diy solar

diy solar

Search results

  1. Bob The Builder

    First time mounting (solar panels)

    I'm using super electrical struts for my racking. Wires fit neatly into the rails to keep them off the roof. Attaching to metal roof with special attachment, See picture! Super struts are 10 foot for $21.00 if you buy 10 or more, at lowes or Home Depot. Stainless bolts and washers extra.
  2. Bob The Builder

    First time mounting (solar panels)

    I'm thinking the same thing!
  3. Bob The Builder

    Just smart enough to be dangerous!

    Here electric cost 0.12 a KWH and they pay 0.02 when you send them power via net metering. But it's much cheaper to let them be my batteries and I pay 0.10 a KWH at night and when I'm not generating much power via my solar set up. Vs paying 0.40 a KWH to pay back a lithium battery bank...
  4. Bob The Builder

    First time mounting (solar panels)

    A solar lease is just that a lease. The company owns the panels until the lease is paid off. About a dozen years or so. The new owner would have to pickup the lease or return them to the leasing company. Now someone could have purchased the panels and they came with the house. Lets hope the...
  5. Bob The Builder

    Solar panels 9 weeks underwater and still work!

    The crazy part is ever the panels that are shattered work like they are new! They were underwater and in the mud for 9 weeks!
  6. Bob The Builder

    Solar panels 9 weeks underwater and still work!

    Each panel had an optimizer , so I have a bunch of them but don't know how to test them. They are all sealed and no water in them as far as I can see.
  7. Bob The Builder

    Solar panels 9 weeks underwater and still work!

    After hurricane Ide my neighbors solar panels ended up face down in 3 ft. of water in the mud in front of my house in a small Bayou. Yesterday, after 9 weeks, we hooked on to them with a tractor and pull them out. Instead of putting them by the hwy for pickup I decided to at least get the...
  8. Bob The Builder

    What are the Beat solar panels price and output? What do you have? I'm in the US. No batteries grid tie. Universal racking.

    Well with 4 - 12volt 100 watts each. Hooked in series/ parell to get 24 volts. The most I have ever gotten was 300 watts with the panels at the specified angle for our area and time of year, summer! Most of the time under 200 watts!
  9. Bob The Builder

    What are the Beat solar panels price and output? What do you have? I'm in the US. No batteries grid tie. Universal racking.

    I'm looking for 24 solar panels no more than 39" wide to fit my universal tracking. Voltage can vary as I didn't but the invertor yet!
  10. Bob The Builder

    How many, see picture, metal roof attachments do I need?

    This is a picture of my racking system. The solar panels will go on eather side of the blue guide and stainless steel bolt, under the 3/8 x 1 1/2" S/S washer. Giving a 3/8" gap between panels.
  11. Bob The Builder

    How many, see picture, metal roof attachments do I need?

    I think it's called a star nut but not sure.
  12. Bob The Builder

    How many, see picture, metal roof attachments do I need?

    The nut is s/s and the housing is aluminum. Note the groves in underside of nut.
  13. Bob The Builder

    How many, see picture, metal roof attachments do I need?

    Well they came in. Note the rubber washer on the bottom and another inside the cap! They are much bigger than expected. The stud and nut are 5/16". The nut has a uilt in grooved washer to keep it attached.
  14. Bob The Builder

    Racking Question - Metal Roof

    Under your shingles is plywood. I'd screw into the wooden strips using a roofing screw for wood Not sheet metal with a rubber washer. At lease 2 1/2" . You may get lucky and hit a roof rafter but it's not necessary. Go in your attic and check where the screws are coming through and adjust to hit...
  15. Bob The Builder

    Metal roof with furring strips

    I would not use brackets that just screw into the tin. Get roof screws with rubber gaskets and screw them into the valley. That is how most roofs are installed. My home and my Shed are installed that way with no problem. Now we get No snow here. Never had a leak. It has been over 20 years.
  16. Bob The Builder

    Help Understanding Roof Types for Mounting

    Where did you get the clips to attach the panels to the struts? Looks awesome!
  17. Bob The Builder

    Help Understanding Roof Types for Mounting

    Where did you get the clips to attach the solar panels to the struts?
  18. Bob The Builder

    How many, see picture, metal roof attachments do I need?

    If you were to add up all anchors used on 6 panels you would have 340 x 22 = 7,480 pound uplift sounds like a lot. I'm sure it does not quite work like that. You know something pulling up even on the six panels but still sounds like a lot.
  19. Bob The Builder

    How many, see picture, metal roof attachments do I need?

    I'm going to install racking on a metal roof with all metal bracing under the metal roof in my shed. It just took over 150 mph wind from hurricane Ida and held up perfectly. My racking will be 2- 20 foot long ea. 3 foot apart to hold each 6 panel section . Panels will be about 39" x 65" each...
  20. Bob The Builder

    Grounding Rod Necessary

    How I put in a grounding rod without using a hammer. I just use a little water. Start your grounding rod my hand. Push it down a few inches. Now remove it and fill the little hole with water. Work the rod back in the hole up and down. This time go a litter futher. Pull it all the way out and...
  21. Bob The Builder

    Racking Question - Metal Roof

    That is the only solar panels I know of not surviving it. 6 others I know did. In fact they protect the shingles as their neighbors roofs had damage!.
  22. Bob The Builder

    Racking cost for 24- full size panels almost 8K system.

    That is 160 foot for 24 panels not 80 foot.
  23. Bob The Builder

    Racking cost for 24- full size panels almost 8K system.

    Wow that is a good price. Some wanting over $300. Per 12 foot. I'm needing 80 foot for 24 panels.
  24. Bob The Builder

    Racking cost for 24- full size panels almost 8K system.

    What would it cost for a system like this on a metal roof DYI in the USA? I'm think of universal racking! Just looking for a ball park amount.
  25. Bob The Builder

    Racking Question - Metal Roof

    Hurricane Ida hit here last month. My neighbor had a Shed with 1x6 striping over roof rafters and tin nailed to that. They attached the racking to the tin using 3 self tapping 1" long screws in each location attached to the tin only. Well all solar panels landed 400 feet away in a ditch. They...
  26. Bob The Builder

    New PV system and discussion from California

    I just looked at all my bills for one year. my average KWH per day is = 38. So an 8 KW system would be about right! That is a lot of panels. I may start with a 5 KW but rack for an 8KW. I'll need to see if I have the room on my Shed roof. Shed is 24×40
  27. Bob The Builder

    New PV system and discussion from California

    South Louisiana, in cajun country!
  28. Bob The Builder

    New PV system and discussion from California

    That's a lot of sun in the summer not winter.
  29. Bob The Builder

    New PV system and discussion from California

    Good information as usual, I'm leaning towards a Sunny Boy invertor with wind turbine capable. We get a lot of wind in the winter and a lot of sun in the winter.
Back
Top