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Documents and Brochures

(all pdf files)


Solar Hot Water Heaters

How does solar work in Costa Rica with all the rains and clouds?
Answer:  The solar collectors for hot water are very efficient and will gain some sun energy even when it is partly cloudy or there is a light cloud covers. These collector panels are imported from the North where there are only a few hours of usable sunlight compared to Costa Rica’s sun that is as hot at 8 am as say - Boston is at 12 noon.  Your solar hot water system will just need just a few hours of morning sun to work well.

What will it save for me?

Answer: Besides saving you a lot of money on your energy bill, you will be contributing to a safer planet with non polluting energy, solar.

Will the collector panels stay on my roof with all the high winds here in Costa Rica?

Answer: We looked hard to find the most appropriate solar collector panels for high wind areas.  The AET collectors are rated, by the US state of Florida, to withstand winds up to a category 5 hurricane, 182 mph. In addition, we do check out your roof and will reinforce it if needed.


How Much will it cost?

Answer: Please look at our pages with prices

How do I purchase a system?
Answer: Please call us and set up an appointment for a site evaluation. We are a Costa Rican Company with an account with Banco Nacional de Costa Rica and we also have a US Paypal account

   

 

Some Info about motors and wire sizes

 Electrical Motor - Full Load Current

 Full load current  220 Volts and 110 Volts motors - single phase

As a "rules of thumb" amps horsepower rating can be estimated as

  • 115 Volts motor - single-phase : 14 amps/hp
  • 230 Volts motor - single-phase : 7 amps/hp
  • 230 Volts motor - 3-phase : 2.5 amps/hp
  • 460 Volts motor - 3-phase : 1.25 amps/hp

Always check nameplate information before designing protective devices, wiring and switchgear.

Single-Phase Motors - HP and Full-Load Currents

Motor Size 

(hp)

Full Load Current (Amps)

115 V

230 V

1/6

4.4

2.2

1/4

5.8

2.9

1/3

7.2

3.6

1/2

9.8

4.9

3/4

13.8

6.9

1

16

8

1 1/2

20

10

2

24

12

3

34

17

5

56

28

 

 

  • 1 hp (English horse power) = 745.7 W = 0.746 kW = 550 ft lb/s = 2,545 Btu/h = 33.000 ft lb/m = 1.0139 metric horse power ~= 1.0 KVA

For General Wires Size Guidelines for Copper Wire:  (long distances do not apply)

Wire Size and type

Is Suitable for this purpose

14-3 wg

15 amps max, Switch circuits

14-2 wg

15 amps max, Standard 120 volt 15 amp general purpose branch circuits. With all of the electronics equipment that families have (and are likely to have in the future) in the interest of doing a good job it is worth considering to just not use any wire smaller than 12 gauge so that 20 amp breakers can safely be used on all circuits - Even if the local codes would allow 14 gauge wire. Using one less wire size on the job also helps to decrease waste.

12-3 wg

20 amps max, switch circuits and (rarely) 240 volt 20 amp equipment

12-2 wg

20 amps max, branch circuits, kitchen receptacles, and other 120 volt 20 amp small appliance circuits

10-2 wg

30 amps max, Water heaters, AC units, and (rarely) other straight 240 volt 30 amp appliances

10-3 wg

30 amps, Electric clothes dryer, and other 220/110 volt 30 amp combo appliances

8-3 wg

50 amps max, Oven or cook top, and other 220/110 volt 50 amp combo appliances

6-3 wg

65 amps max, Range or oven/cook top combo, other 220/110 volt 60 amp combo appliances