Vitosol Tubes..Constantin

Joe Furfaro

Hi Constantin,

Thank you for the info on the Vitosol tubes. Great web on the the Thermomax products. I was not aware that they were made by them. They have one design that incorporates a woodstove that I find very interesting - as I have a woodstove in my home.
My contractors' design is straight out of the Viessmann specifications so I feel pretty confident about the results.
Will let him go ahead with the complete install as I feel comfortable with knowing that any problem that arises would be better addressed.
I will be waitng till the heating season is over for the complete install but I will let you know how it all works out.
Again,
Thanks

Constantin

Best of luck...

... I certainly await the commissioning of the Vitosol system with bated breath. We won't mount the collector and tubes until spring due to historical considerations (have to get permission for an exterior "window"), but that's OK because it won't be until spring that we're moving in...

I'm not sure who could give you better support, Viessmann or Thermomax. I think it'll depend heavily on who is more local, willing to to jump in and answer questions as they arise. For example, I'm convinced that Thermomax can offer you a system that is just as pre-engineered as the Viessmann system if all you're going to do is heat DHW.

Whether they can tie into the Vitotronic for making hot water for the heating system is another question. Even Viessmann doesn't seem to have a direct tie between their Solar heating system and the Vitotronic. Instead, the Vitotronic simply sees that the indirect tank is hot enough and hence does not send any more BTU's its way.

I suppose you could achieve the same effect with a large buffer tank of heating water that the Vitosol and the Vitodens tie into. Butler and Thermomax seem to have done this before, so it can be done. Despite a low-temp emitter system in my home, I elected to have the Vitosol's just heat the DHW, to keep things simple.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you and your system and I'll try to report on our progress as well.

Paul Pollets

Sensor wells for solar tank

The B-92 Viessmann solar tank has 2 wells. One for the solar side, one for boiler backup. When the solar panels can't keep up, the boiler will makeup the tank coil. The Vitotronic will accept the sensor for the DHW tank. The solar sensor can wire into the SMT400 Thermomax control, if the Viessmann solar control is not used.

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Joe Furfaro

Looking Forward

Constantin, I will also be looking forward to the installation of the tubes and system this spring.
Like yourself, I am primarily looking at DHW production but I will be interested to see how much heat the system can generate throughout the year. I am adding a substantial amount of radiant heat.
Will certainly keep you updated.
Paul, I am not familiar with B-92 tank. The description of my tank is a Vitocell-B300. Are they more or less the same product?
Thanks

Uni R

Vitocells

Joe, there is an EVI-300 that has one coil and the EVB-300 that has two. The upper one is used by the boiler. The 300 is a 79 gallon tank. A 92 would indicate 350 litres, but that would make it a horizontal, unless I'm missing something...

Joe Furfaro

Tank

Yes Uni, you are right.
I am getting the EVB 300. Two coils and 79 gallons.
I now understand the B-92 dsignation. We are talking about the same tank ..different sizes.
Thanks

Constantin

Oh, and one last thing...

... the header that the Thermomax tubes are placed into varies between Thermomax and Viessmann. Thermomax has a one-way system, where the fluid goes across the header in one direction. Thus, you'll typically have two roof penetrations with the thermomax header.

The Viessmann header has a return loop built into it, so that the water enters at the right or left, goes to the end of the array, turns around and pops out just below the other pipe. Thus, you'll have two roof penetrations in close proximity. Which system is more desirable, is up for debate.

Either roof penetration will require some roof-penetration flashing, a accessory that Viessmann (surprisingly) does not offer. Given how much the rest of the system is engineered, an integrated, leakproof solution for the roof penetration only seems appropriate considering the Δ$ the Viessmann system is allegedly offered at.

Oh well. Luckily, the trades have a much better idea how to solve this problem than I do. I'm simply looking for a solution that I can rely on for the long haul.