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I have some ground wires that are bare that will likely pass inspection due to no code issue, but hind site I think I should have put them in schedule 80 PVC down low and schedule 40 up high. Oooops. So how to protect them now, any ideas? My only guess right now is a Plastic strip that hides...

I recently was testing high voltages 200 - 360V to debug a string issue (turned out to be an MC4 connector issue) using an OLD set of multimeters that had always worked just fine. rotating switch to scale voltage: 20V, 200V, 600V Another went up to 1000V I love having extra meters around the...

I noticed the old electric service I'm replacing uses bare copper instead of insulated wire for the neutral. This service is using 4 AWG wire, not sure if it's THHN, can't read the sides of it yet. I'm upgrading to a 200 AMP service. I planned to use 3/0 THHN to comply with NEC code. A local...

How do people add additional EMT paths from a panel to a trough after the install and mounting are all finished? Is it as simple as cutting the EMT short and leaving the top and bottom of the set screw connector void of EMT? Put the EMT in the connectors all the way first then expand those...

I need two meters right next to each other. Do I need a rubber seal between them and then a nipple pipe that squeezes both panels together? (Like below)

I have a friend who only has 120v critical loads. I'm looking at the EG4 single phase hybrid inverter For the loads would I just get a normal split phase panel at a hardware store and wire the hot to both busbars? Is that a code issue / would that pass code inspection? If not, how would you do...

I've got a lot of stuff using the Tuya / Smart life systems. I'd like to turn it on and off using battery voltage on my 48 v battery system as the control source. I can remote monitor the battery with my sol ark app or my bluetooth from the jk-bms but no smart life access I understand there...

I had a friends electrician over today. We talked about replacing my service mast which is now bent from a tree yanking it. He took one look at my sol ark and said, NOPE, won't take the job. Why - Too much electronics, don't want to be involved. He loves my friend so he felt sad saying no. We...

How to run ground wire on an asphalt roof? under the rails over the rails attached with clips to the solar panels like normal managed wire?

I was thinking about this today after I posted this article: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/off-grid-and-on-grid-120v-vs-240v-efficiency-with-sol-ark-without-net-meter.70146/ If I purchase power to charge my battery from the grid at night when there are off peak rates, my sol ark will use a...

My sol ark is reporting about a 5x% efficiency and I wanted to share this information for educational purposes. Not because sol ark or anything is wrong with my system. There are a couple photos attached. You can see my panel is not balanced at all. I draw a lot more on one 120v leg than the...

Looking at putting together a multiple battery system today and was planning on following the advice of using a Class T fuse to protect the different batteries in parallel from each other. The market seems to be offering those fuses form 100 Amps to 300 Amps. $20 - $100 I'm considering 2...

Does anyone have any thoughts about using the relay idea detailed below to automate the grid and generator input to my sol ark 15k grid input. Pardon the word art, I'm traveling and don't have VISIO or something better. The relay would before the 2 hot wires, 200 AMPS from the grid, 30 AMPS...

My panels can be between 0 and 6 inches from my gutters to meet AHJ rules. This makes for a number of issues: - 0 safe room to clean gutters - fixed by gutter guards. - sheets of snow and / or ice sliding off panels fast - dangerous for people under roof. - water leaking between panels and...

I will be using emt for a long chunk of a floor joist run. At the end of it are a few obstacles. Is there any reason I can't go through the floor joists and use FMC (flexible metal conduit). It could look something like this romex going through the joists but with fmc.

I'm looking at storing stationary power for a long time. Is lead acid serviceable battery power smarter than lithium? What is the Maintenance lead acid - add distilled water: yearly - desulfite:? - venting hydrogen? - keeping at a specific temperature? anything else? Lithium - temperature...

Here is the process I'm considering for connecting the wires to the lugs: Put a lug in hydraulic crimper Strip and insert 2 tinned 10 AWG stranded THHN wires into a tinned lug solder wires to the lug - torch? immediately crimp the wires after removing heat release crimper and allow everything...

Sorry, apparently this thread was created before I had the body of the text created. I'm writing it up now to post details as time permits. Cliff notes to be replaced: My solar project was approved by my city and local power company. I have finished the core construction of the ground mount...

