[RE-wrenches] Fronius IG Plus line

was brooks talking about the plus line? I think not. I think that thread was regarding the Fronius IG the thread was: Efficiency Curves of Fronius Inverters? ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenche

[RE-wrenches] Apollo Solar TSW TrueSineWave Inverter/Chargers

Hi Wrenches, I was wondering if any of you have worked with the Apollo TSW inverter. It looks a lot like a Xantrex DR. I am wondering how good it is. regards, nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches

[RE-wrenches] Best Choice for PV in hot climates

Peter, I think there was a pertinent article along these lines in the Photon US mag they were handing out in Anaheim at the SEPA conference. regards, nick ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches

[RE-wrenches] apollo charge controllers

wondering if any wrenches have any opinions on the Apollo charge controllers T80 in particular. I heard they had some technical issues not to long ago- is that resolved? thanks, nick ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-

[RE-wrenches] xantrex xw experiment

Hi wrenches, I am looking at the xantrexXW system with 2 inverters, and I asked their tech support if it is possible to have 2 inverters synced to the same grid and backup power, but without being parraled on the battery bank. My hope was that the 2 inverters could switch between master and sl

[RE-wrenches] Learning about the grid resources

Hi wrenches, I am starting to study the grid and how it works, gear involved, voltages, transformers, maintenance...and whatever else I can learn. I was wondering if any of you have any suggestions for resources for my reading list, or web pages/ magazines you keep current with. thanks, nick

[RE-wrenches] two strings of different orientation

sounds like a great situation for tigo power optimizers we should be seeing pretty soon. nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches

[RE-wrenches] TED MONITORING

I would say on TED, which i have a limited exposure to, that they need to do some real work on their documentation because it took me a long time to find their "firmware" update for mac installation, among others, and wow, providing a 3 inch cd rom which is un-usable on most computers instead of

[RE-wrenches] unisolar and enphase?

wreck the inverter. (that would be in a parallel string of 2). I know it is not a great situation array wise, or return on investment, but I would like to sort something out for them. thanks, Nick Vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power

[RE-wrenches] rafter locating tools

screw up the penetration. nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://list

[RE-wrenches] NABCEP test

ect too much respect. That being said, combined with my 6 years of installing, it is a nice additional credential. nick vida/ ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http

[RE-wrenches] portable freezers

Hi wrenches. hope you are well, Do any of you guys have any experience with portable freezer/ refrigerator units with AC and DC input? I see a couple brands out there, like EdgeStar, Dometic, and Whynter. Anyone have any or ever use any of these? are they good? durable? thanks a million, nic

[RE-wrenches] portable freezers

Hi Dan, I am talking about the ice chest looking ones that run on AC or DC electric. There are a bunch of brands with pretty similar design. I have no idea if any of them are any good. Have you used them? EdgeStar? thanks, nick___ List sponsored by

[RE-wrenches] portable freezers

Thanks for the insight Dan, hey if you are gonna get one for your camping trip, you might want to look into the Whynter ones, cause they actually claim to be outdoor rated. nick vida___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@l

[RE-wrenches] portable freezers

Hi Carl, No I dont have that data, but I might be getting one for an efficient/ compact kitchen design here later this month, and that will be a major curiosity. Inside dimension v. outside dimension looks like they did quite a bit of insulation, and that general design of opening up is good for

[RE-wrenches] 690.4B discussion

200.6(D) mentions the separating and labeling of conductors of different systems thumb through that one and you should be able to get a guy on your side. I agree with the zip tie idea as a suitable partition and you see it everywhere.___ List sponsored

[RE-wrenches] balasted racks

hey wrenches. i am looking at some ballasted racks. Any favorites or least favorites? trifling experiences? i would appreciate hearing from you! thanks, nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re

[RE-wrenches] Two Buildings, Two Services, One Roof

It seems like it should be fine if you run one conduit to your shop inverter, and another to a dc disconnect and underground to the house inverter, but I see you running a bonding wire for the 2 GECs as well for some reason. You should go through the part of 250 about different GEC for separate

[RE-wrenches] John Wiles

;s should step aside, and I cant help but wonder if the job is in peril because of his massive seminar fees. nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.r

