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Solar Panels - an easy way to fill them
Solar panels can be hard work when it comes to filling. This simple 3 valve trick makes life easy.
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It’s all very well having an air vent on your solar panel but who wants to go up on the roof when they need to re-fill the system or to renew the antifreeze. Maybe there has been a really hot spell and some of the liquid has boiled off. Whatever the reason, a bit of thought at the design stage can make life easy.
The diagram has been simplified but the design revolves around using three isolating valves (you could use ball valves if you prefer). In my circuit the valves are positioned as follows. Using a tee on the return pipe, quite close to the exit from the hot water cylinder, place an isolator (3) on the open end of the tee and another isolator (1) in the pipe going from the tee to back to the solar panel. My third isolator (2) is in my filling loop that feeds into the expansion vessel. The isolator (3) on the open end of the tee also serves as a tap for the drain point (5) should I need to drain the system.
A small submersible pump makes a cheap option for filling your solar panel.
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To fill the system I use a bucket and a small submersible pump. You need to make up a pipe to reduce the output down to 15mm diameter. If required, mix up your antifreeze/water solution in the bucket. You will need an extra 2 or 3 litres of solution to make sure the base of the pump is covered when the system is full. Using two lengths of garden hose pipe, connect the pump output to the filling tube (4) - I fitted a length of 15mm copper tube to the filling tube, and the other length of hose to the outlet side (5) of the isolator (3). This hose is then a drain back into the bucket.
Close isolator (1) and open isolators (2 & 3).Switch on the pump. Because isolator (1) is closed, the water is forced around the circuit and discharged back into the tank through the drain. Make sure the drain is below the level of the water so you can see when the air bubbles stop, indicating that the circuit is full of water and any air has been discharged. At this point it is worth closing isolator (3) and opening isolator (1) for a few moments. This will dislodge any small amounts of air trapped below isolator (1). Close isolator (1) and re-open isolator (3) and allow any extra air to be discharged from the circuit.
Once you are happy that all the air has been removed, close isolator (3) and open isolator (1). Allow the pump to pressurise the system. Submersible pumps don’t produce much pressure but are adequate for a solar panel circuit. Mine will charge the circuit at approximately 0.5bar.
And that’s all there is too it. If you have any tips, let us know.
Solar panel can now be re-filled very easily using a buckert and the submersible pump.
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