Here are the details that you need to answer many of your questions about the Fireball 2001.  We have attempted to make this information comprehensive, but, we know that you are likely to have individual situations that need special answers. Please feel free to send us an eMail with your questions.

MAJOR COMPONENTS

COLLECTOR:

The Fireball 2001 collector uses a high performance absorber coating with low emissivity and high absorbtivity for maximum performance. The inside walls of the collector feature a super high emissivity white coating to greatly reduce heat loss and reflect otherwise lost heat back onto the absorber. The unbreakable Lexan, "Twinwall" Glazing is very light weight. A unique and exceptionally strong mounting rail and sandwiched bracket system fully supports the width of the collector. The results are a high performance, ultra strong, ultra light weight and easy to install collector.

GLAZING:

The glazing or "window" to the collector takes the brunt of the harsh sun's rays and traps them inside to create a greenhouse effect similar to what is experienced when getting into a car with its windows closed on a sunny summer day. This glazing has an insulating effect that traps heat better than glass in cold weather. It is much lighter and will not break like glass. The glazing is 20 square feet of a tough 6 mill (1/4") LEXAN double-walled polycarbonate material manufactured by General Electric (GE) with state of the art UV-protective acrylate surface treatment. It is factory guaranteed for 10 years.

FRAME CONSTRUCTION:

Designed to emulate a skylight in appearance and construction. The Patent Pending frame and trim is made out of Professionally finished bent 27 mil aluminum with ultra strong sandwiched mounting brackets. Special color keyed steel Hex screws and aluminum rivets are used as connectors. High quality 3/4" foil faced polyisocyanurate foam core insulation is used for the backboard.

ABSORBER:

The solar absorber, so called because it absorbs the sun's energy, is a proven all copper, "serpentine" design with the highest quality "selective surface" black absorber coating available.

"QUICK CONNECT"

TANK CONNECTION UNIT (System 1, 2, and 3):

This high quality copper and brass unit allows for the quickest possible connection of the collector feed and return lines to the storage tank. This unit causes the existing "backup" tank to directly capture solar heated water. It is equipped with two shut off "isolation valves" to quickly close off the solar loop if needed or to allow the complete drainage of the solar loop for freeze protection through the two drain valves (hose bibs) mounted directly above the isolation valves.

The solar circulator is mounted on the collector feed line directly above the hose bib. Two unions are included to allow easy shipping and assembly as well as a low point tank drain hose bib. On the roof, mounted at the outlet of the collector, is a safety pressure relief valve and an air vent to allow any trapped air to escape at the high point of the solar loop.

A Passive "Thermal Freeze Valve" option is available for protection against freeze damage to the collector in open loop systems. This valve opens when temperatures go below 38o F (some valves are set to open at 45o) causing warmer water from the bottom of the storage tank to go through the collector. A check valve on the hot collector return side of the Quick Connect unit causes the flow of water to be mostly through the collector feed line and thus through all the collector tubes.

OPTIONAL THERMOSIPHON HEAT EXCHANGER

(System 4 and 5):

This highly effective unit consists of a large vertically oriented waterside THERMOSIPHON loop copper tube. This tube is normally connected at the bottom of the water heater through the drain port and to the upper part of the tank through the pressure relief valve. A small amount of soldering is usually required to make this connection.

 Small "double walled" tubes go through the center of the larger waterside copper tube(s). These tubes are "double walled" to provide a double wall of protection against leakage of food grade "Propylene Glycol" (glycol) into the water (a highly unlikely event given that the water side is at a much higher pressure than the solar glycol side). The inner tubes are part of the completely separate solar loop and are heated by the flow of glycol pumped (and thus circulated) through the collector.

A brass low point tank drain hose bib is also included. The "solar loop" is charged with food grade Propylene Glycol through two hose bibs, which have a check valve between them. A unique check valve prevents cooler glycol in the collector from causing a reverse flow of fluid at night from cooling the water heater. Included on the solar loop, mounted below the pump, is an "Expansion Tank" which is very important to allow for the expansion and contraction of the glycol in the closed solar loop. On the roof, mounted at the outlet of the collector, is a safety pressure relief valve and an air vent to allow any trapped air to escape at the high point of the solar loop.

CIRCULATOR (PUMP):

Standard high quality pumps are quiet, long life and low power consumption. 115V AC units come with built in line cord for easy connection to the control system. All Pumps are permanently oiled and do not need any service.

 The ultra reliable 12 Volt "ElSid" circulator has no moving motor parts, has a life expectancy of over 20 years and only needs a 5 or 10 watt PV panel depending on application. A high quality Hartell 12 Volt Electronic circulator is used for larger closed loop PV systems.

