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PHASE I — Site Preparations & Planning
Planning a roof layout for necessary penetrations, mounting, and plumbing will make installation easier and pro-
mote a cleaner looking system. While systems install quickly, there are some special considerations to keep in
mind. The following sections of Phase I will help prepare you for a simple and successful install.
Panel Layout
Panels should only be installed in portrait orientation
so that water will flow directly up the roof. Banks are to
have a maximum of 15 Panels plumbed together in a
row. All panel banks must be plumbed in a parallel flow
path.
Since the expansion or contraction of a bank is de-
pendent on temperature, the preferred method of in-
stallation is to measure out the placement of the Pan-
els on a roof, and position the penetrations by measur-
ing them and using a chalk line and tape measure to
locate all penetrations.
When using the pre-measured method, the spacing
should be set at 48" on center. The last mounting
points in the bank should be placed with an extra 2-4"
of clearance for excessive bank movement.
A secondary means of placing mid-bank penetrations
would be to install the mounting hardware by centering
everything at operation temperatures using the Circula-
tion Method. See System Detail Installation in Phase
II for specifics about centering penetrations at temper-
ature.
In addition, Panels may need to be spaced out to allow
for mid-bank obstacles or changes in roof shape. In
most cases, the banks will need to have additional
spacing added so that the bank can be plumbed
around the obstacle. Gaps can be filled by connecting
PVC runs to Pipe Adapters and Couplers as depicted in
Figure 10.
Spacing Panels and
Penetrations
Panels will also grow or shrink along the length of the
Panel. Be sure to mount Panels so that there is at
least 2" of clearance from the bottom headers to any
obstacles below the bank.
It is not acceptable to install two stacked banks
so that the upper header of the lower bank and
the lower header of the upper bank are touching
and tied together. Instead, mount each bank indi-
vidually with adequate clearance.
Many roofs have vents and other obstacles protrud-
ing from the surface. It is common for Panels to be
installed with spaces in the bank. Roof obstacles
pose an additional factor to consider during planning
the roof layout. Panel movement is a normal occur-
rence with pressure and temperature fluctuations in
the system. If not properly placed, Panels can collide
into penetrations or roof obstacles and cause damage
to the Panels. To limit unnecessary damage and likely
voiding of FAFCO
's Panel warranty, banks must be
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installed so that proper clearance is allowed on either
side of an obstacle. See Table 3 in Appendix C for
more specifics about proper obstacle clearance upon
installation. A best practice rule of thumb to use for
proper obstacle clearance is 2" but less clearance may
be acceptable depending in the size of the bank in-
stalled as indicated in Table 3. In most cases, banks
will need to be adapted to PVC by using couplers and
pipe adapters to plumb to PVC Pipe (Figure 10). This
method allows for any gap size seen in common prac-
tice.
Splitting Panels Around Roof
Vents
It is generally not advised to install FAFCO Separated
Tube ST panels with roof vents protruding from be-
tween the tubes, but if is absolutely necessary it can be
permitted under the following conditions:
•
Protruding roof vent is no greater than a 2" pipe diam-
eter (2-3/8" or less outside diameter)
•
The vent carries no heated exhaust such as that from
appliances or heaters of any kind
•
The vent must be more than 12" away from the sheet
to header weld on either end of the panel
•
If the ST strip is within 2" of the vent, the strip should
be cut to allow more spread between the tubes
•
At least 10 tubes must be removed from the closest
strip on both the top and the bottom side of the vent
•
Loose tubes can be tied away from the vent with a
plastic cable tie but not tightened enough to cause
damage to the tubes
•
Flashing around vent must be smooth and free of edg-
es which can rub tubing. If rough edges are present,
use discretion to protect tubing from abrasion or punc-
ture.
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