22
votes
Off-Grid Well Setup
If the terrain allows siting a tank above the level of the cabins by at least 50 vertical feet or so, put a 1000 gallon (or even larger) tank there, and run pipes up to it from the well, and down from ...
- 226k
17
votes
UPS / Battery Question
I think you're seriously looking for trouble if you try to use one set of batteries in two UPSes at the same time. In theory, discharge will be OK - the batteries will be supplying both loads at the ...
10
votes
Accepted
80amp EVSE on subpanel
This is about to go HNQ isn't it? Ahem...
Welcome HNQ visitors! DO NOT let this discourage you from getting an EV! The vast majority of people can charge just fine on circuits safely and easily ...
6
votes
What kind of inverter do I need for an inductive load?
It's easier to teach a violinist the bongoes than the other way 'round.
You should be shopping for an A/C unit with "soft start". This is one of the reasons for these units to exist - ability to ...
6
votes
Electrical design for large property
That "free" wire is actually a bit of a millstone around your neck in your situation
The problem with your "free" 4/0 wire and quadruplex (4/0-4/0-4/0?-4) is that it's somewhat too ...
- 86k
6
votes
Sharing solar energy
Here's something you need to know: solar panels will not keep your house electricity on in a power outage. When the grid power is out, your solar panels are useless in most cases.
Normally, this ...
6
votes
Accepted
Safety Switch for utility disconnect placement
They are not saying "(Meter) - (Panel with all of your house's circuit breakers) - (Emergency Cutoff) - (Sol-Ark 15K inverter) - (somehow back to the panel with all your house's circuit breakers)&...
6
votes
80amp EVSE on subpanel
If I understand the terminology correctly, a 50 KvA transformer is (essentially, I know power factor, etc.) 50,000W. Divided by 240V that gets 208A. Which would mean your real total service is 208A, ...
6
votes
Accepted
Does an off-grid solar inverter need to be UL listed?
OK you're a bit confused but straightening that up is what we do :)
Any equipment you install in home wiring needs to be approved (NEC 110.2) and that means by UL, CSA, ETL or other "NRTL". ...
6
votes
Grounding rod conflicts with circuit tester
The symptoms are indicative of not having a neutral/ground bond in place, (or not having a ground wire connected in the receptacle, to be complete) but at the present level of detail it's hard to know ...
- 226k
5
votes
What is required to connect solar panels to my home without connecting to the grid?
In stark contrast to some statements seen here, in parts of Europe it is a big trend even for non-electricians to put 1 or 2 photovoltaic modules to the balcony or elsewhere with an on- grid ...
- 2,605
5
votes
Accepted
Solar installer
Depending on the region of the world you inhabit, your system may not be accepted in a grid-tie configuration. In Florida, USA, the local utility is required to examine and sign-off the installation. ...
- 11.3k
5
votes
How big of a solar panel is needed to run a 300 watt water pump?
Here's the problem. Virtually all products are built on the assumption that they will be run on utility mains AC power. That assumption permits economies in design:
There is no need to "...
5
votes
Accepted
Residential Solar Stopped Working
Your system sounds very similar to mine. The YC600 has blinking lights underneath. Are yours blinking red? Is it slow blink or fast blink?
My system stopped working - I think I had slow blink red. ...
- 14.4k
5
votes
Retrofit tankless installation in an apartment building with rooftop solar
Given the described situation, would it make sense to install a high-capacity electric tankless water heater upstream of the 150-gal?
All schemes which place a tankless heater in series with a tanked ...
5
votes
murray d100-22 main electrical panel bus bar rating (solar?)
This is a 100A bussed panel
I can tell that this is a 100A bussed panel because it only has a single rating for both main breaker and busbars, namely 100A. A panel that could take either 100A or 125A ...
- 86k
4
votes
Accepted
How can I economically switch between two home power sources?
If you are OK with manual transfer operation, what you're after is called a "select circuit" manual transfer switch -- they're pretty readily available, for anywhere up to 12-16 circuits. Reliance ...
- 86k
4
votes
Solar Water Heater Exchanger Removal, Glycol Removal
I have been an avid recycler in the Portland, Oregon, area for decades. Portland is no slouch when it comes to environmental awareness and concerns.
After replacing my auto's antifreeze mixture, I ...
- 12.4k
4
votes
Spacing between solar arrays
You don’t want one row of panels to place the next row in shade.
You need to make a balanced choice about panel spacing... too close and you lose useful solar energy... too far and you have too much ...
4
votes
Accepted
How to identify electrical panel busbar rating
This is a 125A panel
From the labeling on your panel, in particular the note about field upgrading 100A mains to 125A by replacing the main breaker and the meter-to-main-breaker wire jumpers, we can ...
- 86k
4
votes
AC can only go one direction
This is something the inverter's most likely doing, not your wiring
Grid-tie solar inverters are designed to feed power into an operating electric grid, and thus need a grid AC source to synchronize ...
- 86k
4
votes
Accepted
How can I evaluate solar panels to power night lights in areas that don't get direct light?
Maybe explore Power over Ethernet (POE) as an option. If the run is under 100 metres (328 feet) from the barn then you can get up to 15 watts per run of cable. All you need is a POE injector per ...
- 11.7k
4
votes
Residential Solar Stopped Working
Turned out some contacts/wires in the roof junction boxes had cooked:
- 163
4
votes
How to estimate solar production on my roof, considering shade from trees
I'd start out by taking pictures of your roof every half hour or so and scale them to get an accurate figure on how much sun hits your roof on a daily basis and where to place the panels. You'll have ...
- 86.2k
4
votes
Use subpanel main breaker slot for outgoing circuit?
That stop-gap isn't going to fix your root problem.
12 spaces for a 125A panel was a mistake the day it was bought, no offense. You need a larger panel. You're going to get one, once you realize ...
4
votes
Accepted
Is it a problem that the mounting screws of solar panels are not into framing?
Highly unlikely the nails are from the solar installation. They probably are part of the original construction. Not leaking...no problem.
The screws anchoring the solar panels do not need to be into ...
- 42.7k
4
votes
UPS / Battery Question
The units use two 12v 8AH SLA batteries in series and for what they cost to replace I could almost replace the entire UPS units. I live in Hawaii so the shipping cost of lead acid batteries is often ...
4
votes
Accepted
Proper way to extend circuits to subpanel
Using the existing big conduit is cheapest and easiest. A couple of 50 ft reels of wire (black and white) and a box of wagos and a couple of hours. It leaves the left panel a bit crowded with wires ...
- 45.3k
3
votes
Is there a type of interlock (transfer switch) that can be used for a generator OR solar panels?
Simply put a box and splices in the middle of the feeder
Here's the rub -- transfer for a generator works differently than transfer for a hybrid solar setup (which is what you're probably envisioning ...
- 86k
3
votes
How can I economically switch between two home power sources?
There's nothing electrically wrong with that proposal*, and it certainly is low cost - the plugs will be about $10 a pair. Wether extension-cord plugs are allowed in permanent wiring is a question for ...
- 39
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