Solar Lines and Design Intent

Over the course of the past few months I have been tasked with organizing and overseeing the successful installation of the home's MEP systems. Today I met on-site with Ed Zubko of Green Earth Solar as he installed the lines which carry the heat exchange fluid (glycol) between the energy pack and the solar panel on the roof.

Due to the nature of the project, this has not been a very straight-forward process. A typical installation of these lines would occur before any drywall or insulation was in place. In our case, as the shell of the home was completed by Clayton Homes several months ago, we had to plan ahead for this by running PVC sleeves in the walls during factory production.

Even this was not enough however, as the path of the lines as they traveled from the heat exchanger to reach the roof involved several 90 degrees bends. This required the use of flexible stainless steel lines, rather than the typical installation of flexible copper (sort of flexible, but not certainly not as durable). Thankfully for all the parties involved, we were generously donated an excellent product from Flexsure which withstood a great deal of stress in the fishing of these insulated lines through PVC sleeves.

While many of these hassles could have been designed around by altering the location of the energy-pack (heat exchanger) and hot water tank, this would have inevitable consequences on the spatial layout of the home. This brings to question a frequent discussion in architectural practice of the efficiency of the building systems in relation to the project's design intent. Ideally these two concepts are one in the same. However, in a case such as this where our team did not completely understand the limitations of the glycol lines during the initial design process... a lapse occurs.

It is easy as the architect to draw a line on the computer showing the glycol line turning into the crawlspace, laterally down the rim-joist, vertically up to the eve of the dormer, 90 degrees into the joist bays of the dormer, and finally punching through the roof deck. It is quite another thing to shove these lines up PVC sleeves (with right angle bends) in a wall-system that has already been closed.

Would we have still put the mechanical closet in the same place knowing this information? It's possible. Regardless, we are now armed with the knowledge and experience of what this worst-case scenario entails. Lesson learned.