[RE-wrenches] walkways installed on solar racking

Hello Wrenches,   I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with installing working platforms or catwalks over solar rails. The application would be a standing seam roof not suitable to walk on. We are trying to find a way to install a mechanical system while also providing a walking su

[RE-wrenches] Suggestions for off grid cellular modem

experience with this? Application is SMA tripower monitoring. Thanks in advance. Nick Vida ___ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches

[RE-wrenches] We lost a wrench- Will Korthof

William Korthof. View on www.pluginamerica.org Preview by Yahoo Regards, Nick Vida nickv...@gmail.com___ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings:

[RE-wrenches] Tile Roof mount compliance

Hi William, We deal with this all day in California. You should go in the attic, figure out the truss type (howe, scissor...), get the spans and sizes of the wood, and pictures of the grade stamps. You can then send this off to a structural engineer to get a letter and a digitally stamped set of

Re: [RE-wrenches] California solar intiatives

On prop 10, yes you may feel whatever way you would like about Pickens. Seeing how much windy land he owns in texas and that he owns clean energy natural gas stations makes it a bit insipid that he is trying to use the government to increase his infrastructure. But as a tradesman, if you dont thin

[RE-wrenches] Santa Monica guidlines/ CEC

and ac output power circuits, may be contained in the same raceway as PV source and output conductors... (page 1020 2005 NEC Handbook) We would only be running the solar circuits in our raceways connecting different runs to our gear. Are you saying you have a concern about such a

[RE-wrenches] squirrel problems

This is interesting to see what regions the squirrels are active. I hear Vermont, Mass, New Hampshire, and Colorado here in southern California I have heard of no problems any other areas anybody knows of? is it the cold weather? is it only use-2 or is this including rhw? nick __

[RE-wrenches] fronius IG Plus practical engineering WAA???

hey Wrenches. I opened my soon to be installed fronius IG Plus to see what was going on in there, and found myself a bit disappointed. There is a 6 string combiner in there which is fine, however there is no bypass for the fusing section and the terminals are rated at 20 amps. In a situation wh

[RE-wrenches] fronius IG Plus practical engineering WAA???

guys, thanks for your input. I didnt know about the add on. glad to see it is out there. thanks again Nick Vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://list

[RE-wrenches] REC Solar melt-down

wrenches, the defect in REC panels is the frame expands past the panel and can contract and break the glass. Unfortunate, but no big deal in a lot of ways. I dont know if there is another defect, but that one would warrant a recall instead of replacing a lot of panels. There was also an articl

[RE-wrenches] myers hubs

yes you need a myers hub for the same above the bottom 1/3 and into the top for your non-metalic enclousure. some will use a water tight connector (raintight with a gasket ring). Either way you need a bonding bushing on your connector or a myers hub with the bonding screw on the inside locknut t

[RE-wrenches] myers hub

: 415.559.1525 F: 650.244.9167 www.luminalt.com <http://www.luminalt.com/> august at luminalt.com _ From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Nick Vida Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 1:54 AM To: wrenches

[RE-wrenches] myers hub

guys, on myers hubs... are these even rated for emt connectors? i know that a lot of inspectors look for them, and a lot of electricians use them, but i just went through several manufacturers cut sheets and they only say for rigid and imc. nothing is said about emt or emt fittings. In fact they

[RE-wrenches] myers hub

here is one i came across drake, look on the second page for "ground hub" or "ground nut": http://www.crouse-hinds.com/catalog/pdfs/00267to00270.pdf i think most companies have this option, its just a matter of getting your supply house to order it from the manufacturer they work with. nick

[RE-wrenches] Watt-hour meter

you can wire a 4 jaw meter for 120 by lifting that little clip on the back of the meter and using the left side top for line and left bottom for load, but i think you need to do a high resistance neutral attached to the screw that holds the jumper. you might want to look through old grid tied

[RE-wrenches] down-sizing main breaker

if you read 690.64b it does mention both the buss rating AND conductors. for years and years I thought it was just for the buss rating until i got called recently for the feeders being undersized and unable to accommodate the solar within 120%. I see a lot of sentiments in this thread that it is

