Electrician visits DIY (Victron) solar system: "The Worst DIY Solar Install I’ve Ever Seen!"

[740GLE]

Meah food poisoning is my form of dieting mixed with Russian roulette.

Nothing says I’m a gambling man than ordering Chipotle with a chance side of norovirus, instant diet.

 

[robbob2112]

I would almost rather be electrocuted or crushed to death than food poisoned. Would I rather be dead, or wishing I was dead.. hmmmm.

but, you can get 2 for the price of 1 at a carnival - food poisoning then when you lean aganst something to puke you get electrocuted.

 

[seneysolar]

Shoot, if an electrical inspector looked through the "post your inverter and battery bank" thread.... only a handful would actually pass inspection. Its bound to happen with diy electrical work. Heck mine included. Like that old saying how a plumbers pipes leak or something like that

I guess my philosophy at home is - I know it works, i know its safe, i know it wont pass inspection

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

I would almost rather be electrocuted or crushed to death than food poisoned. Would I rather be dead, or wishing I was dead.. hmmmm.

well as you get older you realize that that is the easiest way to lose weight ... try it some time, just keep yourself well hydrated while you defecate your brains out..

 

[Recovering EE]

Shoot, if an electrical inspector looked through the "post your inverter and battery bank" thread.... only a handful would actually pass inspection. Its bound to happen with diy electrical work. Heck mine included. Like that old saying how a plumbers pipes leak or something like that

I guess my philosophy at home is - I know it works, i know its safe, i know it wont pass inspection

Yup. I have three types of electrical installs:

1.) To Code
2.) Safe, but not necessarily to Code
3.) Unsafe.

AFAIK, nothing I've done in unsafe.

I strive to be to Code, but sometimes miss on (what I consider to be) stupid technicalities. I'd guess that my house is 99% to Code. That 1% is within my DIY solar install, and it's of far better quality than what Solar City/Tesla did in 2016 and 2019. I should note that theirs no longer meets code, but appears safe.

 

[robbob2112]

When I do electrical at work I do research and install everything to code best I can.... but I do admit to sometimes leaving something to fix later when it's late and been a frustrating day... but nothing like that guys ac side of the install

 

[ricardocello]

I strive to be to Code, but sometimes miss on (what I consider to be) stupid technicalities. I'd guess that my house is 99% to Code.

That’s me too. Not everything in the codes is about safety (though it should be, and was originally meant to be).

Discerning which part of the codes are about industry payouts, and which parts are about not burning down your house are not obvious to the novice.

I’m not an electrician, I’m an engineer, and if you can’t give me a good technical reason why the code says what it does, I’m not likely to care.
But administrative codes do not work that way, they are prescriptive.

 

[seneysolar]

Discerning which part of the codes are about industry payouts

This is how I view rapid shut down device requirements. Absolutely not needed for 98% of the rooftop installs out there. A disconnect switch yes, breakers on every string yes, a Tigo rsd box between every panel so a firefighter can axe his way through a solar array just silly. Just my opinion.

 

[Recovering EE]

This is how I view rapid shut down device requirements. Absolutely not needed for 98% of the rooftop installs out there. A disconnect switch yes, breakers on every string yes, a Tigo rsd box between every panel so a firefighter can axe his way through a solar array just silly. Just my opinion.

I've already figured out how I'd add RSD to my new array, should a city inspector come nosing around. My original, 2016 Solar City array obviously doesn't have them, and my new stuff is simply an addition to the old. At least, it's fully within the existing SC/Tesla ecosystem. (No new connection to the utility feed.)

 

[WattSecond]

A rat's nest. I'd be curious to see him check the torque of the power cables, that is a huge safety issue. Doesn't look child safe at all.

 

[cs1234]

A rat's nest. I'd be curious to see him check the torque of the power cables, that is a huge safety issue. Doesn't look child safe at all.

Thank you for thinking of the children!

 

[robbob2112]

This is how I view rapid shut down device requirements. Absolutely not needed for 98% of the rooftop installs out there. A disconnect switch yes, breakers on every string yes, a Tigo rsd box between every panel so a firefighter can axe his way through a solar array just silly. Just my opinion.

Rapid shutdown for this install is a dog chasing a cat into the wiring and yanking everything loose

 

[seneysolar]

Rapid shutdown for this install is a dog chasing a cat into the wiring and yanking everything loose

Would the dog or the cat be the arc fault detection device?

 

[robbob2112]

Would the dog or the cat be the arc fault detection device?

No no, the smell of burned fur is the arc detection mechanism

 

[HRTKD]

In defense of that homeowner, get any two programmers to review a third programmer's code and watch the fur fly. Still, a failure to adhere to code - or at least try to come close - is not good.

 

[cs1234]

In defense of that homeowner, get any two programmers to review a third programmer's code and watch the fur fly. Still, a failure to adhere to code - or at least try to come close - is not good.

I don't even like my own code when I look at it, and if it's code that I wrote some time ago.. oh my goodness! If you still have some of them, go back and read emails or other things you wrote 20 or 30 years ago.. it's disturbing.

 

[HRTKD]

I don't even like my own code when I look at it, and if it's code that I wrote some time ago.. oh my goodness! If you still have some of them, go back and read emails or other things you wrote 20 or 30 years ago.. it's disturbing.

I went into a new client to do a review of their process. As I'm reviewing their code I'm thinking, "Wow! This is some incredible coding." After 30 minutes of that, I figured out that my boss had given them a template of MY code and they patterned everything off of that. I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

I went into a new client to do a review of their process. As I'm reviewing their code I'm thinking, "Wow! This is some incredible coding." After 30 minutes of that, I figured out that my boss had given them a template of MY code and they patterned everything off of that. I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud.

I’d be a little miffed.

 

[cs1234]

I’d be a little miffed.

I would still be mad because I'd have an awful mess to clean up.

 

[robbob2112]

I went into a new client to do a review of their process. As I'm reviewing their code I'm thinking, "Wow! This is some incredible coding." After 30 minutes of that, I figured out that my boss had given them a template of MY code and they patterned everything off of that. I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud.

I’d be a little miffed.

I would rave about how good the code is and how easy it is to read. And how you would have written it exactly like they did.

 

[Vigo]

That is legitimately worse than my setup. But i've also met people i would trust to do so 'poorly' so i can't say i'd have a problem with it if i knew the people.. just depends on the person.