diy solar

diy solar

Recent content by byteharmony

  1. byteharmony

    Snow-Free solar

    Firing up the 240V pipe heaters under the frosty panels this morning showed that my AC wiring to the roof worked great! However, my wire nut job to the solar heater in the sola-deck only connected 1 of the 3 heating strips successfully. It still gave me enough information to make a conclusion...
  2. byteharmony

    Protect existing wires / ground wires that can not be inserted into wireway

    That should work for keeping it after the fact in pvc! I knew Tim would have an answer!
  3. byteharmony

    Protect existing wires / ground wires that can not be inserted into wireway

    If Tim doesn't have an answer I'm in trouble. Maybe the pvc ripped like a 2x4 to make a channel to fit it, then pipe clamps at the top and bottom. Likely schedule 40 to be able to squeeze it closed and pry It open to insert. If it gets wrecked I can replace it easy.
  4. byteharmony

    Protect existing wires / ground wires that can not be inserted into wireway

    Pvc can not be added in the middle of a long ground run (easily), I'd have to rip up Trenching or pull down solar panels. Tape would be an option, but I'd like something more weather proof and to protect the wires from say a weed wacker.
  5. byteharmony

    Protect existing wires / ground wires that can not be inserted into wireway

    I have some ground wires that are bare that will likely pass inspection due to no code issue, but hind site I think I should have put them in schedule 80 PVC down low and schedule 40 up high. Oooops. So how to protect them now, any ideas? My only guess right now is a Plastic strip that hides...
  6. byteharmony

    High voltages damaged old multimeters

    What a great ending, all our Nerd stuff and then bang, great humor! Thx guys, meters been working great!
  7. byteharmony

    Adding EMT / Conduit to an existing panel and trough install sol ark

    Yep, now this makes sense to me. The rigid Coupling makes the emt female threaded to be able to screw in from the inside of a panel / trough. Also a great idea if you're holding the rigid pipe and have a threader. Nice and clean. You all are full of wonderful ideas. I have learned so much...
  8. byteharmony

    High voltages damaged old multimeters

    I laugh largely at the humor: Wash a circuit board in beer, is that what you meant by IPA Melt the items on the board with a heat gun Re reading this, I'm wondering if I actually just don't know what IPA is and that you're actually being serious that the heat gun melted some solder connection...
  9. byteharmony

    Using clustered bare copper ground wire for neutral on service feed

    I'm 30 feet short on my service wire so THHN from the store is what it's going to be! Thanks so much for your help guys! What about grid tie microinverters? I thought they made up the majority of solar installs. My utility requires those to be on a separate meter that is connected to the grid...
  10. byteharmony

    Using clustered bare copper ground wire for neutral on service feed

    I was informed you only bond at the main panel, is it also at the meter? No Junctions, solid wire (copper stranded 4 awg in my case) Ahhh, the individual elements to be paralleled can not be less than 1/0 not the resulting conductor from being paralleled. Got it.
  11. byteharmony

    Using clustered bare copper ground wire for neutral on service feed

    Interesting, but if the connection fails it's going to be at a connection point, which then disconnects the neutral. If it failed in the middle something serious happened to my 2" rigid conduit... at which point it's likely power to the neighboor hood is down via my utility shutting it down. In...
  12. byteharmony

    High voltages damaged old multimeters

    OMG!!! old batteries: 70V New batteries: 60.2V BMS: 59.9 V Same result with both meters. Even went back to the old batteries wondering if just a meter reset was needed, nope, voltages went back up to the crazy values. I used to just wait until the LED display went dead to swap the batteries...
  13. byteharmony

    Using clustered bare copper ground wire for neutral on service feed

    This doesn't make sense, I have to pay for the meter box, the offset, the clamps, the rigid conduit, etc. It would seem to me to be the utility ends at the mast clamp, the service wires strung to the mast and the crimping they do to YOUR wires that come out of YOUR mast head. Makes sense that...
  14. byteharmony

    Using clustered bare copper ground wire for neutral on service feed

    Where is the line that separates the customer's side and the utilities side? Does this "Okay to use bare copper" include stranding your own stranded wire? I get that in my house, no go on the bare wire for neutral, it has to be that way as the only bond allowed for ground is at the main panel...
  15. byteharmony

    High voltages damaged old multimeters

    I recently was testing high voltages 200 - 360V to debug a string issue (turned out to be an MC4 connector issue) using an OLD set of multimeters that had always worked just fine. rotating switch to scale voltage: 20V, 200V, 600V Another went up to 1000V I love having extra meters around the...
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