Blair,
We're out here and are well aware of UL's toe-tipping into the world of
certification. Look for a formal announcement from NABCEP in a few days.
In the meantime, two things:
First, it's no great wonder that UL made this announcement at the same time the
DOE announced that they were conside
Mick,
They take up more space, but I'm fond of Rubbermaid tubs. You can find them big
enough for 2, 3, or 4 L-16s. If you get the ones with the domed lids, they fit
back on as well.
Provides both acid spill protection and meets NEC 480 for "guarding live
parts". the lids generally don't make a g
It's a damn shame we're not derivatives traders or we could "sell short" the
guys house and make a bundle. As just working stiffs, that's against the law...
Bob-O
On Apr 27, 2010, at 8:59 AM, Chris Worcester wrote:
I got my tickets on Ticketmaster! Flying in a day earlier to get front row
seats
The email below is from NABCEP; they are looking for a few minutes of your
time. Please read their email and complete their survey:
April 14, 2010
Hello,
Part of the rigorous requirements for NABCEP to maintain the prestigious ANSI
Accreditation for the PV Installer personnel certification prog
Of course it's not a practical solution, which is why we strived for (but
rarely got) 2% VD on low voltage situations as I said in my first post. The
obvious reply to this post is that your scenario isn't real world anymore. MPPT
controllers fixed that. Or perhaps you advocate that MPPT controll
rberg
Blue Mountain Solar, Inc.
Bob-O Schultze wrote:
>
> Guys,
> Is it just me being dense or are none of you folks advocating for higher VD
> looking at the savings over time?
> If we assume that Kent's wire costs are correct (and even assuming a 33%
> mark-up, he
Guys,
Is it just me being dense or are none of you folks advocating for higher VD
looking at the savings over time?
If we assume that Kent's wire costs are correct (and even assuming a 33%
mark-up, he's paying WAY, WAY too much for wire) , the difference in delivered
watts between #10 and # 4 wi
n't simply pull 1%, and then call us bad designers because we actually do
an economic analysis for each wire run.
It used to be unheard of to install PV facing anything but due south at
latitude tilt, but now we know to add a few more modules. Same concept.
R. Walters
r...@solarray.com
Solar
Ray,
A 2% wire loss is the generally accepted metric for battery based systems with
relatively low PV voltage input (<150Voc). It's just plain bad design to accept
more than a 1% VD on higher voltage systems. PVs ain't THAT cheap.
Best, Bob-O
On Apr 6, 2010, at 11:44 AM, R Ray Walters wrote:
O
Dave,
OK, here's my shot at this. Your mileage may vary. I think 240.86(A) applies
here. Unless the CB in the Xantrex XW has a higher interrupt ratting (AIC) than
the available fault current from that supply side tap and the CB is so marked
(240.83(C), a disconnect using appropriate current limi
Folks,
While none of us obviously has access to the wording of the specific question
itself, I can assure you that there are no "tricky" or non-sensical questions
on ANY of the NABCEP exams. Our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who come up with
the questions AND the answers aren't a bunch of nerds
Hiya Allan,
I get mine from Multi-Contact. Here's the info for their West Coast guy, but
I'm sure he can direct you to whomever works for your state.
cheers, Bob-O
e@multi-contact.com
Mobile: 707-548-6090
Office: 503-747-3008
Fax: 503-7473102
Multi-Contact USA
http://www.multi-contact-usa.co
Agreed. I'm surprised that no one mentioned that nice 3'-5' deep hole is a hell
of a nice start for your grounding electrode
On Mar 13, 2010, at 8:30 AM, Kent Osterberg wrote:
The need for rebar or not depends on how the pole is secured and on the shape
of the footing. If you are installin
Eric,
We had one go through after having a PE redo and sign off on our electrical
schematic, but I suspect it's kind of random over there at the IRS.
Good Luck, Bob-O
Electron Connection, Inc
PO Box 203
Hornbrook, CA 96044
800.945.7587
fax 530.475.3401
On Mar 2, 2010, at 4:33 PM, Eric Andrews wr
Hiya Marco,
Tough call. Is the salesman the same one who was responsible for the original
sale?
If yes, well perhaps you could base it more on the profit margin rather
than the gross. Add-ons generally don't have the same margins, but they could.
If not, I think a vastly reduced commission or
Hiya Phil,
We did a 17+KW DP&W MPM last year. A lot of work, but it came out great.
Contact me off-list for some pics.
