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lol. At this point I'll take all the ridicule that ya'll can throw at me. I need this inspector off my back so I can move on to other meaningful projects that are required at the homestead. This is my first crack at living completely off grid, so I'm sure I'll make plenty of other mistakes along...

This was my hope for sure...to help others, while at the same time getting educated. This isn't embarrassing at all to me though. I got myself in a sticky situation due to my ignorance and I'm working my way out of it. The best I can tell, DIY solar is becoming quite the trend and people need to...

@Solar Guppy , great point. I'm doing my best to work with the inspector for sure. If I don't kiss his ass this could definitely go south. I guess the moral of the story is NOT to follow the direction of the youtuber's as the holy grail. I guess I've been caught up in how easy DIY install's are...

It's not in the budget. If I add another human being to the equation I can expect the cost to go up considerably. I appreciate your advice, but this is a project / journey that I will go alone on and learn along the way. Anyone can do this...it just takes a few licks and bruises along the way...

Ok. So I've gutted everything inside (previously liquid-tight) the power shed it is 100% contained in metal conduit and raceway...both PV DC and AC. Do you see anything in the pic that stands out as a bad idea? The inverters are wired to manufacturer specs, but I am wondering about the AC load...

I did FINALLY pass my inspection this past Thursday (9/21). I took several iterations. As soon as I would tidy one thing up, the next thing would come up. I'd fix that and then the next...and the next. It was a painful never ending cycle that was likely to continue until I gave up...but I was...

Quick background. I live in central Colorado with plenty of land and it is completely off grid. I've been building out my ground mount solar system for the last several weeks and thought everything was going great. That is, until the inspection...of course. I'll try and keep this post as concise...

@B-Mod This is unbelievable news!!! I got an email back from the inspector this morning it is included below. I "think" I'm good to go for an inspection and will certainly share my success and/or failure in the thread when complete. The advice I've received in this forum has been priceless and I...

Hi @Zwy , I wouldn't say I'm mad, just feeling a little mislead is all. All my fault for sure. I am the one to blame for watching all of these videos and presuming is was the correct way to do things. Lesson learned!! Now I just have to pick myself up by my bootstraps, fund all the code...

Honestly, if I had used a crimped terminal lug, he would have popped me for it not being UL 486 A/B listed. He wanted to see something printed clearly on whatever method I used. I’m telling you, this was a never ending cycle until his boss man put an end to the madness. I do feel sorry for...

I am smart enough to get help, I just don't need the extra expense that may or may not yield results. I'm new in this town and don't really know anyone to ask for a recommendation. Besides, that is what this forum is all about...it says so right there in the URL :) Edit: Being independent comes...

@cj5orion yes, best I can tell, this guy certainly enjoys his corn. I've definitely been very cordial with this guy. Your advice is solid though. Kiss ass and make stuff pretty until I get the blessing of the inspector gods. I get it. Odds are that I'll tear all this stuff out in a year or so...

My thoughts exactly. I believe when we are talking about quality, we are talking about a nice smooth and steady frequency (Hz), right? I've been under the impression that inverters are superior to utility in that regard. The largest variance I've seen from my EG4 inverters is 59.9 and 60.1, but...

@ghostwriter66 Wow...that would sure be nice. I know my project, as it stands right now, is perfectly safe and would stand the test of time...but I have to do what I have to do in order to get my blessing. You have to get almost everything permitted here in Colorado. I have permits up to my ears...

I'm in the $120k ballpark if I want to hook into grid and it is only a 1600ft (0.3 mile) run. Ummm...no thank you. For 120k, I could build a fairly robust power plant to power the entire surrounding ranches :)

If you are planning on getting this stuff inspected, be VERY weary about buying anything on Amazon. Do yourself a favor and ensure 100% that your breakers / disconnects are listed. Sure, they cost quite a bit more, but having to tear it all out and end up purchasing the "good" ones in the end is...

Metal raceway is what get's me confused. "Metal raceway" includes metal flex conduit, right?

It is possible my expectations are too high, I'll admit that. But at the advice of others here, I've changed my inquiries to "If I do X, will that meet the requirements" and "If I take a picture, will you circle the exact violation". It is clear at this point that he is simply not willing to do...

Ok. So they are $18 for a pair rather than $5. Just picked up at the Home Depot. Also, they are grounded bushings rather than grounded lock nuts. So, I’ll use a total of 4 lock nuts total and two grounded bushings to put this beast together. Thanks for the advice on this.

Agreed. I've specifically asked him about metal conduit going into and out of this IMO and all he did was refer me back to code. I could probably possibly skate by with putting that IMO disconnect inside yet another approved metal case (with access door), but I mean my goodness...that seems...

And one more thing. When in doubt, just ground it. I grounded the crap out of my system. I have so much grounding wire going through this thing that I actually think I saw a smile on the inspectors face. Of course, all of this grounding wasn't necessary, but I knew he'd be focused on it, so I...

@Quattrohead agreed... I think this quote would make a nice t-shirt :)

My inspector has required me to put in 3 total ground rods. 1 at the array and 2 at the power shed at least 6 ft apart. I'm pretty good at pounding in ground rods at this point. Instead of purchasing or renting at large hammer drill, I've just been using a t-post hammer and it works perfectly...

I've since emailed my inspector and his peer the same pics I have posted here. I don't really expect much of an answer on the bonding, but I thought I'd try my luck anyways. Basically, I've laid out this discussion at a high level and asked them where they think the G/N bond should be. We shall...

That is correct...and yet another great question. I'm not near the box at the moment, but I specifically remember the neutral being isolated from the box with a blue bushing of some sort. Either plastic or some sort of hard rubber...I don't recall the exact material. I'll definitely look next...

I thought the same thing, but I want to be safe and use the additional contraption with a ground lug just in case. I figure if I throw enough money at the problem, it will eventually go away.

Yes....but No. I have my property completely gated off so nobody can get in and be nosey (legally). The improvements may require permits, but what one doesn't know doesn't hurt them. I don't live in a "residential" area at all. My nearest neighbor is about a mile away.

Yes, and I thank you for your response. In your answer you did say "The easy way to find out if it will pass is to ask the AHJ about it." I've established that this is not a possibility. I'm going to use all of the education I've been given here, apply it and then hope for the best. It's all I...

There is no AC input. Totally off grid. I'll get that green ground conductor moved on to the its own bus. Thanks for replying. Apparently my gut was correct this time :)

Hmmm...I didn't honestly think about that. Seems far too obvious honestly. I know that if I do that, or whatever I'm "supposed" to do, it won't make a bit of difference to the grounding I already have in place. If it gets this guy off my back, then I may just do it. Thanks for the suggestion! I...