[RE-wrenches] down-sizing main breaker

if you read 690.64b it does mention both the buss rating AND conductors. for years and years I thought it was just for the buss rating until i got called recently for the feeders being undersized and unable to accommodate the solar within 120%. I see a lot of sentiments in this thread that it is

[RE-wrenches] down-sizing main breaker

Dick, I think im in William's camp and you may have gathered from my earlier post in this thread. The actual logic and safety concerned in reality and practice may be totally true and valid from your perspective (and in reality), however the wording of the code allows for you to get a out of th

[RE-wrenches] Thermal issues with PVC (was RE: raintite box mounting angle)

Hans, that is an interesting reference, well done. what about if the box is under the panels and only experiencing ambient temperatures? That is kind of my current preference when I have to use pvc due to the deforming issues... since the panels are movable by unbolting the slow-release mounting

[RE-wrenches] losses to competing angles in single strings

hello wrenches. I was wondering if any of you have any data on what the losses would be if you had your string split with 2 different angles, but at the same azimuth. For instance, string of 11 with 8 facing 180 south at 30 degrees, and 3 facing south 180 at 45 degrees. I have heard that the vo

[RE-wrenches] Vertical wall mounted arrays

maybe build a jig on the roof to hang plumb bobs so you know exactly where the frame is, then after the lathing is done, drill through to the sticks, and lag bolt into the frame while also epoxying into the stone, and use some pretty hefty bolts. Then you can use some short standoffs. If thats n

[RE-wrenches] Rooftop DC disconnects

this is already required in Los Angeles county in a county ordinance. They are looking for dc disconnect directly after any combiner box and no conduit entering a building without disconnect- both commercial and residential. You wont see it in NEC unless you look in the 2002. I dont have the ord

[RE-wrenches] ocean side gear performance/ life cycle

galv and stainless are of a high grade for hardware, which was interesting. any thoughts friends? thanks, nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://list

[RE-wrenches] LADWP complaining

http://www.ladwpsolarnews.com/workshops Peter, on your gripe in the orientation thread i thought you might like this link. LADW just finished a series of angry frustration venting sessions where they were "work-shopping" ideas for how to put Los Angeles solar installers out of business with b

[RE-wrenches] Rooftop wiring methods between multiple subarrays

g eye to eye with your AHJ, but i would rethink that one. nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wre

[RE-wrenches] pull box in solar raceway

With certain designs where you have the service between the array and the inverter, you may be compelled to make a common raceway to a pull box and divert a conduit to the service from there. The conduit between the pull box and the inverter would then have your ac wires and dc wires running to

[RE-wrenches] REC modules

Drake, REC are pretty good id say. They are big, like Sharp big. A bit of a challenge to layout on a roof. They have a removable back on the junction box and there are 3 diodes i believe. Everything in there looks like its fastened by compression, which might be why they had that recall on the

[RE-wrenches] Day4 Modules

they are here at solar power. its cool technology, they have a mesh on the top of the panels instead of traditional solder lines. This reduces resistance so they get better efficiency. They also flash test each panel so you can sort the for mismatch before installing. Yes they are made in Canada

[RE-wrenches] Enphase track record

I put a temperature probe under the modules almost every job, and it is always drastically lower than the module itself. A frying module at 130 might have an ambient temperature underneath in its shade of 89 degrees. the specifics are always surprisingly low relative to touching the panel and how

[RE-wrenches] Enphase track record

a big concern from many voices all along. Maybe those guys can offer several whip lengths or something... i don't know I haven't worked with the gear yet. nick vida I'm also concerned about the issues brought up here. I have two possible projects that would benefit from Enphase d

[RE-wrenches] "its a UL listed assembly"

s have any thoughts on this? Nick Vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: h

[RE-wrenches] "its a UL listed assembly"

Thanks for a great response Matt, and an interesting lead to a product solution... Let me preface this with saying I am installing another company's design, so all you are saying about proper gear at the service is totally heard, and this tap would not be something I would design... The situa

[RE-wrenches] Equipment shortages, long lead times?

now how do you guys feel about all the "ramping down for second quarter 2009" announcements in the industry rags? as if you weren't frustrated that solar manufactures were participating in recession consolidations already! nick ___ List spo

