Solar SH1500 Version 1.7 User manual

The SolarSheat
Installation Manual
By
Your Solar Home, Inc.
Version 1.7
November 15, 2005
All building, plumbing, electrical, and safety codes supersede the instructions in this manual. Use this
manual at your own risk.

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Welcome
Thank you for purchasing the SolarSheat. We hope you will get many years of solar
heating from the SolarSheat 1500, 1500s, and 1500g. The instructions below are for a
Do-it-yourself system with a second person assisting. You may choose to hire a
contractor or SolarSheat installer as well. We have provided diagrams for wall mounting
the SolarSheat, connecting the duct kit, and an electrical diagram for all necessary
electrical connections.
Tools Required for Installation
Safety glasses
Steel toe work boots or safety shoes
Ear protection (not essential)
Power drill with extension cord or cordless drill
3/8” socket for driving the tek screws
5” Hole Saw – for duct holes
Drill bit - for pilot holes for wall and aluminum mount
Measuring Tape – for locating SolarSheat and finding the length of the duct (when
applicable)
Level – for leveling the lower mount
Screws – for fastening the mount to the wall
Caulking gun and sealant (UV/outdoor grade polyurethane or silicon) – for sealing the
control wire & duct holes
Screwdriver or driver bits for drill – for screwing the grill & wall mount screws
Tin snips or duct cutting shear – for cutting the duct (when applicable)
Marker or industrial pencil - for marking the duct (when applicable)
Step ladder – for accessing upper most portion of the collector & upper mount
Partner – for lifting the SolarSheat onto the mount and holding it
Wire strippers – for stripping ends of control wire
Utility knife – for cutting control wire sheathing
Drywall screws – for digital temperature control
Stud finder – for locating obstructions in the wall

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How It Works
All of our SolarSheat products are designed to work with maximum performance. The
ideal orientation should be due South on a wall for optimal performance. If you do not
have a southern exposed wall, you can roof mount the SolarSheat as well. You can
mount the SolarSheat in east or west orientation but it will reduce the exposure time
compared to a south facing exposure. The SolarSheat can also be mounted upside down
(this could be for a roof overhang that may prevent the sun from hitting the top portion of
the PV panel). The SolarSheat can also be mounted horizontally if you don’t have the
available vertical height on the wall or roof.
SH1500
The SolarSheat 1500 is made to provide fresh air during the heating season without
increasing the building’s heating bill. It pre-heats incoming outdoor air, and blows it into
a space. The unit is self-powered. It has a built-in fan which is powered by an electricity
producing Photo Voltaic (PV) panel. The SolarSheat 1500 connects to a digital
temperature control (DC thermostat), which enables the user to set a maximum room
temperature. Inside the SolarSheat 1500, there is a sensor that is calibrated to
approximately 68 degF (20 degC), which doesn’t allow the fan to come on even if there
is a call for heat from the digital temperature control.

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SH1500S
The SolarSheat 1500S is made to provide fresh air during the heating season without
increasing your building’s heating bill. It pre-heats incoming outdoor (make-up) air. It
requires an external fan to pull fresh air from the outside. It is used to increase the
heating power of the SH1500 unit, the Solar HRV and the Solar Furnace. It is also used
in commercial applications which can be assembled into large SolarSheat walls.
SH1500G
The SolarSheat 1500G is made to provide space heating and to decrease your building’s
heating bill. It pulls air from inside the building, heats it with the power of the sun, and
pushes it back in. The unit is self-powered. It has a built-in fan which is powered by an
electricity producing Photo Voltaic (PV) panel. The SolarSheat 1500G connects to a
digital temperature control (DC thermostat), which enables the user to set a maximum
room temperature. Inside the SolarSheat 1500G, there is a sensor that is calibrated to

