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The engineers always say, settling is the issue. The amount of cohesion between the vertical surface of the dirt and the concrete in the hole is what's important when loading a pier with weight. They claim that is more important than the density of the dirt in the bottom of the hole, because no...

If it's me , I go ac devices . I think by the time you add up the additional cost of the dc devices, and the time and materials to run dc circuits to the devices, you could have just bought more solar gear.

I have 2 6500 ex48 units and 4 eg4 Batts. Mine will throw that fault if I flip the 200 amp main battery breaker to either unit on while all 4 batts are on. If I turn the batteries off individually, then turn on the main battery breaker, then turn on the batteries one at a time starting with...

Submit the product spec docs with your plans to your local ahj for review before you purchase anything. Include the product numbers and specs in the plans you submit for approval. List the inverters etc...by name and model , instead of just a box drawn on the plan that says "5k inverter" it...

You can buy separators for gutters, troughs, and boxes. They are just a barrier, nothing special. I would put a piece of non conductive material between them and be done with it.

Construction Permit $500.00 Environmental impact fee $ 1000.00 Requires installation by lic. Solar heating contractor. Osha rules require it be roped off so personnel can't hang themselves in the rope.

I Sorry that's backwards...2 psi lower at the tank than the pump. So the pump comes on before the tank is empty.

More important : Is there a "tool" running the tool? .... " improper technique has more to do with failure than anything.

Millions of electrical panel bus bars and distribution panels are made of aluminum, I've never seen a brass one

Airfield lighting and navigational towers are prone to lightning strikes. These items are grounded using a system know as "equipotential counterpoise" . This method uses a single #6 bare soft drawn copper wire direct buried 12" above the conduit containing containing any conductors. It is bonded...

I really want to check out the Heliowing solar carport. They claim once the foundation is done it only takes 6 hrs to assemble

I would never invest the time and money to install panels on someone else's property. Just my 2 cents...

I'm in San Felipe.

Hello, I'm a retired Master Electrician who hasn't worked on a solar system since Xantrex was the rage....lots of catching up to do. In 3 mos. I need to have a working solar system for a home I bought in Mexico. Looking to learn from people with real experience. Thank you.

I've never personally built one but I have seen some guys on YouTube use a diesel engine glow plug mounted in a barrel and wired to a few panels. Could be BS , never checked it out... Here in Mexico, lots of the homes just have a 55gal black plastic barrel on the roof. In Las Vegas they have...

Make sure the ground bar is bonded to the casing of the sub panel and the neutral bar is isolated from casing. Some sub panels will have a green machine screw going through the neutral bar or buss that bonds it to the casing.

I live in a solar community in a tourist town in Baja Mexico. The folks who have tried the airbnb game with a solar home have been routinely kicked in the huevos. The visitors are on vacation, they couldn't care less about the solar system status. They run the system to death, then leave you...

There are states that reciprocate and those that don't. Out in the west most states do not reciprocate at the Master level for Electricians. Not that the testing is different, they all use an agency that tests based upon certain versions of nec, nfpa etc... codes. What is different are the...

Usually spdt is single pole double throw and dpdt is double pole double throw

An easy way to think of this is, the American wire gauge sizes wire the same way shotgun shells are sized . A 28 gauge shotgun shell is smaller than a 12 gauge. Smaller the wire, bigger the number till you reach about 4/0 then its calculated in circular mills. Example . If you take a 1" hole...

I'm not an hvac pro , but I have installed quite a few of these in Baja California, Mexico. There are thousands of these things here installed below 8ft. Most of the ceilings are 8-9ft. 6" over the top clearance , the head itself is 10- 12" , and you are around 6' 6" to 7 ft 6" to the bottom...

My experience has been that solid is easier to pull as long as it's #10 or smaller and not very long.

I think 18 turns the alarm off, I think that turns all the sound off

The neutral and ground should be bonded at the point of service (main panel)from the grid. It should not be bonded in multiple locations.

Act as a contractor. Draw up a set of plans, submit them and your completed "owner builder" permit to your local AHJ. The city or county engineer will approve them or ask for revisions. If the permit asks for an electrician , write your name in with"owner-builder" . Build it per plan and...

Yes. You can see the sun and its path .

Looks like I can reduce my daily usage significantly by changing out the old ac units. The old unit pulls 3380w according to the manual and a new one specs out at 1880w.

I would file the lugs flat and make sure the orientation of the lug provides 100% contact to the terminal contact patch. Maybe double check the crimps . Over crimping can be detrimental

Where I was it's cold , weeks where the temps were high teens, lows in the negatives, snow, lots of wind, I've seen 70mph gusts , coldest day ever was -26f . Frozen pipes, plastic truck door handles snap off if you try to open them , if you get the door open it shreds the door gasket...

According to CA contractors state lic center , it is still a closed book test at the "Master" or contractor level.