New Tank and System Tie-Ins Complete. What is Next.

The original DHW tank has been replaced and the new Vitocell double-coil tank is in now, plus the space heating header tie-ins, just upstream of the low-loss header are complete. The system is back up and running and working fine.

The next phase involves mounting the Solar Divicon, Pumps and Expansion tank on the wall. I have the old Vitocell DHW tank almost refitted for it's new job as the space heating capacity tank. After all the other aforementioned equipment is mounted (it all sets between the two tanks), I will move the tank into place and begin all the 3/4" piping for the system.

The 1/2" piping that will run from the Divicon to the Collectors (along with the the collector temp sensor wiring) will be left undone. The collectors are not mounted yet. I was going to custom weld up a frame to hold the collectors on the roof, but I am considering building the frame out of Unistrut. For you non-electricians, Unistrut is a kind of three-sided box tube that holds a variety of fixtures and clamps. Very versatile. It comes in a variety of materials: galvanized steel (cheapest), aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass. The problem with galvanized is that the cut ends lose the zinc protection, and even cold-zinc'd and painted they eventually rust in the weather.