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approximately 77 degF (25 degC), which doesn’t allow the fan to come on even if there
is a call for heat from the digital temperature control.
Unpacking the SolarSheat Mount
Cut the end corner of the container and gently pull out the SolarSheat mount out of the
box. There may be different sizes of mounts in the containers depending on how many
SolarSheats you have purchased. There is usually more than one mount facing each other
inside the container. Be careful of the sharp corners at the ends of the mounts.
Installing the Lower Mount
Next, determine where the mount is going to be installed on the wall. The SolarSheat
should be installed on a south facing wall for optimal performance. (see attached
drawing of mount and exploded cross sectional view).
The mount should be installed high enough from the ground to prevent snow load in the
winter time. This should be based on prior winter observation of snow load. If this is the
first winter you have been in the property then the mount should be at least 16” above the
ground. You may have to clear snow from the collector in the winter time if you cannot
place the mount at this height.
Find the Wall Mounting diagram. The collectors are shown mounted in the vertical or
“upright” position. If it will be installed horizontally, then, on the Wall Mounting
diagram, the views labeled, “Side View” would be more aptly labeled, “Top View”. The
clearances required between the roof overhang and the top of the collector and the ground
and bottom of the collector still need to be considered during installation. The lower

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mount and upper mounts would still be located below and above the collector,
respectively.
Locate the studs (if applicable) in an area of the wall where there is no electrical,
plumbing, gas piping, ducting, in the wall. If you have building drawings this can help
with this process. Heating registers, plumbing and electrical fixtures indicate the
presence of these obstructions.
Have someone hold the mount with you in the position where it is going to be fastened.
Next, drill a hole with a power drill through the wall or brick. Make sure you use the
right type of bit for the wall that you are drilling. Please also make sure you are not
drilling into any wires, water or gas piping, ductwork etc. that may be inside the wall.
Place the lower mount with the new hole over the building hole and fasten with an
appropriate screw. Level the lower mount. Drill the rest of the holes in the lower mount,
according to the attached air collector mounting diagram. Fasten the lower mount to the
wall.
Installing Duct Kit
Find the air collector Mounting Template and Mounting Template Guide. The Mounting
Template will be used to locate the hole(s) to be drilled in the wall for the duct kit that
will match the corresponding duct hole(s) already in the back of your SolarSheat. The
Mounting Template Guide will help you use the Mounting Template.
Place the template on the lower mount, with the appropriate edge on the lower mount, as
indicated in the Mounting Template Guide. Center the template on the lower mount.
If you have a SH1500 or a SH1500S model SolarSheat with a hole in the back, it will
only be necessary to drill one 5” diameter hole all of the way through the wall, as shown
on the Template Guide and Mounting Diagram. If you have a SH1500G, then you’ll
need to drill both holes all of the way through the wall as shown on the Mounting
Template Guide and Mounting Diagram. A 5” hole-saw can be used. Make sure you
drill all of the way through the wall into the room.
After the hole(s) is/are drilled for the duct kit, remove the template from the lower mount.
If you have a SH1500 or SH1500G with a digital temperature control, a ¼” hole must be
drilled for control wiring. Drill a ¼” hole in the wall, all the way through, at a level
where the digital control is convenient to operate from within the house and where the
collector would cover and therefore protect from direct rain and snow.
Find the Duct Kit & Wall Mounting diagrams. Cut and apply the included foam tape to
the collar(s) as shown in the Duct Kit diagram. Apply outdoor water sealant on the collar
as shown in the Wall Mounting Diagram. Push the collar(s) into the duct kit hole(s). In
order to help keep rain from entering the duct kit collar, the foam on the collar should be