Just saw this and I haven't got time to read the manual yet. Going to turn in my 82 page sol ark 15k permit paperwork today! Does it have a transfer switch, time of use and an ability to take grid in directly?

Starting here: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/natural-gas-generator-efficiency.49756/ We find if you're already on grid it's cheaper to buy power from the grid. If you're off grid, it's likely that solar and batteries play a roll in reducing costs. If space is limited and your power is...

While I continue to collect and grow batteries wondering if it would be cheaper to have a natural gas generator that feeds the sol ark to charge batteries when the weather is bad and my power company is charging peak rates ($0.18 / kwh). From what I read online a natural gas generator cost of...

I just realized my utility company, WE Energies has the following solar program: $0.05 / kWh - Solar purchase $0.08 / kWh - off peak cost 7 PM - 7 AM $0.18 / kWh - on peak cost 7 AM - 7 PM Here's the thing that shocked me. They want me to wire all my solar power to them through a separate...

I have a car charger brick that doesn't work anymore. It's been on a shelf for 2 years until I had time / knowledge to putz with it. It has 4 little bricks of lithium in it. I was thinking it was a LIPO, but then I thought, if it was lipo that would be 4.2*4= 16.8V. Cell voltages were 3.3, 3...

I'm planning at 6" x 6" x 72" gutter trough for my 15k setup. I see @Engineer775 uses 12"x12"x72" I also see some people using flexible conduit, I think for smaller awg wires. I'm thinking using 2x6" wood stand offs from wall studs (MUCH CHEAPER THAN 12"x12") that align the 15k holes perfect...

I have amazing LIPO RC batteries. 100C 5ah 3s I built a 12v spot welder with 2 of them last night, really fun stuff, welder had access to 1,000 AMPS!!! I only needed 1 spot weld to fix a battery powered chain saw. Not knowing what the welder would take I charged the RC cells to 4.1v figuring...

I noticed on the plan set I purchased from an engineer the free air EGC (Ground wire) is 6 AWG. In my case I have 4 strings that are all joined together in a junction box, from their those 6 AWG wires are all connected to each other along with a 10 AWG THWN wire. The math doesn't add up to me...

I'm looking at using Headway cells some projects outside in Wisconsin. It gets down to -10 F here once in a while. Pretty sure I could pull these in and add them to my powerwall during the winter when it starts getting to 20 F. Does anyone have experience with these cells working well at below...

Question: Is there any reason this is a bad idea? Inspired by this guys recycled AC Panel: Does anyone have any experience with limiting charge current and discharge current by wire gauge and length? An example of this is using 14 AWG wire to directly connect two different LIFEPO4 batteries...

I'm going to push 275 AMPS at 48v from my batteries. To do that I'll start with 3 trophy 100 AH batteries. if it was just 2 I could wire each battery right to the sol ark 15k, but there's 3. Sooo a bus bar. This video inspired me to post this question:

Looking for people with experience building 18650 larger scale projects to answer the question: How do you sort your cells after you test them? I've tested about 200 batteries now. I read about testing for capacity, internal resistance, voltage drop over a period of 1 month. What do the...

3 or more panels in parallel, you need fuses. Single panels or 2 in parrallel, no fuse. Write up here: https://diysolarforum.com/resources/fusing-wire-sizing-guidelines-for-solar-panels.143/ However in this article is says you should use a fuse for a string of panels where none of them are...

For my first battery connected to the Sol Ark I'm planning on building an 18650 powerwall battery. Just like this one: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/100kwh-diy-18650-powerwall-in-germany.24115/page-4#post-601915 14s100p To connect it I want to use 4x 10 AWG THWN-2 COPPER (Normal house...

I've found very little content on what goes on in the attic of a solar installation. This was a really helpful video for me: Question: Why not just run the wires through the soladeck and then do the junctions in the attic / garage / basement in a junction box there?? I understand most roof...

What are the best ways to clean up recycled 18650 cells to prepare them for spot welding? I have a grinder - little harsh maybe? Dremel tool - like this idea Manual file - will this take too long and be putzy? Thx in advance! Looking forward to using my spot welder!!

Saw a post on YouTube (wish I screenshoted it) that said the sol ark is limited to 4500 watts per split phase 120v v connection. Is there any validity to this post?