CONNECTING LINES:

The piping consists of 1/2" outside diameter (3/8" Nominal) soft copper plumbing tubes. Connections are made using standard brass compression unions. 50' of tubing is included with the kit.

DIFFERENTIAL CONTROLLER

(System 2 and 4):

An electronic differential temperature control is designed specifically to regulate a solar system's operation. Its basic function is to monitor collector and storage temperatures and to automatically turn a circulation pump ON or OFF at the appropriate temperature differentials. Only the highest quality controllers are used.

SENSORS:

Two sensors perform the temperature sensing function. One is placed at the bottom of the solar heat exchanger tank, up against the outside of the core of tank. The other sensor is placed just inside the collector through the absorber hot out hole. The sensors are directly wired to the differential controller box.

An optional freeze sensor attaches to the hot out line just as it leaves the collector box. This sensor closes at 40F for Recirculation freeze protection which is used extensively in mild weather conditions where temperatures occasionally dip below freezing (to as low as 20F for a few hours). It is thus is used for a higher level of Freeze Protection in light freeze areas than the Thermal freeze valve allows.

How much energy does a collector produce?
 
 

Each 20 square foot ACRSI collector produces about 20,000 BTUs of energy on a clear sunny day or about enough to heat 50 gallons of water 50 degrees. This would be enough for an average family of three in Orlando Florida to be able to turn off their 220v electric element on sunny summer days.

Your south* facing roof must be free of shade for at least eight hours of full sun during the summer and 6 hours of full sun during the winter. The roof should face within 50 degrees of true south*. If it does not, tilt kits are available, consult with us. Tilts from 18 degrees up are acceptable.

How does the solar system arrive?
 
 

When your solar system arrives by UPS, it will be in at least two boxes, one for components and a larger one, about 6' x 22" x 8" will contain two collector sections. These two sections are easily joined together into a sturdy one piece 12' long unit using a Patent Pending design. The end sections are fully assembled with the Glazing (7) and the two trim (8) pieces of the center section installed by the homeowner after joining the two collector sections using pop rivets through pre drilled holes and connecting and tightening the absorber unions. Assembly takes about 1/2 to 1 hour and complete instructions and assembly instructions are included.

What does SolarRoofs.com Supply?
 
 

• SolarRoofs.com's Fireball 2001 Collector, with 3 mounting rails and 6 Ell brackets per collector, + 3 Ell brackets per extra collector. NOTE: High wind area kits are available with 2 more sets of mounting rails and Ell brackets.
• Solar Feed and Return line adapters.
• Air Vent, Pressure Relief Valve, and Thermal Freeze Valve when ordered.
• Timer, snap switches, or Differential controller with two sensors or PV Panel.
• Storage Tank 'Quick Connect" unit including isolation Ball Valves, Solar Loop Drain Hose Bibs or Thermosyphon Heat Exchanger unit with Expansion tank, all valves and Propylene Glycol.
• 110 Volt AC Pump or 12 Volt Pump and connections.
• 50' 1/2" outside diameter copper solar loop lines.
• Solar loop installation parts kit including miscellaneous parts, fittings, screws, nuts, bolts, etc.,
• All hardware, two roof boots, 6' high temp. insulation and options.
• Installation Manual, and Operation and Maintenance Manual.

What do I need to supply?
 
 

Overview: Everyday homeowner tools are all that are needed to assemble and install the Fireball 2001 system. Electrical connections are simple plug in.

 TOOLS AND MATERIALS NEEDED:

1/2 or 3/4" wall (recommended) insulation for inside piping (this is the only basic material not supplied).

Tape measure, Marking pencil, crayon or chalk

1 *" inch wood bit for roof penetrations.

7/16" socket with ratchet and 6" extension. (a drill adapter is desirable for quickly driving lags).

Phillips and *" nut driver with high speed drill.

Pop Rivet Gun.

2 large adjustable wrenches and/or wrench set.

Caulking gun with quality roofing caulk.

Ladder(s) and ropes and/or safety equipment if a steep roof.

Teflon tape (1/2") and pipe sealant.

What direction does my solar collector need to face?
 
 

Your solar water system will be providing savings for your family for decades to come. Consider it an income source. Because the sun rises in the east, crosses over the horizon on the south* and sets in the west, you want your collector to face as much to the south* as possible. To get the best "income", your system needs the most sun it can get. In most areas, a solar collector can face anywhere from east to west (its orientation) without losing more than 5% of the energy it would have produced if it were facing directly south*. Exceptions include easterly facing systems in areas with a lot of morning fog and clear afternoons where south* facing or west facing would be much better. The opposite can be true if sunny mornings are very often followed by rainy afternoons.

Is the "Angle" of my solar collector important?
 
