Looking for a kit seller with reliable phone support

[khanh dam]

the tricky and annoying part is the permit process. most inspectors are going to triple check everything you do since this is your first system. IN fact many cities will flat out NOT let you DIY unless you hire an electrician and/or get the electrical plans reviewed. Does CA have a solar oversight body like Florida and other states? Wouldn't surprise me since CA is Liberal headquarters. If you run dc wires into your home you will need metal conduit. If PVC conduit is used must be schedule 80 (thick). buy a monitoring system so you can actually tell when somethning goes wrong with your array. too many things to list, buying a solar book is best ionvestment you can make. Pretty much any reseller will help you with tech support, but honestly do a forum search and the question has already been answered most times. Jump in ,go for it, but the water is cold, plan ahead because you only have 3.5 months left to cash in on 30% fed rebate and then it goes to 26% next year and for a newbie that is a tight schedule!

[bbowens]

The safe way for a kit seller to work, is to over sell you by 200%. Generally folks overestimate how much sun they will harvest, and underestimate how much power they will use. An undersized system will always be shutting down from low voltage in the winter and the batteries will last less than 2 years. A well designed system will require some generator runtime in winter, and batteries last +5 years. Over-designed systems will consume a lot of extra money.

Mike, I appreciate your replies, but maybe take a look at my other post; that will give you a much better picture of what I'm up to. Also, this post is pretty specific--looking for a kit seller.
Looking at first time install, Concord CA, perhaps DIY

[Mike90250]

The safe way for a kit seller to work, is to over sell you by 200%. Generally folks overestimate how much sun they will harvest, and underestimate how much power they will use. An undersized system will always be shutting down from low voltage in the winter and the batteries will last less than 2 years. A well designed system will require some generator runtime in winter, and batteries last +5 years. Over-designed systems will consume a lot of extra money.

[bbowens]

Generally, a retailer cannot possibly be expected to design a system for each buyer.

A prefab "kit" will be appropriate for 1 out of 300 purchasers. the others will have either overbought or underbought.

If you have a design, and full specs, they can be expected to furnish parts for that. Otherwise, you need to have a system engineered for your site, local codes, and personal planned usage. To expect a pre-packaged kit to work, is unreasonable. Solar power is much more personal than you imagine.

Some companies may have in-house designers, but it's doubtful they are licensed outside their home state. Solar power is a lot more involved that a kitchen cabinet re-faceing.

I'm not looking for them to design the system for me, just sell the kit and answer some questions that might arise. The companies I've looked at so far are installers, as well. It's all looking pretty plug n' play so far; what is gonna be the tricky part(s)?

[Mike90250]

Generally, a retailer cannot possibly be expected to design a system for each buyer.

A prefab "kit" will be appropriate for 1 out of 300 purchasers. the others will have either overbought or underbought.

If you have a design, and full specs, they can be expected to furnish parts for that. Otherwise, you need to have a system engineered for your site, local codes, and personal planned usage. To expect a pre-packaged kit to work, is unreasonable. Solar power is much more personal than you imagine.

Some companies may have in-house designers, but it's doubtful they are licensed outside their home state. Solar power is a lot more involved that a kitchen cabinet re-faceing.

[khanh dam]

https://www.ontility.com/products/inverters

Honestly do not think any company will hold your hand that well.What you will probably end up doing is having to call each products tech support to get answers and piece those together to understand the big picture. that is why most beginners should use micro inverters IMHO, they are easier to understand, and more local electricans will understand it so they can help you. Getting a local trade service to help you is NOT cheap. Most people will charge you a minimum of $500 just to review and sign off on your DIY plans.

[bbowens]

Can anyone recommend a good solar kit seller? I keep running into companies that are pretty difficult to contact via telephone, including Wholesale Solar. One company that I might be having some success with is Fire Mountain Solar in WA, but it's too soon to tell. Found them searching via Google.