Installation Preferences

[entgegnen]

Hi everyone,

I looking at various posts on this forum, I came across a few notes concerning how the system is installed (and how this effects installation costs). One comment mentioned considering whether the wiring runs across the roof, or down into the attic. Another talked about how different installers address "soffits."

My questions are first: What is best/preferred? Should the connections be run through an attic? (fire hazard? difficult to inspect? one more hole in the roof? Or, Should they be up on the roof and run over the side? continuous exposure to the elements?

My second question: If going slog the roof and ver the side, should it go through the soffit? Or over/around the gutter?

I am trying to figure out whether these are primarily aesthetic considerations.... or of there are other issues.

Thanks.

[DaveDE2]

Are you cross-posting here? I just saw a similar post by you on the $/w thread.

Anyhow, again, I just did a diy 13kW 51 panel system on my shop building. The inverters are inside the shop. The cleanest way I could see to do it was to get a Soladeck (roof penetration point) and run 1" EMT from it through the attic and down into the shop/garage space. Going over and around a soffit would be ugly, cause many more pipe bends and make the wire harder to pull. It is in no way unsafe to route the high voltage through the attic if the metal conduit is properly grounded.

What is your situation?:
- are you doing it yourself? If not, consult your installer.
- Where are the to and from points? One story building, two story, etc.
- Where is the inverter mounted, inside or outside?

The best solution imo is to make it as clean and short-run as possible. Don't worry about running high voltage in your home. Ground the conduit.

[entgegnen]

Yes, I ended up asking essentially this question on the other thread before I realized there was a more dedicated portion of the forum where my question might be better placed. So as not to hijack the other thread I asked my question here.

Not sure on the etiquette... Should I go back and redact my post on he other part? If so I will try shortly.

But thanks for your thoughts on running th conduit. Not sure how easy that will be on a two-story residential home (fire breaks and all). 22 feet is a long way to go through the wall.... But totally agree it would look cleaner when all completed.

[DaveDE2]

No need to redact anything.
I'm no expert, just a diy guy with a one story installation. Sounds like your situation is more complex being a two story house and all. I'd consult a real expert (installer) and see what she says

[sensij]

You might like seeing some of the pictures in this thread:

https://www.solarpaneltalk.com/forum...manship-photos

Depending on the construction, in-wall conduit can be difficult. Exterior conduit that is painted to match and generally hidden (along gutters, other wires, etc) is usually a good compromise, but if you want it done a particular way, it is a good idea to communicate that to as many people on the installer's team as possible. To improve the odds of getting it done on my install, I provided a can of the matching paint.