Anatomy of A Roof Leak with a Solar System
This time of year roofs will leak. They do every year when the rainy season comes upon us. Roofs will leak with solar energy systems and without solar energy systems. As roofs age, they deteriorate and this process opens up the home for water to enter.
Here some simple investigative approach’s to solving these problems:
- What is the age of the roof? Any roof older than 15 years will show signs of degradation. You must ask questions to be a great investigator. How old is the roof? Have you had problems in the past? When was the last time you had your roof flashing’s serviced by a roofing company?
- What keeps water from entering the home is the condition of the roofing paper under the actual roofing shingles, tiles, shakes, etc. Roofing paper that is degrading will begin to allow water to seep into a home.
- Flashing’s around chimneys, vents, and skylights are also a major point of entry. These flashings will have a sealant around the edges that is no longer holding up to the environmental conditions and water will now get into the home. Flashing’s need serviced with new sealant.
- The best time to determine where the point of entry is into the home is when it is raining and coming in the home. Do NOT wait for the rain to stop.
- The point of entry of rain into the home can show up in the home in a very different location. Water can come in through the chimney flashing but then travel down a beam and enter in the hallway through a light fixture.
- Get in the attic with a flash light and look for the points of entry. You will then see water travel to the destination point in the home. If its an open beam sealing, locate the highest point the water is entering the home. Then go back up on the roof and look for suspect points of entry.
- Carry a tarp with you, buckets, towels, Henry’s roof sealant, and Rainbuster 12000.
- Always take photos or video.
- Broken tiles are a problem, but in most cases are not the cause of a leak coming in the home. If water enters in through a broken tile, the roofing paper below should shed this water.
Troubleshooting Solar Pool Systems
A Simple Guide to Troubleshooting Any Solar Pool System
I have big bubbles coming in my pool:
When a solar system first starts up in the morning, your should see big bubbles coming in your pool. This is water pushing air out of the solar collectors. Water is suppose to drain back to your pool at the end of the filtration cycle every day.
When ever the solar system is on, I see small bubbles coming in my pool:
This is the first sign of a flow problem. The vacume relief valve in the upper corner of the solar pool collectors is sucking air. Normally this is because there is not enough pressure to close the valve. First check your filter and see if it needs to be cleaned. This is the cause 80% of the time. If this does not solve the problem, good chance your VR valve needs to be replaced. There is also a good chance that your pump is not pushing enough water. Check the variable speed on the pump. You may need a new pump.
My pool is not heating:
Make sure your solar system is on. Sometimes the pool service person will turn it off by hitting the toggle switch on the solar valve and then forget to put it back on. Weather must be suitable for solar to heat. You may need service on your control system. It is not uncommon for a control sensor to fail and needs to be replaced. If you have a time clock, and there was a power outage, the solar system will not heat if filtration cycle is during the evening.
I have a leak on my roof:
This is often a hose clamp that needs to be tightened or an O ring that needs to be replaced. It can also be a hole in the solar collector which will require a splicer or a plug. If the VR valve is not closing, it will spit water. The VR valve may need to be replaced.
I can hear water going up to the solar system when the system is off:
There are two check valves on every system. The check valve on the return side is not doing it’s job. It needs service or replacement.
The solar system does not drain automatically because the plumbing has a high point in its design:
This system needs to be drained manually every year before the winter weather sets in. Freeze damage will occur otherwise.
I have a white powder coming in my pool:
The check valve that is installed after the filter requires service or replacement. This valve is designed to stop water from back flushing the filter when the solar system drains after the pump shuts off every day. The white power is DE, a medium that is in your filter that captures debris.
The solar panels are leaking after the winter and or I have some black material in my pool:
This could be a number of things. If you have a DE filter vs a cartridge filter, it is very possible that you have DE that went up into your solar collectors. Always turn your solar system off before backwashing the filter to prevent DE and debris from going up into the solar system. DE can settle onto the solar tubing and draw carbon from the collector tubes. This then gets discharged into the pool. If a solar system has several years of freezing and is not drained for the winter and cannot automatically drain, the tubing can begin to break down and discharge carbon into the pool. A system flush will be required. If the collectors crack due to a freeze, they often need to be replaced.
I hear thumping on my roof during a wind storm:
The solar collectors are attached to the roof and most likely need repair where they connect to the roof. We suggest having service every 5-8 years to evaluate the entire system including roof attachments.
Solar pool heating products
What are my choices?
Sometimes solar companies can make comparing products complicated. But since one of our main objectives at Suntrek Solar is to make sure our customers understand their choices, we will make this simple:
Here are our top three choices for what are known as solar thermal collectors:
Polymers
Polymers are the first choice for solar pool heating and have been for decades. These products are comprised of plastics and elastomer compounds. What makes them most appealing is that they have UV inhibitor materials in these compounds to withstand intense solar energy radiation for well over a decade. These materials are also impervious to pool chemicals. So, a long-lasting solar pool collector is ultimately what you will invest in when you select Polymers.
Evacuated Tube
These are primarily designed for solar water heating, not solar pool heating
Copper
Like Evacuated Tube collectors, these are primarily designed for solar water heating, not solar pool heating.
When you are making your decision about what company you want to hire for your solar pool heating system, we submit this for your consideration:
Suntrek Industries is one of the leading solar pool manufacturers in the industry. According to the California Solar Initiative (CSI) website, Suntreksolar is currently the Number 1 Solar Energy company for commercial solar pool heating in the State of California.
So regardless of whether you are looking for a quality commercial or residential solar pool system, here are some reasons Suntreksolar should be your number one choice:
1. We are both the manufacturer and the licensed contractor on solar energy installations. That means we can handle the complete job from design to any roofing issues we encounter to make sure your system fits and functions perfectly.
2. Suntrek designs and custom builds the solar collectors to fit your roof or structure it is going on. This provides our clients with solar systems that fit best, work best, and perform best. Suntrek is one of the highest rate solar collectors in the world.
3. We are vertically integrated which means no franchises. Our clients work directly with us. Our friendly competitors sell their product through distributors who then sell their products to dealers.
4. All of Suntrek’s customers come by way of referral. Suntrek does not solicit business with direct mail, canvassing, telemarketing, radio or TV advertising. This provides our clients with a lot of confidence and comfort.
