We bought this house last year. Last winter wasn't as cold so I didn't have any issues.

This is a pic of the valeving above the WH.



I need to isolate the roof solar preheater I think. It is too cold at night and I think it is freezing up, we had no water this morning from the hot taps.

From the looks of things I should be able to isolate out the roof preheater. Can anyone help with which handles, knobs, and or valves I turn? I think I need to drain things too.. There are 7 total valves or handles.

There is a round handled knob on the wall behind the whole shebang, an old school sprinkler spigot knob. Lets call that "rear wall valve". It that the hot in or cold in?

There are two red handled spigots. Let's call those left and right.

There is a knob (regulator?) with hotter and colder directions. It is Honeywell branded.

There are three handle valves, the center one is black and the one on the right and at the bottom of the pic are green. Lets call those the black one and upper green and lower green.

On the roof there is a 4x5' ish sized solar panel. There is a spigot on the lower side, presumably to drain the unit.


I think I should be able to isolate the solar unit and drain it, and take it out of the loop to prevent damage and or the lack of flowing hot water.

Can anyone help? I would need an order of operations! Thanks, I have until sundown!

Rob

My guess would be to close the valves below the spigots..those are probably for flushing out the solar.

Just a guess

ETA. It looks like the green handled valves are three way.you'll have to figure out how to turn them to isolate the system

Thanks for the bump

I do belive they are three way, but don't they only turn 90 degrees and "divert" the flow?

It can't be as easy as turning those two valves (based on color) and then draning the system, can it?

Thanks for ANY suggestions folks.

I think it may be that easy... Gotta be a ball valve to close off incoming flow... and the others are hose bib style for a reason... hook up hose and drain... (slightly educated -  guess) have to see more to make a better guess. 

close the middle blk one....... flip the right one up parallel to the pipe............ flip the bottom green one parallel also.

you should then be able to open the two taps to drain.  that's my guess.

for now, disconnect all and pipe directly in/out from your house to WH

No, they are ball valves. 90 degrees, on or off. Next time you are at a hardware store look at one.

I would suggest labeling the valves once you figure it out.

That's a somewhat counterintuitive setup you've got there!

I just serviced my solar setup, so based on mine, I *think* the two lever (ball) valves directly below the top two red faucets will isolate the collector array. I believe the red-handled faucets are your fill/drain valves. If I understood correctly there is a spigot on the collector plate outside too. You will need to use that as well as the red faucets to drain the system. Is it indirect (propylene glycol-filled), or direct, running house water through the array? I would guess at the latter.

I will try to IM you my cell in case you want to talk it through.

Good luck!

I will do that. I am not sure that helps right now.

ANY other suggestions folks?

They make three way ball valves and I think that's what you have. Do the ones with three pipes going into them turn more than 90 degrees?

The green handled valves are three way valves - you can see what the flow will be by the arrows printed on the handles.

Can you take another picture from a different angle? It looks like the water should be able to just do from the inlet through the top pipe to the water heater. Am I missing something?

The grey handled knob is a mixing valve. It takes in hot and cold and makes warm or whatever it's set to. It is probably sending hot water to a washing machine on the other side of the wall?

I don't think you can bypass it. Get an adapter from the hardware store to allow you to connect the right red handled drain valve to the water heater hose on the left side with a green tag on it. Open the red valve to send water directly to the heater. Unless I am missing something, that would be your easiest option.

xeeoneyx is right. the grey knob on left is the tempering (mixing) valve. I think the cold comes in at the top of the mixing valve, and hot return from the collector in from below. That could make the supply from the back wall he cold inlet to the whole system. I still think the two middle levers are the isolation valves to separate the collector from the regular supply.

ETA: the bottom center (3-way) ball valve is also needed to isolate the collector. It cuts the hot supply from the collector to the mixing valve, so all hot comes from the HW heater.

So...right side is the HW return; let side is cold water up to the collector...I think.

OP could always do what the rest of us do - leave the hot water on a drip throughout the night.

As crazy as this is (sounds), I turned off all of the valves (handles) that I haven't seen in a H/W system before (and drained it with the red spigots), and am hoping the SO's and my showers are warm tomorrow. I seem to have normal water flow and temps.  Am asking her to take a test shower tonight, wish me luck!

I will advise.. Thanks

Great news!