[RE-wrenches] PV Powered vs SMA

Yes I know the failures you were mentioning in 05-06. I had one that had 2 blown 20a ac midget fuses inside the cover. i was told by the service of their partner company at that time to replace the fuses- it might have been a grid surge that took out the fuses. i did so later that day and the i

[RE-wrenches] PV powered music festival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb5GpV_LUuU Hey wrenches, super fun to do, especially when you have some context with the folks, Vendor sections are the worst ever because they have no regard for efficiency in most cases. You will want to stock bulbs and devices to lend out. Favorite vendor kil

[RE-wrenches] Solar Shading App on a Droid

I have it and i dont know how to use it yet. I have been meaning to email them to suggest a youtube chanel to show you how it is done. It describes 3 ways of doing the measurements, but either way you try, it just beeps a couple times and says it is over. You would have to trace your horizon i

[RE-wrenches] Main panel and ATS request

are there any unusual line side tap considerations when using panels with automatic transfer switches? regards, nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://list

[RE-wrenches] Fronius IG vs IG Plus inverters

, there are removable vent clean outs on the right side of the IG plus, so it is difficult to leave access in some cases, and you might have to remove the power stage to clean them if you run a pipe there. nick vida Brighter Days ___ List sponsored by

[RE-wrenches] how would you measure a partial short circuit

Hi wrenches. I had an interesting case today that I have been thinking about since it happened. I dont have all the details because the homeownter had to leave before I was done with the service call, but here is what I do know. SB5000 with 2 strings of 15 modules. String one was 437 vdc, and

[RE-wrenches] how would you measure a partial short circuit

Hi Bob, thanks for thinking about my question! I landed the fuses and put the fuses back in (not it- typo) on my sma disconnect, and there was an arc across the fuse holder. Seems like it could have been closing a short circuit on the bus once the parallel connection was made. H

[RE-wrenches] how would you measure a partial short circuit

I will be back at that house and be able to figure out what was wrong and let you wrenches know for interest's sake. Have a great 4th nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Op

[RE-wrenches] UL PV certification?

. cheers, nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermai

[RE-wrenches] Sanyo recall 2005?

Hello Wrenches, Are any of you aware of any recall on low producing Sayo HIP-190BA3 from 2005? Thanks, Nick Vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://list

[RE-wrenches] Low-power consuming LEDs

http://www.digikey.com/ is always a great place to start, especially for small quantity purchases or testing. same with the following: http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/340/LEDs/1.html another good place to go is the following event with a free entry for the exhibition: http:

[RE-wrenches] Fronius IG+ and 300.34

ottom of the disconnect. Adding the length of the conductor that lands in the terminal makes for some serious dexterous labor, especially all the way in the back of the disconnect. Hopefully in the future the wiring section will become easier in that rega

[RE-wrenches] sharp 170

Hi wrenches, I am in need of a Sharp 170, either NE-170UC1 or NE170OU1, either new or used. If you have any you are willing to get rid of, please let me know. regards, Nick Vida 818.307.9526 nickvida at gmail.com___ List sponsored by Home Power

[RE-wrenches] Feed your Head...Lecture series on Solar Cells

Nice one, OCW is amazing, with a lot of great lectures. It is pretty exciting that MIT, the university largely behind OCW, is releasing MITx this spring. In the program you can get a certificate for completing OCW curricula. One can only hope solar physics is a topic there! http://web.mit.edu/

[RE-wrenches] SMA Sunny WebBox mobile/wireless options

of data. nick vida ___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/piper

[RE-wrenches] Solar Powered PA system

Sound systems hate square wave and modified square wave, so unless you want to listen to a ground hum and some other mid frequency square waves under your broadcast, only use true sin wave inverters for that.  nick vida___ List sponsored by Home Power

[RE-wrenches] TOU EV charger service equipment question

coincides with a service upgrade anyway, but pricing out a duplex setup is slightly intimidating, and not that compact for layout. Any thoughts or leads would be interesting, and I hope some of the manufactures are addressing this soon to be popular scenario. Best Regards, Nick Vida Brighter

[RE-wrenches] Paralleling Mutlitple Inverter

That is very interesting Jay, do you have a code reference for no derate needed for your solar accumulation panel? Thanks, Nick Vida btw- Rich, thanks for Bernie Sanders.___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re

