Recent content by hmbay

The DC disconnect (a triple blade switch with fuses - one for each string) was installed indoors so it is clean and looks new. The AC disconnect (outdoors) is also in good shape. We visually inspected and tested all of the components since we quite literally took the whole system apart in the...

I'll try to answer all the questions. We tested all 3 strings independently and they were all performing within 1-2% of each other. These are 15-year-old Kyocera 175 panels. The IG 4000 was now stuck in standby - it looked like both AC stages had died - and my friendly repair guy just said...

I went through the configurator and it looks like my 3 x 9 Kyoceras fit better with a Sunny Boy 5.0US than the comparable Fronius products.

Sunny Boy 5.0US gives me 3 MPPT inputs and is $200 cheaper than the Primo 3.8 from the same vendor. Having had 3 Fronius failures in 15 years I think I'm going to change brands. Any reason to pick the Fronius over the Sunny Boy? $200 buys a lot of nachos.

Absolutely, the price is great compared to what the IG 4000 cost 15 years ago. But is it the best solution? I think so but I wanted to get some validation before moving ahead. On the IG 4000, I've been speaking to a service tech who thinks the AC boards in the IG are dead so rather than fix...

Just looking for suggestions and recommendations... my misbehaving IG 4000 (it's the third one - 2 were replaced under warranty years ago) is going crazy (see post about power output reduced by 1/3 - now its just stuck in various error modes). The Primo 3.8 would appear to be the logical plug...

The fans do turn on depending on operating and ambient temperature.

It's always 1/3 lower regardless of operating temperature, whether I hear fans or no fans. If I recall correctly there is separate error code reporting for PS0 and PS1 on an IG 4000 - PS1 being the second power stage. He said that the first power stage handles up to 2000 watts and then the...

The problem occurs all the time - from startup to hours later so it's not cooling related - it's consistently down 1/3. A tech told me that there are two power stages in the IG 4000 so it's possible the second stage has a fault and he showed me how to check the code for the second stage. Or...

We just went through a reinstallation process and, well, it's an interesting story. We removed and reinstalled the panels (the pro installers 15 years ago used the wrong mounts and the roof was leaking badly - that's another story). In the process, we discovered 2 places where the panel wires...

I have the racks/rails so I'm sticking with them plus it means that my penetrations are already set. Going rackless means I'll have to figure out new mount points. Also ProSolar FastJack-E's and the flashing are dead cheap from RES Supply.

You can see the parts at ProSolar.com. Like I said, most people have moved on to IronRidge or Unirac so ProSolar is very old school (10-15 years ago) but they still sell the components. I don’t have much choice because as you know the racks and mounts are designed as a unit for wind load...

I'm having to do a re-install of my mounts on a good asphalt shingle roof after a botched "pro" install 15 years ago which has my roof leaking at many of the 34 mount penetrations. My panels are mounted to ProSolar RoofTracs so I'm trying to decide between the more user-friendly FastJack vs the...