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Do you live in Australia and have a Chromagen split system solar hot water system? Do you know if that system works correctly? Do you know how to check if the system works correctly?
First, what is a split solar system?
A solar hot water service split system is where you will have a tank at ground level and a set of collectors on your roof. A circulation pump brings cold water to the collectors and hot water from the collectors to the tank or cylinder.
Please do not void your warranty!!
Following the steps below will allow you to see what is wrong with your split system solar hot water service. Please don’t go any further. Altering and removing any of the connected cables or pipes may void the warranty. Most items in your solar hot water service must be replaced or repaired by a qualified service technician, or at least by your local plumber or electrician. If in doubt, call the Chromagen service phone number – 1300 367 565 – toll free.
How to tell if your Chromagen hot water service is working properly
First of all, right in the middle of the side of the cylinder will be a large cream colored domed cover. Remove the four screws and remove the cover. You will find a small white box with four screws holding the front cover, remove the screws. Remember that there is dangerous live energy in this box, so do not touch any wires. In the upper right corner there will be two LED indicators, these indicators will show you if everything is working properly or if there is a problem. On the back of the white cover you removed, there will be descriptions of what the indicators do to tell you what is happening.
What the indicators will tell you:
- If the system is idle (doing nothing but working properly)
- Whether the circulation pump is running (the system is circulating hot water)
- If there is a fault in any of the wires from the panels or from the tank
- If the system is in its frost protection phase
- If the system is in its boil protection phase
What the indicators won’t tell you:
- If the controller box is faulty, the only way to confirm this is to plug in a working controller box and see if the system is currently working.
- If the system has an air block, if there is an air block, everything else will work fine, but the circulation pump will not circulate the hot water from the panels. There is only one way to decide that this is the fault; on a sunny day when you know the circulation pump is trying to circulate, place your hand on the return line of the panels – DANGER: if the system is working properly, there is a real danger of serious burns from the pipes as the Heat the water from the panels can reach up to 160 degrees Celsius. My suggestion is to just touch the return line to see if it’s hot. If so, everything is fine, if not, there may be a problem and you will need to call the toll-free number mentioned above.
Keeping the Controller Box On: Why It’s Vital
With a Chromagen solar split system, the only item that keeps the system running well is the controller box and circulation pump. Without these two items operating at their designed capacity, your Chromagen hot water service will not function properly and possibly void your solar panel warranty.
The circulation system is your main protection against frost. Also make sure you have an antifreeze valve (a small brass valve found mostly on the bottom right of solar hot water panels) as this is your secondary antifreeze protection. Please always remember that the power point to which the controller box is plugged remains on and the power cord is firmly inserted.
Your antifreeze valve
Every split solar system must have an anti-freeze valve installed on the solar panels if it is an “open loop” system. If you are unsure of your split solar system type, call Chromagen at the toll-free number listed above.
Antifreeze valves are designed to open when the temperature reaches 4 degrees Celsius. The valve will release a small amount of water until it senses that the temperature has risen or the valve has heated up above approximately 6 degrees. Then it will cut off and there should be no water leaks. When the valve drops below 4 degrees it will repeat the cycle. Antifreeze valves should always shut off the water flow at a maximum of 8 degrees Celsius, so if your antifreeze valve is still leaking and the temperature at the valve is above 8 degrees, your antifreeze valve is probably faulty. You must contact the toll-free number listed above for a visit from an approved service agent.