Recent content by AHTrimble

There is a very established Arizona solar installation company looking for an installer. They have been in business for 30 years and one of the largest installers in Arizona. They want a person with Journeyman-level electrician skills, but they don't have to be a union Journeyman. If a person...

Sounds like you have put it some serious thought to this, well done. Have you considered a combiner box with SPD? Could protect and control each string with its own breakers and have SPD as well. Just a thought.

this is very helpful... https://explorist.life/wire-sizing-calculator/

I was/am in your same situation. After tons of research I went with a 2nd Quattro 5k/48v unit. It has run flawlessly ever since. I did put in some time to load balance in the main breaker panel.

I was wrong!!! I talked with my solar/electrician buddy this morning and asked him to re-explain the grounding thing. I am not sure what happened originally but I misunderstood what he had told me. The array should be bonded back to the main central grounding/earthing point. And that holds true...

So here is what Victron had to say... "Off-grid system grounding Do not ground the positive or negative of the PV array. The PV negative input of the MPPT is not isolated from the negative output. Grounding the PV will therefore result in ground currents. The PV frames however may be grounded...

I asked Victron about AC being introduced into the DC side of the system. Here is their response... "Quattro provides galvanic isolation between AC and DC." So if I am hearing them correctly there would be no AC current backfeeding into the array's DC wiring. Do you read it the same way? You...

I didn't read anything about something they "didn't recommend" or "wasn't required". It stated that it is still permitted...as in it was permitted before. And I didn't see a single word "backbonded". And it pretty clearly states..." it is no longer required to be bonded to the premises grounding...

So, I found this on the IAEI (International Association of Electrical Inspectors) website... ON THE GROUNDING AND BONDING OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS Fundamentals of Grounding and Bonding By Joseph A. Kraft / Published in January/February 2021...

Great information and I appreciate your patience. Here is my question, probably more technical than I can handle...Why does a DC fault at the array require interaction with the N/G at the service panel when there is no direct connection between the DC equipment (array frame) and the N/G in the...

I am not a fan of building batteries for my house to depend on. I have been doing this for 15 years and am still not comfortable doing it. I would rather depend on the pros and experts...along with their warranty :)

I was at 24v and decided to go LifePo4. After crunching the numbers and wanting more power for house usage I went with a complete upgrade to 48v. 1xLifePo4 200ah @48v gives you 160 - 180ah of usage (80 - 90% DOD). I found that a single LifePo4 battery is not a good idea. At least 2 would be a...

My post says this... "I used a 3x8' copper ground system for the house. 6AWG from panel to rod #1, then bonded to each additional rod by 6AWG. Rods are 10' spacing 2 x Arrays (9 PVs each) have their own earth ground. Each panel is connected to 6AWG bare copper then tied to single 6AWG which is...

Yeah, still the terms tend to confuse me. My PV array is stand-alone earthed...with the metal combiner box, PV framing and SPDs are grounded to the earthed system (3x8' rods (10' spacing) + 50' of copper wire buried 1'). The AC side of the house system is all grounded, along with all DC...

I would be interested in knowing your opinion on how this would occur.