[RE-wrenches] Paralleling Mutlitple Inverter

I am a little late on this: Mark and Jay,  thanks for the code reference for the solar accumulation panel bus rating. It is too bad that adding a little 15 amp receptacle for your monitoring that draws like 7 watts is enough to incite a derate under the more optimistic school of thought. Also,

[RE-wrenches] NABCEP Sales

Hi all, out of curiosity, what resources are you using to study for this? If it is like the PV installer test, it is a puzzle and a test, but all and all, not that hard if you super know your stuff. nick vida___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine L

[RE-wrenches] MC4 Box connectors

How are those things as they come apart after being installed for several years? Pretty strong? any quality issues over time? Nick Vida Brighter Days___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options

[RE-wrenches] non-vertigo safety sun-glasses

Hi wrenches, I am having the hardest time finding rated safety glasses that don't cause vertigo when you get tired. Most of them are curved, and I find that it distorts your vision a bit, and hits you like crazy when you start getting on toward exhausted. Anyone have any luck finding a reasonab

[RE-wrenches] solar accumulation panel

because here in Los Angeles they are revising the standard plan and they have an unusual name for the device, so as it is still a draft, I would us like to align with the future, if at all possible. Thanks wrenches! Nick Vida ___ List sponsored by Home

[RE-wrenches] solar accumulation panel

thanks for the link Dave, very useful. Nick Vida___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lis

[RE-wrenches] dial-down breakers and buss rating

I tried this approach once and got totally shot down. The explanation was just like the one you are worried about, too easy to undo.___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lis

[RE-wrenches] Transformerless inverters

LADWP is requiring inverters to apply for articles of certification though their engineers. Several transformerless inverters are approved, others have not supplied the required schematics.  I wouldnt worry about the over the counter for LADBS. The plan check is not routine enough for these syst

[RE-wrenches] Washington made

Many of the American sold REC group modules contain silicon made in Washington state.___ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-w

[RE-wrenches] NABCEP

I like NABCEP because I meet people all the time who couldn't pass the exam. As long as it stays very challenging and requires a lot of specific knowledge I am ok with it. I found it super difficult and would not have been surprised if I failed. I am glad to have a credential that shows I have a

[RE-wrenches] GE PV-055-GCA

Hello wrenches, I am hoping some of you might have some experience with the GE flat tile bipv modules from around 2006. We are dealing with a ground fault issue and would like to figure out what to expect. Thanks in advance for your comments. Nick Vida

[RE-wrenches] 120% rule applying to conductors

What size is the conduit? Can you re-pull conductors at a higher ampacity? Nick Vida Mac: Nope. William Miller PS: It's pretty straight forwards, the code says "bus or conductor." wm PPS: Can you customer live with a smaller feeder breaker, say 125 amps? If so, your gold. w

[RE-wrenches] Utility disconnect

My main jurisdiction (Los Angeles City) has a utility with its own service manual with their own requirements. Through experience we  know what they require, and it often has nothing to do with NEC. If you bring up NEC to them, they usually laugh at you. Nick Vida__

[RE-wrenches] EMT in attic

specifying EMT only). I am wondering if this is a new wave of inspectors wanting the future now as informed by an expert seminar, or if there is something I am not aware of. Any comments are very appreciated. Thank you, Nick Vida wrench___ List sponsored

[RE-wrenches] EMT in attic

Hi Wrenches, Thanks for you comments. Fun for the day is hearing they want to apply section 230 about service conductors and say that flex is not a metallic raceway because it is no good for bonding. They are defining the pv source circuits as a service.  I am getting a distinct Wiles vibe here

[RE-wrenches] sanyo ba3 pro solar clamp source

Hi wrenches, do any of you have pro solar clamps for Sanyo hip-200ba3? I am in need of 80 mids and 30 ends. (I cant remember if there is only one clamp you use in both applications?) This was that Sanyo module with the cuff on the edge by the way. Please contact me off list of you want to free

[RE-wrenches] Barcode scanners

If you are looking for a cheapo one that will work for input fields over usb, you can get them at any office store. If you are looking for a pda solution for in the field, i would check out some of these type products: http://www.techforless.com/cgi-bin/tech4less/process?mv_session_id=NqRsHbGy&