Description

Solar Water Heater Pressure Temperature Valve (PTvalve) in Malaysia

Pressure/Temperature Relief Valve (PT Valves) for Pressurized Solar Water Heater is depending on usage, and how hot the water is from the previous day, on a hot, sunny day, the tank temperature can rise to 180 F. or more, which is normal.
 
However, during very hot parts of the summer, especially under conditions of low use (e.g. you're on vacation) the temperature of the water in the collector storage tank can exceed the boiling point, which is not safe.
 
To prevent this, the solar collector comes with a bronze relief valve. Your conventional hot water heater inside your house also comes with such a valve. It is a standard safety feature.
 
The valve has 3/4'' threads and a pipe (not included, you must obtain separately) should be attached to it, then run down along a stand leg and secured to it. 
 
The pipe must be open on the bottom, facing the ground, so that if the relief valve opens to vent pressure or temperature, the dangerously hot water will be directed to the ground and not spray out in random directions, possibly injuring anyone nearby.
 
You should periodically test the valve by lifting the small silver lever on top to make sure water comes out under pressure normally and that the valve (and pipe directing the water to the ground, which you should add) is not blocked. You can do this as part of your regular maintenance such as hosing off the collector tubes to remove dust.
 
Note: To avoid overheating during hot summer months, for example, if you go on vacation or you get an unexpectedly hot heat wave, you can temporarily remove one or more heat pipes to lower your efficiency and therefore the temperatures in the storage

To replace the Solar water heater Pressure Temperature valve, please contact us at:-
Office: 03-95437431
Handphone: 012-3321190

Solar Water Heater Brands that we replace.
Aquasolar, Solarplus, Solahart, Microsolar, Solarpower, Summer, Solarmate, Solarmax, Mysolar, Lexsun, Monier, Solartech, Solarwave and Matahari. 

Pressure/Temperature Relief Valve SYMPTOM

Gurgling at the top of the collector piping.

Cause: Air-relief valves are used in antifreeze systems to release air from the system. Air in pump impeller housings can stop fluid circulation, possibly causing the pressure-relief valve to open. Small amounts of air will normally gather at the topmost part of the system and air-relief valves are most effective when installed there. Manufacturers’ instructions usually specify an automatic air relief that has a Schrader valve, which is similar to a tire valve.
Solution: The Schrader valve stem can be pressed to ascertain if air is present in the system—if fluid comes out, the air has been purged. A leaking automatic air-relief valve can be replaced with a less expensive and more failure-resistant manual air-relief called a coin vent.

SYMPTOM
Small leaks

Cause: Gate and ball valves are used to stop the flow of fluids, isolate parts of the system, or to reroute fluids. Gate valves have higher failure rates than ball valves. A common failure of gate valves is failing to close. When valve replacement is required, use a ball valve, which is more reliable.
Gate and ball valves all have handles and a small “packing” nut, which seals the valve’s stem. This nut can loosen and cause a small leak.
Solution: Carefully inspect any leaking valve to ensure the packing nut isn’t the problem. A quick tightening can often remedy the need to replace an otherwise good valve.

SYMPTOM
Unusually high overnight heat loss from the SWH storage tank, and a difference in temperature between the supply and return pipes when the controller pump is off.

Cause: Check valves allow fluid to flow in one direction and are used in direct forced-circulation (DFC) and indirect forced-circulation (IFC) antifreeze systems to prevent the thermosyphon of the heat-transfer fluid when the pump is off. They are available as swing or spring models—which describes the mechanism that actuates the valve. Spring valves can fail due to the spring breaking, although this is rare. Most check valves fail due to an obstruction—perhaps a small piece of solder—that keeps it open. In some cases, the night thermosyphon results in the backup element actuating at night, resulting in extra energy use (and expense). If a vacation bypass valve has been accidentally left open, it has the same symptom as a failed check valve.
Solution: Valve failure requires a replacement unless an obstruction can be dislodged with what I call the “vigorous tapping procedure (VTP)”—that is, hitting it with a handy wrench.

SYMPTOM
Leaky drain valve.

Cause: Fill-and-drain valves are also known as boiler drain valves. They are manufactured with pipe thread on one end and garden-hose thread on the outlet. Fill-and-drain valves are normally used only a few times in the life of a SWH system and have very low failure rates. The most common problem is an older valve that won’t shut off completely.
Solution: The easiest solution to stop the leak is to use a bronze hose-thread cap with a hose washer.

