Combining 2 x 200A Panels with Solar - Grounding & GridBoss Questions

[teisen]

Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice on a tricky setup. I've got two 200A main panels, each with its own meter from the power company (Georgia Power). One panel is barely used (just a water heater and some lights/outlets), while the other is loaded up. Both panels seem to be connected with only 3 wires to their respective meters.

My electrician says any changes require replacing the wiring to the main panels, which sounds like a major headache. I'm considering adding solar to the mix and using a GridBoss to combine everything down to a single meter.

Here's where I need your help:
Grounding: Can I run a separate ground wire alongside the existing 3-wire setup? Or do I need to replace it with new 4-wire?
GridBoss: Is this a suitable solution for my situation? Will it play nicely with two panels and the planned solar integration?
Are there any other options I should consider besides the GridBoss for managing this setup?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[teisen]

Here is a picture of my service.

 

[FilterGuy]

Both panels seem to be connected with only 3 wires to their respective meters.

This is normal. The utility does not provide a ground. It only provides L1, L2, and Neutral. However, if you examine it closely, you will probably find that all the metal boxes and conduits are tied to the house grounding system.

GridBoss: Is this a suitable solution for my situation? Will it play nicely with two panels and the planned solar integration?

The Gridboss is designed for one system, but you have two systems. The ideal solution would be to move all the critical loads to one and non-critical loads to the other. You can then put the inverters and grid-boss on the one with the critical loads.

 

[teisen]

Thank you for your reply @FilterGuy -
@FilterGuy, I'm looking to simplify the electrical setup in my home, which used to be a duplex but is now a single-family residence.

Here's my idea:

• Utilize the Gridboss: I'd connect the one main paneI want backed up to the Gridboss's "backed up loads" terminal. The other, less critical panel would go to the "non-backed up loads" terminal. i would probably move a few big loads forload shedding purposes to the smart ports.
• Remove one meter: To avoid the extra monthly cost, I'd disconnect and remove the second meter, and then connect the remaining meter to the Grid connection of the Gridboss.

Is this a feasible plan?

 

[FilterGuy]

Thank you for your reply @FilterGuy -
@FilterGuy, I'm looking to simplify the electrical setup in my home, which used to be a duplex but is now a single-family residence.

Here's my idea:

• Utilize the Gridboss: I'd connect the one main paneI want backed up to the Gridboss's "backed up loads" terminal. The other, less critical panel would go to the "non-backed up loads" terminal. i would probably move a few big loads forload shedding purposes to the smart ports.
• Remove one meter: To avoid the extra monthly cost, I'd disconnect and remove the second meter, and then connect the remaining meter to the Grid connection of the Gridboss.

Is this a feasible plan?

That sounds reasonable to me.

 

[slowroller]

Think you are on the right track. I wonder why there are two meters to begin with. Is the total house load more than a single service could provide? If so, you might need to upgrade your service while you are at it.

 

[67King]

I have a few questions, and I'm going to speculate on a general idea and give you feedback.
1. Are you putting solar in, or are you just trying to use this equipment to consolidate your meters?
2. Are your panels close to each other, at all? If so, what I would do is take your main panel, run a 100A breaker off of it, and send it to your second panel, and make it a sub panel, disconnecting service from Georgia Power entirely to that panel. If you do that and aren't messing wtih solar, you are done. i'm assuming you won't need more than the 200A going to one, as that's a lot of power for a typical duplex sized house.

Now, if you ARE planning on adding solar, the questions change a little
1. Do you know what your electricity usage is right now, and the current draw of your appliances?
2. How much solar capacity are you putting in?
3. You trying to be as off grid as possible, or just supplementing?

Since you mention Grid Boss, I'm assuming you are wanting to stick with EG4. Each EG4 18K inverter will only give you 50A - I think they have a new one, Flex Boss maybe?, that may be more. On average, that is likely a lot, but you might have something like a dryer running and the oven on, and it may be too much. That's fine if you are just supplementing. If you are trying to be as off grid as possible (and have the panels to support that) that may tell you how may inverters you need. For comparison, I'm going to be running two Sol-Ark 15K's (each has 62.5A, so more than the EG4 18K) when I start up......they'll be wired parallel, and feed a parallel pair of 200A panels, though I'll have a critical panel for the main level, and a secondary panel for basement, top level, and workshop garage. I'd suggest you do something like that, too. However, as I mentioned above, the easiest solution would be to just run the less loaded panel as a sub panel off of the main.

 

[rwise44]

Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice on a tricky setup. I've got two 200A main panels, each with its own meter from the power company (Georgia Power). One panel is barely used (just a water heater and some lights/outlets), while the other is loaded up. Both panels seem to be connected with only 3 wires to their respective meters.

My electrician says any changes require replacing the wiring to the main panels, which sounds like a major headache. I'm considering adding solar to the mix and using a GridBoss to combine everything down to a single meter.

Here's where I need your help:
Grounding: Can I run a separate ground wire alongside the existing 3-wire setup? Or do I need to replace it with new 4-wire?
GridBoss: Is this a suitable solution for my situation? Will it play nicely with two panels and the planned solar integration?
Are there any other options I should consider besides the GridBoss for managing this setup?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have 200 coming to home and 200 going from home meter to barn. Is this a similar delema? Just purchased GridBoss/FlexBoss and concerned when I saw your post. Just a single meter in our home but prior owner advised 400 amps into two 200 Amp transformers, then into home. Please let me know what you find.