 

As long as the collector angle (known as tilt) is at least 18 degrees up from horizontal, (a typical roof angle is 18 to 32 degrees) additional tilt usually has little effect on total year round performance. An exception would be areas with very sunny winters (as in most areas of Colorado) where a higher angle, facing the collector more directly into the winter sun, can make quite a difference. Take these facts into consideration when locating your collector and consult with us if you have any questions.

What about my roof condition?
 
 

The condition of your roof should be good although one of the features of the Fireball 2001 system is that removing and replacing the collector is relatively easy when re roofing is required. All the materials for a normal collector installation are supplied. Composition roofs are the most common and easiest roofs to install a system on.

Most of the installation details apply directly to these types of roofs and need to be modified for other types of roofs. Shake roof installations are similar to composition with the exception that more care in flashing is needed. Tile roofs are more difficult to drill and require a lot more care to walk on. We have a good solution for just about every situation and will be happy to provide you with direct help with questions on different roofs as needed, Just ask!

How do I install the collector?
 
 

On an average, easy to walk on single story roof, the Fireball 2001 can be safely installed by one person who is comfortable with walking on a roof. The assembled collector is 12 feet long, only 20 inches wide and under 40 pounds, making it an ideal size and weight for one person to lean against the roof or gutter, go up the ladder and simply pick up the collector and place on the roof.

For more detail see Installation Overview

What about freeze protection?
 
 

Systems 1, 2, and 3 have a passive Thermal Freeze Valve protection option (B). These systems are called "Open loop" because they have street water pressure in them at all times while in operation. In case of a hard freeze, a simple freeze protection drain setup is included with these systems whereby the pump is turned off, two ball valves are closed and two hose bibs are opened (allowing about one to two gallons of water to drain out, using a pail or hose to drain), this process takes about two minutes. The "Thermal Freeze Valve" starts to open at about 38 degrees to let a small flow of water out onto the roof. This flow is usually enough to prevent freeze-up of the collector absorber during occasional freeze conditions to as low as 30F.

Better freeze protection down to 20F is provided with System 2B which has a "Differential Control with Snap Switch Recirculation Freeze Protection" or PV powered System 3B with Snap Switch and Transformer Recirculation Freeze Protection. The snap switch will sense freezing conditions from its roof sensor and will turn on the pump causing a constant flow of water through the collector. The "Thermal Freeze Valve" is important to use in conjunction with the Differential Control in case of power outages. This type of freeze protection is used extensively in Florida, Arizona, California (as far north as Sacramento) and similar climates but draining must still be done in a hard freeze temperatures below 20F.

In the unlikely event that the absorber is freeze damaged, it is exceptionally easy to repair due to its 5 easily removed sections which can be repaired or the damaged section replaced at low cost.

For COMPLETE freeze protection, just add the Thermosiphon "Closed Loop" heat exchanger!

What is a Differential Control?
 
 

A Differential Control turns the 110V pump on when heat is available or when freeze recirculation is needed and off when no energy is available.

 To do this it uses two sensors, one in the collector and one at the bottom of the storage tank. The control electronically senses the temperature difference and when the difference is enough, typically 12 degrees F, it turns the pump on and when the difference is within 4 degrees F, it turns the pump off.

How do I make connections between the collector and the tank?
 
 

Line connections are easily accomplished using the special couplers supplied with the kit. You want your pipe run to be as short as possible for greatest efficiency. Before ordering the system, you want to check your situation to be sure you have a good "pipe run." See Installation Overview

What about my storage tank?
 
 

It is desirable that your storage tank be at least 50 gallons, although 30 to 40 gallon water heaters can work well with a single panel. Generally, the larger the water heater the better. You need at least 1 gallon of storage for each square foot of collector area. The standard, easy to make, installation connections are all made at the bottom of your tank. Simply drain the water out of the tank, remove the bottom drain, insert the connection components in its place and tighten.

 The complete, preassembled, tank connection unit has a "Hot" collector return tube that goes up into the tank when inserted through your tanks bottom drain hole. You will need enough room around the front area of the tank to allow for the installation of components, usually 10 inches is enough. The supplied illustrated manual makes this process go smoothly.

How do I get the most efficiency from my Solar Water Heater?
 
 

As a standard electric water heater usually has two elements, having an electrician disconnect the lower element will increase the efficiency of the solar system. When disconnecting the lower element it is important to be aware that you will have less continuous supply of water on cloudy days because only the upper element is heating the water.

Another easy method to increase storage efficiency is to have a 220-volt timer installed by an electrician. It will activate the element for 3 hours in the early morning (say from 5AM to 8AM) for showers etc. and on again in the early evening (say from 4PM to 10PM) for evening use if solar gain hasn't been good that day.

