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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Solar collector assembly and kit

Patent ·
OSTI ID:7073127

A method is described of installing a solar collector water heater comprising the steps of: assembling a main frame over a base board by sliding corner keys into ends of a pair of side rails and a pair of end rails. The base board has mounted thereon a solar absorber plate including a heat exchanger at one end of the absorber plate with couplings for connection to a tank; installing a water tank onto the frame, the tank having a make-up water inlet, a heated-water outlet, a tank-to-heat-exchanger coupling and a heat-exchanger-to-tank coupling; connecting the make-up water inlet to a source of water, the heated water outlet to an inlet of a hot water system, and the tank-to-heat-exchanger coupling and the heat-exchanger-to-tank coupling to the associated couplings of the heat exchanger; assembling onto the main frame at least one glazing panel formed of a panel frame and a sheet of transparent material stretched onto the panel frame, the latter including rail members secured to one another, at least some of the rail members having integral snap-fit structure thereon cooperating with mating structure formed integrally on at least some of the rails of the main frame. The assembling includes sliding at least one rail member of the panel frame onto a corresponding rail of the main frame so that the snap-fit and mating structures interengage one another to hold the glazing panel securely in place over the absorber plate.

Assignee:
Alternative Energy Resources, El Paso, TX
Patent Number(s):
US 4622951
OSTI ID:
7073127
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English