Bob-O
On Feb 9, 2010, at 11:58 AM, Phil Schneider wrote:
There are many ground-mount options out there these days. We have used Unirac
ULA in the past and are doing a comparis
Many years ago, Richard Perez and I built a Gauss meter just for that purpose.
What we found (with the old Trace "U" series inverters) was that while EMF was
very high on the cables and right at the inverter, six feet or so away, the
readings were at nearly background levels. Never tried that wi
Carl,
No, they don't.
Hydrocaps remove most of the free hydrogen from the air that is caused by
gassing. The Watermisers do not, however they do the same good job of keeping
the tops of the batteries clean ad the HCs.
Bob-O
On Dec 14, 2009, at 8:14 AM, Carl Hansen wrote:
"Watermiser" caps work
Bill,
I agree with you about Hydrocaps and have mostly used them for nearly 20 years.
I do believe HP reviewed them sometime in the first 20 issues. Back when most
of us couldn't even spell solar bozo. Well maybe not Joel. :)
Two things to add:
1) HCs aren't forever. There is a sacrificial ca
Roy,
Good idea, but you'd almost want to keep in in a locked box. The potential for
someone using it for say... a dormant oil spraying of the fruit trees, is way
scary. "But I cleaned it out really well afterwards and the spray is organic!".
Perhaps if you encase it in red warning tape with tox
That's what the red oil pressure light on the dash is for., silly.
Bob-O
On Dec 10, 2009, at 4:21 PM, toddc...@finestplanet.com wrote:
Well said Jeff... like with auto genny starting systems... if the customer is
not willing to be involved with flying their system, only insisting on some
"
It's water. Unless your battery shed is at least somewhat heated, it freezes in
the winter most places.
Him no work good.
bob-O
On Dec 10, 2009, at 8:43 AM, Dana wrote:
Joel,
I looked at Battery watering Systems equipment at the Anaheim show and the
prices looked better than other systems I hav
I've used 12 of Jamie's 2V cells in several 24V systems and 6 in a 12V system
so far. A bit too soon to tell if they will give much better longevity than 12
6Vs in a series parallel configuration, but I'm convinced that series-parallel
is nowhere near as desirable as one series string. Over the
Gro and Evergreen has split the sheets.
AEE, maybe.
Bob-O
On Dec 2, 2009, at 10:34 AM, penobscotso...@midmaine.com wrote:
Hey Tump,
Evergreen still makes these. I suspect Gro or one of the other
Evergreen dealers stocks them.
Daryl
> Anyone have one of these around? Please contact me off l
William,
Nice to meet you -however briefly- at the Solar Zoo in Anaheim.
If you don't see the value in being NABCEP certified, then you shouldn't bother
with it. If your state- as more than a few have- decides to recognize it in
some way that affects your pocket, then you'll likely change your mi
Hiya Ray,
In my experience, off-grid is always as steady as it ever was except for the
Y2K burp. Those of us who know how to design and install for that market will
always have some work, even in a crappy economy. At NABCEP, we take a lot of
heat from all the new on-grid only installers who don'
Marco,
I'm with you. Regardless of how well the company stands behind their
product, a failure of any kind reflects back on the system integrator/
installer. That would be us, ladies and gents...
I've been down this road before with PV Powered in the early days with
inverters which they now r
Max,
Been using them for several years now.
No failures, good output, AMERICAN made.
Minimal packaging and prepaid shipping of the recyclable corner
protectors.
Because they are American made, they are a little higher per watt than
nearly all of the Chinese stuff out there. You just can't get
Allan,
Yes, probably. However
IF your very early inverter has a serial # <50 or so, there was a
board issue and it will not stack unless that board was changed out.
They got most of them but not all. :)
Bob-O
On Oct 30, 2009, at 6:05 PM, Allan Sindelar wrote:
Esteemed Wrenches:
Wrench e
Two words for you, Howie:
Chi - Na
Maybe you reckon it's OK for us to source our goods from China and
worsen both our trade imbalance and our dependance on cheap Chinese
stuff.
I see it as the same thing as the Saudi Arabia/Oil connection. A good
thing? Wal-Mart comes to town full of Chinese
Mick,
The predecessor to the K-51 was the J-51 which had round Jboxes as you
describe. They were located about 1/3rd of the way down from the edge
of the module. Before those were the J48 and before those were the
J45. That would be circa 1988-1994. Haven't seen any recently, but I
recall
Holt,
No experience with them, but I believe they are made in China. The
whole misnomer of "Canadian Solar" is enough to turn me off to them.
