thomBangor
Solar Enthusiast
I'm starting a new thread to more cleanly post the results of my 1st home DIY solar project (I had previously done a 1-panel MPPT with lead-acid for a camper).
Current status is installed, but not yet wired up. I'll reply to this post when I accomplish various stages of the wiring completion.
There are a handful of related threads where forum-goers helped me work out the details-- find those here:
https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php
My Bill of Materials (roughly):
Some links to this stuff are in the text of this previous descriptive post:
update: the solar panels are up. 7 on the sunny side and 5 on the partly-shady side. My vendor for the Z brackets ran out of stock and I had to use a smaller z-bracket in between the longer ones.
I used z-brackets so that the bolt holding it in would be set underneath the shingle.
I don't have a welder at the moment, so to make long rails I used these brackets with 1/2" bolts, fender washers that fit close to the inner dimension of the rails, and spring-lock washers.
The long z-brackets I drilled two side-by-side holes for a #12 screw (similar to this), and then 3 more holes moving up the middle. When installing I put these at the endpoints of my rails and used long #9 self-drill metal roofing screws with rubber washers in the side-by-side holes. In the more distant hole I used a 1/4" lag bolt that I added a rubber washer to (I stole the rubber washer from the #12 screws).
Every 5' of rail I added one of the small z-brackets. It came with a predrilled hole so I used a 1/4" lag bolt (with rubber washer) in that. Had to install these after the rails were up, in order to ensure that the bracket hole and the rail hole pattern would meet.
For all z-brackets used, I cut a piece of grace/ice-guard/bituthene and stuck it to the bottom (roof side) of the bracket. Before installing I would dip it in roofing tar.
I started the screws/lag-bolts by slathering tar on the brackets, but later learned that it is much easier and cleaner to dip the screw in tar.
My roof is steep, so I started at the bottom with ladders and roof-jacks. I would install the lower rail and use that as a foot/hand hold to install the next higher up rail, and work my way up like so.
Once installed this way the rails held very firm, but since they're cantilevered (to keep the bolt under the shingle) they could bend. When screwing down the solar panels to the rails I would pry bar the rail back to parallel, and then the screws holding the solar panels would also hold the rails at the correct angle. When all panels are installed the system is very strong and has no wiggle/wobble/etc.
I raised the top row of panels by attaching thick/wide zip ties to the holes in the panel frame, then running a rope from those over the other side of the roof. Two people on ladders would raise a panel to me, while a 4th person on the other side of the roof would take the slack out of the rope as the panel raised. Once the ladder people could no longer reach the panel, they could still help push by using sticks (2x4s). I guided it into place (pre-measured chalk lines) and screwed it down.
I attached ground wires to the rails, and ran the PV wiring through the rails under the panels (shielded from the sun). At the edges I run the PV wires in 3/4" flexible conduit down into a shed containing my 6000xp and EG4 outdoor 14kwh. I insulated the shed with removable styrofoam board; will remove for summer and install for winter. The shed is ~30 inch deep, 6 ft high, 40 inch wide. The shed is on a concrete pad about 4" thick, and is attached to the wall of my garage by long grk screws. The inverter is mounted in the shed to a 2x4, which is screwed through the shed to the garage also by grk screws (i used fender washers to spread out the screw pressure). The battery sits on 2" styrofoam insulator board, atop the flimsy shed floor, atop the concrete block, and is somewhat attached to the wall with grk screws (enough to keep it from tipping over).
The 6000xp wants ferrules so I'm doing that next. Also wants a ring terminal on the battery cable- Somebody in this forum suggested a company called (Tyco? TmCo? TEMCo) or something like that so I ordered those lugs, and then ordered this thing to install them.
Current status is installed, but not yet wired up. I'll reply to this post when I accomplish various stages of the wiring completion.
There are a handful of related threads where forum-goers helped me work out the details-- find those here:
After lots of feedback from this forum, I think I'm going to go with this design.
If you find any holes in it please let me know.
If you find any holes in it please let me know.
https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php
My Bill of Materials (roughly):
Some links to this stuff are in the text of this previous descriptive post:
update: the solar panels are up. 7 on the sunny side and 5 on the partly-shady side. My vendor for the Z brackets ran out of stock and I had to use a smaller z-bracket in between the longer ones.
I used z-brackets so that the bolt holding it in would be set underneath the shingle.
I don't have a welder at the moment, so to make long rails I used these brackets with 1/2" bolts, fender washers that fit close to the inner dimension of the rails, and spring-lock washers.
The long z-brackets I drilled two side-by-side holes for a #12 screw (similar to this), and then 3 more holes moving up the middle. When installing I put these at the endpoints of my rails and used long #9 self-drill metal roofing screws with rubber washers in the side-by-side holes. In the more distant hole I used a 1/4" lag bolt that I added a rubber washer to (I stole the rubber washer from the #12 screws).
Every 5' of rail I added one of the small z-brackets. It came with a predrilled hole so I used a 1/4" lag bolt (with rubber washer) in that. Had to install these after the rails were up, in order to ensure that the bracket hole and the rail hole pattern would meet.
For all z-brackets used, I cut a piece of grace/ice-guard/bituthene and stuck it to the bottom (roof side) of the bracket. Before installing I would dip it in roofing tar.
I started the screws/lag-bolts by slathering tar on the brackets, but later learned that it is much easier and cleaner to dip the screw in tar.
My roof is steep, so I started at the bottom with ladders and roof-jacks. I would install the lower rail and use that as a foot/hand hold to install the next higher up rail, and work my way up like so.
Once installed this way the rails held very firm, but since they're cantilevered (to keep the bolt under the shingle) they could bend. When screwing down the solar panels to the rails I would pry bar the rail back to parallel, and then the screws holding the solar panels would also hold the rails at the correct angle. When all panels are installed the system is very strong and has no wiggle/wobble/etc.
I raised the top row of panels by attaching thick/wide zip ties to the holes in the panel frame, then running a rope from those over the other side of the roof. Two people on ladders would raise a panel to me, while a 4th person on the other side of the roof would take the slack out of the rope as the panel raised. Once the ladder people could no longer reach the panel, they could still help push by using sticks (2x4s). I guided it into place (pre-measured chalk lines) and screwed it down.
I attached ground wires to the rails, and ran the PV wiring through the rails under the panels (shielded from the sun). At the edges I run the PV wires in 3/4" flexible conduit down into a shed containing my 6000xp and EG4 outdoor 14kwh. I insulated the shed with removable styrofoam board; will remove for summer and install for winter. The shed is ~30 inch deep, 6 ft high, 40 inch wide. The shed is on a concrete pad about 4" thick, and is attached to the wall of my garage by long grk screws. The inverter is mounted in the shed to a 2x4, which is screwed through the shed to the garage also by grk screws (i used fender washers to spread out the screw pressure). The battery sits on 2" styrofoam insulator board, atop the flimsy shed floor, atop the concrete block, and is somewhat attached to the wall with grk screws (enough to keep it from tipping over).
The 6000xp wants ferrules so I'm doing that next. Also wants a ring terminal on the battery cable- Somebody in this forum suggested a company called (Tyco? TmCo? TEMCo) or something like that so I ordered those lugs, and then ordered this thing to install them.
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