Solar trailers? Ideas and rules?

I'm trying to avoid hassles code enforcement and i don't want a permanent installation. Is this logical in most places? Or do they still find a way to require a permit in most places.
I didn't realize Arizona was this bad.
I have 6 240w panels. And 6 100w panels. I dont need them all. I just want to power my shop ac . 700w or so ac. Shop is a detached 1 car garage.
I have a second truck I don't drive much due to the crappy roads in town here. It has a lumber rack. I could probably mount several panels on it. I'm looking for ideas.

73powerstroke said:

I'm trying to avoid hassles code enforcement and i don't want a permanent installation. Is this logical in most places? Or do they still find a way to require a permit in most places.
I didn't realize Arizona was this bad.
I have 6 240w panels. And 6 100w panels. I dont need them all. I just want to power my shop ac . 700w or so ac. Shop is a detached 1 car garage.
I have a second truck I don't drive much due to the crappy roads in town here. It has a lumber rack. I could probably mount several panels on it. I'm looking for ideas.

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What do you mean about Arizona being this bad?

If you have a solar trailer powering a detached shop with no grid interaction, and you follow HOA/Municipal requirements concerning trailer parking, I don't expect you would have any issues.

My next project will be(I'm hoping) an enclosed trailer. With slide out panels. And/or putting a 48 volt alternator on my truck for bulk charging

sunshine_eggo said:

What do you mean about Arizona being this bad?

If you have a solar trailer powering a detached shop with no grid interaction, and you follow HOA/Municipal requirements concerning trailer parking, I don't expect you would have any issues.

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They want a permit for off grid solar. My neighbor got fined for a above ground plastic walmart pool with electric pump filter. They told him have to have a permit and install a gfi etc.
The shop/garage is connected. It's how we bought the place. I'm in a rapidly growing area of Yavapai County. I dont know if they go around checking solar.
Theres no hoa. I'm a ham radio operator. I made sure no hoa. I think Arizona varies alot from one area to the next.
We also don't want to stay here permanently so a trailer would be cool for when we buy land somewhere else.
In the meantime I'm not sure if I should install anything on the roof. We have a almost flat back porch roof and I was planning on putting 6 panels there. Can't be seen from street. But I hear they use drones and satellite to survey

73powerstroke said:

They want a permit for off grid solar.

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That's not AZ per se. That's likely your city or county.

City of Mesa doesn't require permits, but they require that any solar installation be NEC 2017 compliant. If you go grid tied, then you need approval from the utility.

73powerstroke said:

My neighbor got fined for a above ground plastic walmart pool with electric pump filter. They told him have to have a permit and install a gfi etc.

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A little regulation on a giant body of conductive fluid in which humans submerge themselves that's subsequently connected to electricity isn't an over-reach.

73powerstroke said:

The shop/garage is connected. It's how we bought the place. I'm in a rapidly growing area of Yavapai County. I dont know if they go around checking solar.
Theres no hoa. I'm a ham radio operator. I made sure no hoa. I think Arizona varies alot from one area to the next.

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This.

73powerstroke said:

We also don't want to stay here permanently so a trailer would be cool for when we buy land somewhere else.

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Sounds good.

73powerstroke said:

In the meantime I'm not sure if I should install anything on the roof.

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Definitely not. There's a whole new set of rules associated with solar on a roof due to implications with firefighter operations on a roof and any danger high voltage might preset to emergency responders. Better to do a ground mount.

73powerstroke said:

We have a almost flat back porch roof and I was planning on putting 6 panels there. Can't be seen from street. But I hear they use drones and satellite to survey

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Again, not worth it.

A solar trailer and separate input system probably violates something, but I expect it would be low risk.

sunshine_eggo said:

That's not AZ per se. That's likely your city or county.

City of Mesa doesn't require permits, but they require that any solar installation be NEC 2017 compliant. If you go grid tied, then you need approval from the utility.



A little regulation on a giant body of conductive fluid in which humans submerge themselves that's subsequently connected to electricity isn't an over-reach.



This.



Sounds good.



Definitely not. There's a whole new set of rules associated with solar on a roof due to implications with firefighter operations on a roof and any danger high voltage might preset to emergency responders. Better to do a ground mount.



Again, not worth it.

A solar trailer and separate input system probably violates something, but I expect it would be low risk.

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Good information about the roof ?.
Guess I could lean them up against the house for now or set on 5 gallon buckets.
I'm in prescott valley az. It's the new cali lol ? and the town wants their money.
I was surprised that the neighbor got fined when tweekers down the road tore apart a rv trailer in front yard. And alot of other weird stuff happens among 3 different houses where there is alot of shady activities.
As they build more here the more goofy things they do.

Partlyshady said:

My next project will be(I'm hoping) an enclosed trailer. With slide out panels. And/or putting a 48 volt alternator on my truck for bulk charging

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A toy hauler even might be nice. I'm not sure these santan panels are small enough to fit .

73powerstroke said:

Good information about the roof ?.

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If your porch is an aluminum awning that's considered a temporary structure (not suitable to walk on), you could potentially reinforce it and install panels. Since it's a temporary structure, it would fall under the ground mount category.

73powerstroke said:

Guess I could lean them up against the house for now or set on 5 gallon buckets.

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My first solar arrays:

73powerstroke said:

I'm in prescott valley az. It's the new cali lol ? and the town wants their money.
I was surprised that the neighbor got fined when tweekers down the road tore apart a rv trailer in front yard. And alot of other weird stuff happens among 3 different houses where there is alot of shady activities.
As they build more here the more goofy things they do.

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HOA and city ordinances rarely get applied consistently or fairly. The less permanent, the better your chances!

sunshine_eggo said:

If your porch is an aluminum awning that's considered a temporary structure (not suitable to walk on), you could potentially reinforce it and install panels. Since it's a temporary structure, it would fall under the ground mount category.



My first solar arrays:

View attachment 100012

View attachment 100011


HOA and city ordinances rarely get applied consistently or fairly. The less permanent, the better your chances!

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It's a added real roof. Pretty permanent haha.
I tried to look up the code and stuff for Yavapai County. There wasn't much on solar I could find. I have to look up prescott valley. We have some really weird rules here for instance you can't have chickens in your backyard but in Prescott you can. Then you go down to Glendale and there's people who have horses in their backyard on city lots.
Right now I just have the panels leaning up against the house but they don't get sunlight weather at until the evening so I'm going to have to figure something else out. Oh
the monsoon rain came through, they were getting splattered pretty bad with mud. So I moved them from where they were at in the backyard

My experience laying panels on the ground is that it killed the grass underneath very quickly (like in one day)due to the high temperatures of the panels. I thought I could just move them around every few days but the grass turned brown overnight. I now have them propped up on some concrete blocks I had laying around.

RonP said:

My experience laying panels on the ground is that it killed the grass underneath very quickly (like in one day)due to the high temperatures of the panels. I thought I could just move them around every few days but the grass turned brown overnight. I now have them propped up on some concrete blocks I had laying around.

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We don't have grass here. Pretty difficult to grow.

73powerstroke said:

Oh it's the mom soon that came through they were getting splattered pretty bad with mud

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May the person who invented autocorrect rot forever in Hello. ?

JoeHam said:

May the person who invented autocorrect rot forever in Hello. ?

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Fix I think