Bob-O
On Oct 15, 2009, at 7:31 AM, > wrote:
Greatly valuing the opinions of all who participate on this list, I
was wondering if anyone has had exp
Allan,
First, depending on the age of that Sunfrost, it might be OK to use on
either a 12V or 24V system directly. The older ones are 12V only, but
I'm not sure when the changeover occurred. An email to Sunfrost should
give you that data.
For over 15 years we've used a Vanner Voltmaster. Don
I agree with the bundling of the DC conductors to separate them from
the AC conductors and we do it all the time as our standard
installation is inverters and discos over a gutter. We also label
them. IE, 240vac and 350VDC. Never had a problem with that in a 4x4 or
6x6 gutter with an inspec
On Aug 23, 2009, at 3:17 PM, Tom DeBates wrote:
Tom,
I've had good luck with using 1/4" stainless steel pop rivets to
secure the modules to the rack. Fast and cheaper than "security"
hardware. Takes someone with a grinder to get them off without
trashing the module.
Good Luck, Bob-O
he
sider the environment before printing this e-mail.
Bob-O Schultze wrote:
Hiya Dana,
No to all those things, but... I'm told they are about $200 a pop.
Say they increased output by a total of 5%. Seems unlikely, but say
they did. Speaking in retail, $200 represents what these days... 40
Hiya Dana,
No to all those things, but... I'm told they are about $200 a pop. Say
they increased output by a total of 5%. Seems unlikely, but say they
did. Speaking in retail, $200 represents what these days... 40 watts
or so including racking, give or take? Say you are using a 200W
module
Jeff,
Welcome to the wonderful world of big business in 2009.
Most states allow a contractor to ask for a reasonable deposit upon
executing a contract. Often it's about 10%. On an order that size, I'd
get whatever the law would allow upfront and COD for the big ticket
items. It's reasonable
alt,
In addition to those possible replacement controllers you mentioned,
you might add the BZ MPPT 500 to the list. I've had a few issues with
them but that seems to have mostly sorted itself out. Very reasonably
priced for a MPPT controller, 100 Voc input. The catch is you've got a
500W
Generally I agree that it applies to systems, but a case could be made
fairly easily for a significant upgrade. IE, more PVs plus an upgraded
CC, larger CBs, etc. If you threw battery replacement into that mix I
think it would fly as a system. I agree that batteries alone probably
won't do
Nick,
Fronius sells a heavy copper buss bar which will link all the six
inputs together. They look sort of like the Outback PSPV bus bars
except copper and MUCH heavier. If you need four or more inputs you'll
need to get two of them. Three or less, cut one in half. For some
reason known o
Don't these things add like a buck a watt to the cost of the system?
If that's so, they would have to be magic indeed to yield 10%-15% more
power/year depending on system costs.
Bob-O
On Jun 20, 2009, at 10:29 AM, i...@aol.com wrote:
In a message dated 6/19/2009 9:39:22 P.M. Pacific Daylight
And only $49.00!!! Man, I just can't wait for my energy kit to show us!
Don't worry guys and gals, I'll share the really secret secrets.
Sh, keep them under your hats!
Bob-O
On Jun 16, 2009, at 9:53 AM, William Miller wrote:
Colleagues:
Bad news. The secret is out: http://click-4-the.inf
Alan,
Yep, could be a LVCO. Any indication from her as to the state of the
batteries voltage-wise? Shouldn't have much effect one way or the
other, but with longer runs of inverter cables, I generally twist them
together.
Bob-O
On Jun 14, 2009, at 3:59 PM, Darren Emmons wrote:
Allan,
May
I have to chime in here in support with Bill and especially Joel.
I refuse to buy or install Chinese modules. Yes, the price is low, but
as pointed out by Bill, will they be there in 5,10,15 years to back a
warranty?
There is something else. This country is in serious financial trouble.
We'v
Gee, and I thought I was the only one who thought that John was
arrogant...
He is, at least, consistent. I can still remember him holding forth at
a SEER Energy Fair in Willits, CA circa 1992 or so. His basic demeanor
then was "Sit right here at daddy's feet, shut up and listen. You
might l
Kent,
Sort of makes the case for the GFPs to be in the combiner boxes on
large systems, doesn't it? Obviously nearly worthless at the inverter
in this case.
