANK
If the solar collectors and solar pipe work are installed on a section of roof which is part of a rain water
runoff collection system, then it is recommended this section of roof and its gutter be isolated from the
rain water collection system. The gutter should be isolated to a width greater than the solar collectors
and pipe work and must have suitable drainage. This is to ensure in the event of a leak from the solar
collectors or pipe work, a rainwater tank cannot be contaminated with closed circuit fluid.
The closed circuit fluid contains food grade additives (rust inhibitor and anti-freeze agent), is non-toxic
and is harmless to the environment. However, if it enters a rain water tank, it can kill off microscopic
algae which are typically present in the water causing an unpleasant odour to develop and resulting in
the rain water tank having to be drained and cleaned.