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Now that is a good idea. Running out of power is one thing, but running out of cheesecake calls for FEMA to step in and provide life saving assistance.

I think the comments in those youtube videos are often more valuable than the video itself. Generally there's at least one knowledgeable person who will point out all the things done wrong in the video, sometimes quoting the relevant code section. I took an iterative approach when I designed...

I used ground screws from Ready Rack. The ones @Rennit used are called helical foundations. Ground screws look like the photo you posted from Iron Ridge. They each work in different conditions. We have really bad glacial till with lots of rocks, so I had to use ground screws. LIke @Rennit I...

Only the best working conditions for our panels.

I found an electrician through facebook, friend of a friend kind of thing. He was a union electrician and did not want to advertise doing work on the side, so we kept it on the down low. I actually didn't need him for my solar setup, he pulled power 300' from our service to a subpanel in the...

Someone probably banged their head and sued the company. So their lawyers told them to shift responsibility to the homeowner by specifying 8' clearance.

I can't believe this, my wife uses a battery powered blower for the stalls in our barn and I walk right past the thing every time I brush the snow off the panels. Our panels are ground mounted next to the barn. Next time I'll try out her leaf blower instead of the broom. Why didn't I think of this.

Security cameras where I used to work captured a lightning strike on one of the other buildings. It was a large campus with dozens of industrial buildings, the one that got hit was the only one protected by a special lightning protection system installed by a company that does that kind of...

You could use a zero volt release magnetic switch to drop out the loads you don't want whenever the power goes out. They're like those switches you see on large machinery or table saws, when the power goes off they drop open a magnetic switch and won't start up when the power returns unless a...

You're not allowed to use conduit of any kind as the support. The conduit and box are required to be attached to something structural, like a wall, post, etc. It sounds like where you're running it, a 4x4 treated post in the ground could serve as a mounting structure.

Thanks for the folks who suggested some type of circular cutter, I dug through my old data comm and coax stuff and the cutter below turned out to be the magic bullet. The vernier adjustment under my thumb allows the cut depth to be precisely set so it cuts the teflon with no damage to wires. I...

I just installed two 48k Mr cool units, each with 4 heads. It was all installed in an old barn that's been converted to a wedding venue. So the purpose of multiple heads was to carry the cooling to the far end of the barn. Manual gave a minimum btu demand for proper operation, I think it was...

I have an old Tektronix 465B that's built like a tank and I see there are still lots of them available on ebay for $150-200 bucks.

I have a Square D disconnect that's rated for DC 600v and 60A that's the size of a small desktop computer, weighs 10# and could survive a direct nuclear strike, it looks like this: On the other hand this PV disconnect is rated even higher for DC 1000V and 64A, it's made out of plastic, it's...

Meaux, Larioux, Curlee An international version of my childhood favorites

The same thing happens on aluminum car wheels and rims. The metal dust from things like brake pads, shoes, calipers and drums fly in the air as they're produced and land on the aluminum, then make rust spots just like the ones on your frame. Since you live near a port, it's likely there's a lot...

I used similar breakers for a PV system I have in a barn where it can get some wind blown rain through the doors. I picked them because they were water resistant and had waterproof entrances for the cabling because they were designed for marine applications. Those types of breakers seem to be...

I'd check with municipality to see if a permit was needed for installation. If they needed a permit and didn't get one, negotiate cost of having it inspected and permitted. Ditto for power company.

Just noticed you said you have a Fronius 11.4, that has an MPPT range of 280-800v, and a max voltage of 1000v. So unless you are operating far below the optimium tracking range I don't think you will be able to use components you'll find at Home Depot like the QO enclosures and breakers. You may...

Not trying to upsell you on size, but when we bought our generac the 22kw model cost less than the 16kw model because it was new and they were promoting it. So you might get lucky and find a larger generator for less money. Don't know where you're located, but central air drove our requirement...

Here's the instructions for the MrCool units I've put in. I don't know how they come up with these specific floor clearances. As long as there's enough ceiling clearance, why do they care how high the thing is off the floor.

The finish of conduit/pipe is so rough that it might take a good bit of finishing to get it to fit properly into the inner race. You could oversize the inner race and use the set screws to take up the slop, but if you're going to do that there's no need for the precision and expense of bearings...

However you do it, wrap your tools with tape or dip them in that stuff that dries like rubber. So WHEN you drop the wrench there's less chance of cracking the panel.

Probably doesn't matter for your application, but the way lumber is graded will result in your laminated beam having a lower structural rating. It's easiest to just think about knots. In a #2 graded 2x6 the knots have to be a certain distance apart. If you glue two of those 2x6 together,you...

My curiosity got the best of me, here's a 1" body.

I have automatic gate openers that run off a solar charged 12v flooded battery. We don't get as cold as you do, but I've come up with a strategy to keep them warm enough in the winter here at the same latitude as Chicago. I upsized the battery and use a 12v battery heater mat under the battery...

OK that diagram helps. I take back everything I said about using fuses, you're running separate strings right to the inverter. Fuses would still be nice but not necessary. One thing I'd add is a DC disconnect out by the junction boxes at the array. If you ever have a fire or emergency in the...

You're right at the limit, NEC limits total bends in one run to 360 deg.

That makes sense, I wasn't paying attention to the dates.

That meter conduit is plastic. I can only see 3 wires in that conduit. So you have to assume they bonded the ground and neutral in the meter enclosure. It would be nice to confirm that. I'd still follow that ground wire/conduit coming out of the meter enclosure and make sure it's attached to a...