Bob-O
On May 6, 2009, at 3:52 PM, Kent Osterberg wrote:
Richard,
I 100% agree with you.
The thing that concerns me most is that the
Nick,
Oh yeah, the Electricalc Pro is the bomb. A new installer gets the
logo T-shirts, safety glasses, and one of those. I also recommend them
to my SEI students AFTER we teach the longhand version
Bob-O
On Apr 23, 2009, at 6:47 AM, Nicholas Ponzio wrote:
Dana,
I'm glad to hear that
William,
Outside yes, ocean no. Corrosion comes from moisture, the salt is just
the fast acting catalyst, methinks. And the fog, no doubt. It's quite
a bit drier hereabouts. I'll start keeping a weather eye out for
failures on down the road, but so far so good.
Cheers, Bob-O
On Apr 18, 20
William,
Just the opposite situation here. We've been using Fronius almost
exclusively for the past four years with very few issues at all. The
few we have had Fronius tech support was all over it PDQ.
Go figure.
Bob-O
On Apr 18, 2009, at 2:04 PM, William Miller wrote:
Larry:
We have had a
ist.
Mark Frye
Berkeley Solar Electric Systems
303 Redbud Way
Nevada City, CA 95959
(530) 401-8024
www.berkeleysolar.com
-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Bob-O
Schultze
Sent: Monday, April 13,
Mark,
Not to criticize your math or your premises, which I agree with, but
we really should be using list prices when we make comparisons here.
This is a publicly viewed forum.
Ya know??
Bob-O
On Apr 13, 2009, at 2:26 PM, Mark Frye wrote:
Humm...
14000 kw / 200w mod = 70 mods = 70 micro inv
Jay,
Offgrid and powered by Outback here as well.
We use the Linksys Wireless G here with our all Mac computers plus a
wireless printer plus wired laser printer.
Him work good and they are cheap as well.
Bob-O
On Apr 12, 2009, at 3:18 PM, jay peltz wrote:
Hi All,
I"m wondering if there are
Joel,
Excellent advice. Tump also hit the nail when he said that it's OUR
reputations on the line when we recommend and install a product.
Unfortunately, no matter how well beta testing goes, there are so many
varied installations, climates and situations in what we do that there
will alwa
Wrenches,
Good to hear that the manus are starting to kick down for service
calls. Ask, ask, ask, then demand, demand, demand, or vote with your
checkbook elsewhere.
Fronius, BTW, has started sending service call reimbursement the
Wrenches directly. A better deal all around.
Bob-O
On Mar 2
Allan,
As an alternative, DP&W makes an "H" foot mount for corrugated steel
roofing. Two legs push down on the troughs and the lag goes into the
peak (where it belongs) without compressing the roof. They will custom
build them for you based on the peak to trough and trough to trough
dimens
Oops! Typo. Should have been 100 years MTBF. As if
Bob-O
On Mar 26, 2009, at 8:11 AM, Bob-O Schultze wrote:
Holt and All,
this is one of those places where this forum can save everyone a lot
of grief. When a potentially game-changing product like the Enphase
comes out with an obvious
Holt and All,
this is one of those places where this forum can save everyone a lot
of grief. When a potentially game-changing product like the Enphase
comes out with an obvious Marketing BS statement like 10 years MTBF,
we all need to share out experiences with the product. Got failures?
H
Jeff,
This is a pet peeve of mine. Welding cable is designed to live it's
whole life surrounded by hot sparks and dragged across cement floors,
yet it is not "listed" for use in a home. That pretty much means that
the manufacturer hasn't spent the dough to do the UL testing. Most of
us use
Daryl,
The Romex is a pretty clear violation of 690.31. This and the Pasadena
fiasco that Peter Parish speaks of illustrates a very common problem
that we all have. When it comes to photovoltaics, most AHJs don't know
their Athority from a hole in the ground.
Bob-O
On Mar 6, 2009, at 1
For those of you who don't know, I sit on the NABCEP BoD as the PV
Certificant representative and advocate. That would be y'all.
Frankly, I don't check into this list as often as I should, but any
Certificants who have an issue, suggestion, gripe, or praise with
NABCEP are welcome to contact
Chinese crap, probably. There is a lot of it out there. I've got a
report from an installer in New Zealand that at least one Chinese PV
is failing on regular basis due to water intrusion through the Jbox.
Bob-O
On Feb 4, 2009, at 6:41 AM, Nicholas Ponzio wrote:
Take notice: Today's NY Times
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