SYMPTOM
Cool or tepid (never hot) water at the tap.

Cause: Tempering or antiscald valves limit the water temperature to prevent burns. The valves have cold, hot, and mix ports and can be either factory-set to a certain temperature or field-adjustable. When water entering the hot port is above the temperature setting, the cold water port opens to cool the hot water before it exits the mix port. When these valves fail, the symptom is cool or tepid water that never gets hot since the water is constantly being mixed regardless of the water temperature.
Solution: Replace failed valves with nickel-plated valves that have Teflon-coated inner components.

SYMPTOM
Excessive loss of drainback heat-transfer fluid; pump failure.

Cause: Vacuum breakers were used on early drainback systems to prevent freezing by facilitating the draining of collectors. Placed at the highest point of the system, they introduced air into the piping when a vacuum was produced as the collector-loop pump shut off. In areas where hard water is prevalent, these bronze valves are prone to sticking. Their failure was the cause of freeze-breaks in thousands of collectors, resulting in the poor reputation of drainback systems.
Solution: If it isn’t possible to alter the piping or system design to eliminate the vacuum breaker, the valve should be removed every year and soaked in vinegar or another mild, acidic solution to neutralize the hard water deposits. Another fix for systems that cannot be modified (for example, piping that cannot be sloped to the drainback tank) is to install two vacuum breakers to provide some redundancy. Even then, they should be descaled annually.

SYMPTOM
Leaks at the relief-valve pipe.

Cause: Temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valves are required by plumbing and solar codes on all water heaters, including SWH storage tanks. The valves are available with different specifications; the most common relieve excessive pressure above 150 psi or at temperatures above 210°F. These can develop small leaks.
Solution: T&P relief valves should never be plugged or capped like the leak solution for a drain valve. They all have a manual lever that also actuates the valve. Moving this lever repeatedly while applying the VTP can sometimes fix a leak. But never move the lever unless you are trying to stop a leak—actuating it can often cause the valve to leak. If the leak can’t be stopped, the valve needs to be replaced.

SYMPTOM
Excessive pressure causes fluid to be released by the pressure-relief valve.

Cause: Pressure-relief valves are actuated as a result of excessive pressure buildup in SWH and hydronic heating systems. Common causes of excessive pressure are pump and control failures and undersized or failed expansion tanks. The pressure gauge on an antifreeze system will read zero if the pressure relief has been actuated. Pressure reliefs should not be mistaken for T&P valves—they lack the white temperature-sensing stem that T&P valves have.
Solution: Troubleshoot the pump, expansion tank, or control to find the cause of the excessive pressure, and repair or replace the component as necessary.

SYMPTOM
Burst collector tubing (water running out of collector)

Cause: Freeze-protection (aka dribble) valves are designed to dribble water out of a collector to prevent the tubes inside from freezing. This strategy is akin to letting a kitchen or bathroom faucet trickle to prevent household pipes from freezing. The most common freeze valve is plastic; more expensive valves are made of brass or stainless steel. Freeze-protection valves are available in two temperature ratings. A 45°F valve is recommended for DFC systems to protect the collector’s small riser tubes. A 35°F valve is used for integral collector storage (ICS) systems, which don’t have the small tubes. The valves require no energy to actuate. The small flow of water starts at 35°F to 45°F and allows warmer (hopefully) tank or ground water to enter the collector to keep it from freezing.
In DFC systems, the valve is normally between the collector’s hot return outlet and a check valve installed below it on the same pipe. This allows the pressurized water to flow through the entire collector prior to dribbling out of the freeze valve, and replaces the about-to-freeze water in the collector with storage-tank water. Freeze valves have high failure rates, so are seldom used outside of southern Florida. Even if a hard freeze occurs only every 10 years or so, a freeze valve failure will cause numerous burst tubes, usually rendering the collector too expensive to repair.
Since the symptom of a clogged freeze-protection valve is its failure to drain at outside temperatures near freezing, they usually are discovered only after they fail—and collectors have already been damaged. Freeze-valve failures have ruined thousands of collectors and some state, municipal, and utility incentive programs exclude systems using them for freeze protection.
Solution: Modify the system to a drainback or antifreeze system.

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