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Yes...I got your response... thank you.
I have been reading through this thread and as people have said.... it is a great learning tool...being a newbie to solar, I have learned a lot about the installation process which should help me to know what an installer is supposed to be doing or what is the best way to do it, even beyond requirements, when installing my project later on.... Thank you for sharing.
Just a thought though...that I feel needs to be said.
When reading through your story, there have been a few negative comments about your so-called bad choice. I have to say, that the only bad thing was the result...the choice to take the risk seemed to be calculated and was not necessarily bad. Yes, if you look it now, people can say I told you so..."I told you it was a bad choice.".... But when it pertains to money, what is the one common attribute that every wealthy person has (who actually earned their own wealth)....it is their risk taking personality. It is the courage to take calculated risks and their ability to face the fear of loss head on. The easy road, and seemingly the road well traveled here, would be to not take that chance....but it is clear that the potential gain would not have been there at the end of that journey. You chose to take the risk and even if it did not pan out ...I commend you on it...it tells a lot about you and that is a trait to be admired not criticized...and something that you should not change but utilize....all risks should be calculated and all potential gains big or small are worth the look.
Fact...most people's financial status in life will not change without risks taken.
I leave with this last note....
It would be safe to say that most people( if not all) want to increase their financial status...
With that said.... At the end of life.....Every self attained wealthy person has stories of loss .....and most financially poor people..... have little to no stories of gain. .....with both having one common theme....fear...the difference is... their reaction to it.
Good Luck.Comment
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I thought that this is very well said. I myself also commend the OP for researching this whole topic of solar installation thoroughly before jumping in. And utilizing the knowledge of this forum to help him out. And making calculated decisions and taking risks. And not being fazed when his calculated risk didn't pan out and others said "I told you so", but instead taking the bull by the horn and take corrective actions to fix it. Even his can-do attitude and his decision to just fix the problem himself instead of shutting out the contractor and tying things up in drawn-out complicated litigation and relying on the court to fix his problem for him.
I followed not just this thread, but the other threads by the OP closely. I remember being impressed by how he was learning about laying out panels to avoid shading problems, learning about differences between single inverters and SolarEdge vs Enphase, etc. Even the bartering approach is a novel idea that I would never have thought of myself (not that I belong to any bartering group anyway). Sure, his choice and risk taking of the contractor didn't pan out, but at least he went into it with the full knowledge of the contractor's history and did his homework in talking with previous customers of that contractor. Even though he has no electrical knowledge background, he managed to learn enough to know that the contractor was not following the plan to use the proper wiring sizes. He bothered to go up on the roof to inspect the workmanship of the contractor. Not too many people ever do that. To them, ignorant is bliss and they THINK they're happy with their contractors but in reality they just don't really know for sure.Comment
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Here is the update of my installation. It is not UniRac hanger bolt, it is Prosolar Tile Trac. It is good to find a 3rd party to inspect the solar system and found few bad jobs. water in the box and loose vent pipe...
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I was very close to going with the TileTrac myself but it didn't match the permit which called for a traditional standoff. Plus I wasn't 100% sold on the single bolt holding up the racking, it was more or less the same as the hanger bolts my installer used (the bolt part, not the waterproofing).
Speaking of which though, it looks like your installer used the wrong mount. Those are for flat tiles, the S tile version has a curved piece of aluminum flashing that goes on top of the tile, not straight like yours. Doubt it makes any difference though.
It was also be good if the conduit was raised off the tiles, makes a huge difference in wire temps...but that will probably be important somewhere like Phoenix or Vegas, other places don't get nearly as hot so that's probably why your installer put them directly on the tiles.Comment
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Thanks Sebastian and Volusiano for your comments.
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I'm not so sure - this is the 2nd weekend in a row this installer is going out of his way to make sure the job is done right. I'd use them in a heartbeat. That picture looks like it's the homeowner - getting in the way and/ or lazing on the job while the professional toils in the sun.
That's a nice looking install - the benefit of calling in someone who knows what he's doing.Comment
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Today's update:
Finished up the mounts this morning by doing a ring of sealant around the standoff and then putting on the rubber collar then got to work installing the rails. I'm basically done for now because I'm out of L foots and I need more railing. The installer said he will bring more, but that was when I last talked to him 2 weeks ago so who knows, may have to order them myself so probably won't get to work on it again until next weekend (which is probably best anyway, need to do some actual work this week plus I'm beat as hell).
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Well, looks like your efforts will get an early test:
Good Luck!Issued by The National Weather Service Phoenix, AZ
Sun, Dec 28, 2:10 pm MST
... MAJOR WINTER STORM EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...
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I would agree that there is some merit in coming through in the end after messing something up in the beginning or during the process... but I would think that this guy just wants to finish being paid or at the very least not be sued..... On top of all that, it would appear that now he is being watched...of course he is now giving a great install.
It's clear that there are three possibilities in this type of situation...one... an installer who fails or purposely cuts corners at his job and does not come through in the end...two ...an installer who fails or purposely cuts corners at his job but does come through in the end...or three an installer who does it right from start to finish.
Which one do you want.Comment
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Yes, that's south side, but picture was taken right before sundown, that's why it's all in the "shade".
I do have serious shading the the neighbors house from Oct - Mar though, the shades travels across the roof though, with the front being shaded in the morning and the back in the afternoon. I'm doing a large string of 16 though so there will always be 8 panels unshaded and the string will still function with the SolarEdge optimizers.Comment
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The conduit isn't perpendicular/ straight entering the box, so there's little gap for water to enter. I sealed up with silicon hope it will stop water enter the box while raining or washing the panels. I guess that is one of the reason the inverter fail the 2nd time. You can call that a careless job because it aint his house or solar system.....errr I call that luck......depends on who actually does the job.... even if he has all the right tools.Comment
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