solar panel removal

[darrylbarry]

Hi all

I have got to remove all my solar panels as next week i am having new roof tiles and felt put on due to leaks

the question is what is the safest procedure to isolate,remove and refit the panels back ...

i was told by someone that when you take each panel down connect the male and female plugs together shorting it out ??? ... i would have thought this would damage the panel ?

also i was told to wear rubber gloves ..... why is this

thanks

[inetdog]

Hi all

I have got to remove all my solar panels as next week i am having new roof tiles and felt put on due to leaks

the question is what is the safest procedure to isolate,remove and refit the panels back ...

i was told by someone that when you take each panel down connect the male and female plugs together shorting it out ??? ... i would have thought this would damage the panel ?

also i was told to wear rubber gloves ..... why is this

thanks

Hello darrybarry and welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

Being left with the leads disconnected will not harm a silicon based solar panel, either short or long term.
But the disconnected leads (often MC4 type connectors) will have DC voltage on them (up to 50V or so from a single panel) and will be exposed to weather and mechanical damage.
Since shorting out a panel will not hurt it either, it makes some sense to just join the + and - output connectors together and then possibly tape them to the back side of the panel to keep them out of the way.

You want to be careful while handling not to crack the glass or the substrate of the panel and not to bend the metal frame.

As far as rubber gloves are concerned, the only high voltage exposure will come when you are disconnecting the panel leads. You might get a better grip on the panel for handling if you use either rubber gloves or the kind of cloth glove with traction pads in the palm and finger surface.
There is nothing toxic about that panel, so gloves will not be needed for that reason.

Possibly the most important thing is to know the basics of safety for working on a roof, including using roof jacks or boards to provide a slip-free walking surface, rope belays (typically to or across the ridge line of the roof) for safety, especially if it is a second story roof, and getting help if needed because the panels are heavy and will generate a lot of force if they catch the wind.

[darrylbarry]

high voltage

refering to the high power leads ...

are these the ones that go from the panel array to the inverter ??

i have a mcb in my fuseboard which i gather gets the voltage from the inverter also i have a isolator under my fuseboard and also one under the inverter in the loft

if i isolate all these will the voltage be gone ??

or is there stored voltage in the inverter ?? is there batteries in it ?? or something else ?

thanks

[inetdog]

refering to the high power leads ...

are these the ones that go from the panel array to the inverter ??

i have a mcb in my fuseboard which i gather gets the voltage from the inverter also i have a isolator under my fuseboard and also one under the inverter in the loft

if i isolate all these will the voltage be gone ??

or is there stored voltage in the inverter ?? is there batteries in it ?? or something else ?

thanks

If you disconnect the inverter from the mains AC and from the panel DC, it will be without energy except maybe for some capacitors which will hold a charge for awhile. But since you are not going inside the inverter it does not matter.
Even after you have opened the DC disconnect switch at the inverter there will high voltage DC on the panel wires as long as there is any light at all shining on the panels.

You definitely should not unplug any panel connectors until after you have opened the DC disconnect or covered the panels, because the connectors are not meant to be separated while current is flowing. Once you have opened the string connection at the + and - end of the string, you should only have to worry about the voltage of an individual panel as long as you work on only one connection at a time while breaking down the string.

[darrylbarry]

panel disconnection

i have 10 panels @50v so thats 500v from the leads going into the inverter ?

so i isolate all the switches and disconnect the lead going to the inverter from the panel array..

when i disconnect this from the panel array theres still 500v being generated to the disconnected lead ( not the one from the inverter the one from the panels )

so as i disconnect each panel .... (starting from the last panel)

the voltage will decrease on the disconnected inverter lead ?

and do i connect the inverter lead to the first panel and then add each panel back again gradually increasing the voltage to the inverter lead or do i add all the panels first then plug the inverter lead in ??

bearing in mind there will possibly be 500v when i plug the lead in ?

sorry to keep going over it but i am trying to find the safest way to disconnect,remove and then reconnect the panels back up ... a sort of a to z list lol

[inetdog]

i have 10 panels @50v so thats 500v from the leads going into the inverter ?

so i isolate all the switches and disconnect the lead going to the inverter from the panel array..

when i disconnect this from the panel array theres still 500v being generated to the disconnected lead ( not the one from the inverter the one from the panels )

so as i disconnect each panel .... (starting from the last panel)

the voltage will decrease on the disconnected inverter lead ?

and do i connect the inverter lead to the first panel and then add each panel back again gradually increasing the voltage to the inverter lead or do i add all the panels first then plug the inverter lead in ??

bearing in mind there will possibly be 500v when i plug the lead in ?

sorry to keep going over it but i am trying to find the safest way to disconnect,remove and then reconnect the panels back up ... a sort of a to z list lol

You are basically right, with the exception that if you start by disconnecting both ends of the string the theoretical 500V difference between the - lead of the string and the lead of the panel you are working on will not be a hazard since you will not be touching both ends of the string.
It is a good idea to act as if it might be energized (by a short to panel racking from the - end for example) but it is not a 100% danger.