For safety sake, it may be wise to install a Mixing valve to protect children and the elderly from high temperatures, especially with larger systems. See installation and O & M manuals for details.

What if I use the Thermosiphon Closed Loop Heat Exchanger?
 
 

This is an excellent total freeze protection option! If this heat exchanger is going to be used for freeze protection, the tank must have a side pressure relief port to allow the water in the bottom of the tank to "Thermosiphon" from the bottom of the tank, (the principle that heat rises) through the heat exchanger, and back into the top of the storage tank through its side pressure relief valve port. This unit may require minor soldering for installation. Food grade, Propylene Glycol antifreeze is supplied with this heat exchanger.

What is special about the Fireball 2001?
 
 

Over 20 years of intense field experience by Al C. Rich went into the design of the Fireball 2001. Every one of the thousands of times he went up on a roof to install or work on a solar system, he asked himself how what he was doing could be done better. He sought the highest level of design perfection possible. Extremely simple and very clever solutions emerged. Patents were applied for and a revolution in solar water heating technology began. Never before was it even remotely possible for one person to install a powerful collector and an entire solar water heating system in a few hours, now it is. It is possible because hours of installation time are eliminated by factory "preassembly" of components leaving virtually nothing to be "figured out" or searched for.

 The Fireball 2001 is a true solar advancement. Just as the Computer with its many benefits is considered highly desirable by the great majority of people, Solar water heating is also considered highly desirable. From a mass marketing standpoint, the computers was a dismal failure until it became "User Friendly" and basically everyone could use it with ease. Today's average solar water heater is about as "User Friendly" as computers were during the old punch card days. In other words, they are heavy, ugly, expensive and very hard to deal with.

The new Fireball 2001 solar "SKYLITE"tm water heating system is the first truly "User Friendly" solar water heater and is as revolutionary to the water heating field as "Windows" was to the computer. It is light weight, inexpensive, durable, cost effective and easy to deal with. It fits in perfectly with today's growing environmental consciousness and can benefit millions of families.

CUSTOMER QUESTIONS (and our answers)

Can your panels be installed inline, rather than side by side, making 22in. x 24 ft., rather than 44 in. x 12 ft.?

Yes, they can be installed inline but they will need a line to drop down from the hot (top) out of the first collector to the bottom feed of the second collector as collectors are always "filled" from the bottom. Final return with pressure relief valve and air vent will come from the hot out of the second panel.

Our systems work very well with a tankless water heater, in fact, I think it is the best strategy.

You would need system 4 or 5 for positive freeze protection. These systems, with the excellent Thermosiphon heat exchanger. We recommend at least two panels in your area.

Installation must comply with local
Building, Electrical, Plumbing and Permit codes.

The collector is most easily installed on a southerly* facing asphalt shingle roof, however, it can be installed in many situations, such as cedar shake, tile roofs and off orientation situations. The south-facing* roof must be free of shade for at least eight hours of the best available sun. A standard 18 degree tilt kit as well as custom tilt kits are available for reorientation.

 A way must exist to run solar lines inside the house or garage from the attic to the solar tank. The collector should be centered in such a way as to look balanced between house features.
 
 

THE BASIC INSTALLATION STEPS
(3 to 8 hours required to install, depending on situation and experience)

1. Unpack collector, assemble the collector left and right sections into one unit as per pictures and instructions.

 

 
 
 
 
 

2. Collector placement on roof located, rafters located and marked, end mounting rails with brackets lagged and sealed into rafters, collector placed into mounting rail brackets, center mounting rail and brackets placed, lagged and sealed into rafter, mounting rail brackets screwed into collector.

 

 
 
 
 
 

3. Collector compression unions connecting air vent, pressure relief valve and components installed, two 1 1/2" holes drilled into roof for hot feed and cool return lines. Shingles trimmed and "Roof boots" installed under shingles and into holes.

 

 
 
 
 
 

4. Collector cool feed (bottom compression union) and hot return lines (top compression union) installed through roof boots to tank area. Sensor, if used, installed in collector hot outlet, (or PV wire where used), connected and run to water heater area. Insulation partly installed before tubing connections are made. PV panel installed if used

 

 
 
 
 
 

5. Water Heater Element or Gas turned off, water drained, lower drain removed, "Easy-Connect Assembly" installed, (or Thermosiphon Heat Exchanger, if used) collector cool feed (from circulator) and hot return lines connected by compression union.
6. Water heater refilled, solar loop purged of air, pump plugged into timer (or PV wire or Differential Controller connected, where used). Air purged using return line hose bib, finish insulating lines, Element or Gas turned back on.

* - north facing in the southern hemisphere!