Oh yea ! I always knew you shouldn't do it , didn't realise exactly WHY ... ?
Why is grounding so HArrrd!!!
- Thread starter SomethingElse
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Cut it in half or whatever.. fasten a female plug on each bare wire end… now ya got two legitimate shorter extension cords…lotta people do that with mc4 cables …wires to a terminal and a single mc4 plug on the other end…o4 just snip off one of the male plugs and wait for somthing to along thst needs a long wire hooked to it..somthing will come along…
Welcome to solar… you will never be finished…or complete…just gotta have another fix…it just gets more expensive and you can’t quit… our breed creates the quicksand in which we sink…
SomethingElse
Rays of sunshine are a terrible thing to waste!
My panels are 50 feet away from the house on propped up on the ground. I am in the process of burying my cables, They run to my 30A mppt. I have a 12.8v lifepo, and my 2200w inverter.
So I should run a bare copper wire from the panels to the grid supplied ground or to the inverter? my mppt does not have a ground connection.
cs1234
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The other risk is forgetting to turn off the power at the main breaker when hooking it up. A lineman could potentially get zapped thinking it's a dead circuit during servicing. Also, if you forgot to turn the breaker off.. and power comes back on.. your solar system is going to get a surprise.
SomethingElse
Rays of sunshine are a terrible thing to waste!
Its like crack to me! my system has been up and running for 7 days and I am about to start my third makeover. First it was 20a mppt then it was 30, 100w x2 panels now its 300wx2. Next its more battery so I can actually utilize my inverters full potential. I love this entire website and have read it from top to bottom several times. My next home will be off grid!
cs1234
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Personally, if you are using 10gauge solar cable, I would just run another 10gauge insulated cable and connect it up to the ground of your home system somewhere convenient.. ideally near where the solar charge controller and inverter is located so you can have similar cable lengths / resistances. Doesn't really matter if it "meets code" or not, because your system doesn't meet code anyway.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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I would install a ground bar close to the inverter and charge controller. Connect this bar to the existing grounding system. And connect everything else to the bar.
Be careful if you have an addictive personality… you may end up living in a van down by the river and can only see your kids 2 weekends a month…..
SomethingElse
Rays of sunshine are a terrible thing to waste!
I suppose it does not. its basically an RV setup chilling in my garage. I built it to introduce myself to the solar lifestyle. I was only about 80% sure it would work
I sold my gas backup generator, so I'm balls deep now.
SomethingElse
Rays of sunshine are a terrible thing to waste!
Thats probably the best idea instead of having a bunch of misplaced potential problems.
Ahhh , the river and van await ……I suppose it does not. its basically an RV setup chilling in my garage. I built it to introduce myself to the solar lifestyle. I was only about 80% sure it would work
cs1234
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If you still have gas vehicles, it's easy to couple them up to your solar system batteries either with dc to dc chargers or an inverter and then an ac charger. So you still have some gas generators most likely.I suppose it does not. its basically an RV setup chilling in my garage. I built it to introduce myself to the solar lifestyle. I was only about 80% sure it would work
Are you guys even allowed gas genos over there now ?
cs1234
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In Texas, yes. In California, maybe not so much in the future.
Everythings bigger in texas
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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If it's not getting inspected, it doesn't have to meet code. But it's still important to follow standard practices. And never cut corners on safety.
SomethingElse
Rays of sunshine are a terrible thing to waste!
great! now I need a dc-dc charger, thanks for helping me go broke ?
cs1234
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Sure, in relation to the suicide cord. Is a 10awg insulated solar ground wire fine if using 10awg insulated solar cables? You don't need to run bare 6awg do you, for safety?
SomethingElse
Rays of sunshine are a terrible thing to waste!
exactly! which is why I am on here asking for help. while everything works, I know its not right and that does not sit well with me.
cs1234
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Personally I think the inverter/ac charger is the better way to go.. longer wire runs.. gives you a separate AC system in the car for backup as well. Just make sure the AC charger and inverter you select for the car combo, don't exceed what the poor car can do. Smaller is better than bigger sometimes.