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same position as it appears in the Wall Mounting diagram. Apply an additional bead of
outdoor water sealan on the upper edge of the collar.
Installing the Upper Mount
Two people are necessary for this step. Lift the air collector into position on to the
bottom mount, as shown in the Mounting Diagram, and have one assistant hold it there.
For the SH1500 or SH1500G, push the control wire through the ¼” hole that was drilled
in the wall. Apply outdoor water sealant around the control wire. Make sure the match
the hole locations on the back of the SolarSheat with the hole(s) in the wall.
Place the second mount (the top mount) on top of the SolarSheat as shown in the
Mounting Diagram, so it mirrors the bottom mount. Find the holes in the bottom mount.
The upper mount holes should match the screw heads exposed on the bottom of the
mount. Drill the holes on the top mount as shown in the Wall Mounting diagram.
Remove the top mount temporarily and drill matching holes in the building wall.
Position the upper mount back in place on the building and fasten the upper mount to the
wall.
Find the self-drilling (Tek) screws. Drill them through the collector frame and into the
upper and lower mounts as shown in the diagram. If two or more collectors are being
mounted, then additional SolarSheats will be slid in place next to SolarSheat with the
hole in the back, so that the side holes match. Then screw the collector frames together as
shown in the Collector Mounting diagram.
The work on the outside of the building is finished.
Installing the Rest of the Duct Kit
From inside the building, measure the distance from the collar face to the outside of the
wall, and cut the piece(s) of duct as shown in the Wall Mounting diagram. Place the
backdraft damper into the supply duct so that it will open towards the inside of the home.
Push the piece(s) of duct onto the grill(s). Push the grill and duct assembly through the
inside of the wall and onto the collar. Fasten the grill to the wall with the included
screws.
Installing the Digital Temperature Control (SH1500 & SH1500G)
Find the control wire that was pushed through the wall earlier. Trim the control wire
and/or push the excess wire into the wall cavity, so that enough wire hang out of the wall
to attach to the digital control. Cut and remove enough wire shielding on the control
wiring cable to access the red and white wires within the cable. Use wire strippers to
strip the insulation ½” (~1cm) from the ends of the red and white wires. The wires may
have up to 24 volts DC, so don’t touch the bare ends of the wires at the same time.

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Find the digital temperature control and remove the rear panel. Use a flat-headed
screwdriver to loosen the screws on the “RH” and “W” terminals on the back of the face
of the control. Pull the wires through the center hole in the back of the controller. Attach
the red wire to the “RH” terminal, and the white wire to the “W” terminal (as shown in
the electrical diagram). Screw the back of the control to the wall. Insert the included
batteries to power the digital control. Push the face of the control onto the back.
Using the SolarSheat
For the SH1500 and SH1500G SolarSheats, collector will only provide solar pre-heated
ventilation/make-up air (SH1500) or space heating (SH1500G), when the temperature
control is set to “heat”, the temperature is set higher than the current temperature, when
the sun is out, and when the temperature on the inside of the SolarSheat SH1500 and
SH1500G reaches 68 degF (20 degC) and 77 degF (25 degC).
To use the SolarSheat 1500 and 1500G panels, simply set the digital control to as high of
a temperature as comfortable, during heating season. All of this heat is free. During the
summer switch the digital temperature control “Off”.
The SolarSheat 1500S panels will provide solar pre-heated ventilation/make-up air on-
demand when the sun is out and when air is being pulled through it by a fan (either in a
SH1500, a SolarHRV, or the SolarFurnace).
Maintenance
The SolarSheat is designed for long life. The coating on the collector is a very high
quality Kynar coating. It should last for many years. The PV (Photovoltaic Panel) is also
rated for many years of use. You only need to clean the collector should it become dirty
with a soap and water combination. Never use heavy chemical compounds,
solvents and sprays. Using these types of products could damage the collector.
Replace the two “AAA” batteries in the digital control if there is a problem with the
control after a few years of operation. The digital control relies completely on these
batteries to turn on and off the SolarSheat.
The silicon that holds the PV panel in place should last many years. Should the PV
Panel become loose or the silicone breaks away use an industrial grade silicone to caulk
the areas where the PV sits in the collector. You should not have to do this because there
is a large amount of high quality silicone applied to the product during the time of
manufacturing.
We hope you enjoy using your SolarSheat!

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Please send us a picture of your newly installed SolarSheat via email to
[email protected]. We would like to have your testimonials and install to show
others how you are using your SolarSheat.
Todd Kirkpatrick
President

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Appendixes
Wall Mounting Diagram (SH1500, SH1500S, SH1500G, PAK 1500)
Frame and Mount Close Up Diagram
Mounting Template Guide
Duct Kit Diagram (SH1500, SH1500S, SH1500G)
Electrical Diagram (SH1500, SH1500G)
Mounting Template (can be found in the SolarSheat box)