diy solar

diy solar

Ordering equipment

CharlesM99

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2022
Messages
16
Where are you folks ordering equipment from?
Panels, racking, inverters, BOS, etc.
 
For panels and racking, which can be expensive to ship, using a local distributor like CED greentech, or an electrical distributor, most of which will sell to individuals on a cash and carry basis, can save costs on truck freight.
 
I used Rexel for my racking, so I didn't have to pay shipping.
I bought panels from a local place.

BOS, and hardware from various online vendors (signature solar, altestore, missouri wind and solar)
Home depot, lowes, Ace, and Amazon for the little pieces.
 
I suggest your racking be the following: if roof mounted, get the proper truss fasteners for your roofing tile type/shingle type and then you can use almost any racking including galvanized strut which works very well. If ground mounting, use of schedule 40 galvanized 2 inch pipe is super strong and easily connected together with Hollaender connectors. And portable band saws cut easily through the galvanized pipe so you can build your array (and the tilt angle by cutting the front south facing pipes shorter than the back row of pipes. Just run a string from front to back on the angle you want to use (every phone has an angle app you can install), mark the pipe and cut off the pipe at the mark. And use galvanized strut as your racks. Most galvanized schedule 40 pipes come in 20 foot lengths. Look around for local suppliers. they will usually deliver for a small charge. Wrap the pipe in 10 ml pvc tape where is in contact with the ground or concrete. Any extra pipe you have around is useful. Once you are cutting pipe and strut with your bandsaw (and also using the bandsaw to cut PVC, firebricks, aluminum, iron, etc.) your gonna love all the new things you can build without fussing with 2x4's.
 
Ok thanks folks.
I used a local'ish CED Greentech for my build, but I was wondering if there was anything else out there to get equipment cost estimates that might be easier for my expansion project.
 
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