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diy solar

My DIY Ground Mount

The Dish Doc

Photon Pharmer
Joined
Jun 5, 2021
Messages
206
Location
Three Rivers, Florida
I've been working on getting some solar panels I salvaged off construction light trailers up in the air. It's not complete yet but I thought I'd post a pic. I got the pipe at a junkyard for $20 bucks. It looks like I'll get 9 hours off full sun watching it all day as I worked on it.
 

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Agreed, also used unistruts on both of my ground mount arrays. I even special-ordered the 20ft sections.
How much "bow" do you see in a 20-foot section of Unistrut? We used 3/4 galvanized pipe for our ground mount and the 12-foot run deflects almost 3/4-inch.
 
Good stuff! More pics please. There is some detail in there I’m not sure how you managed.
 
I also used unistrut - 10ft lengths - between 8ft span of 2" galvanized pipe. 3+ years and not a single bit of corrosion!
1655646315483.png1655646340177.png
And there many accessories - such as the square pieces of metal used to hold down the edges of the panels and u-shaped channel extenders (bolt on). Love Unistrut - perfect for non-welders like me.

TMI: In these pics I added 2 more panels on the end (waiting for the uprights) and will put 2 more panels sideways along the upper edge while building a shed underneath the array. :)
 
Unistruts are great, aren't they. I built my mounts with unistruts also.
Yes I know. I looked at your mount design while considering mine. You were kind enough to post additional pictures for my review after I requested them. They were very helpful. Thank you for posting them.
 
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How much "bow" do you see in a 20-foot section of Unistrut? We used 3/4 galvanized pipe for our ground mount and the 12-foot run deflects almost 3/4-inch.
I was very concerned about deflection and flexing during high winds. I've heard that high winds have shattered other users panels. I built all my arrays with trusses supporting the Z-axis, which so far has kept my panels intact for years now.
 

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Good stuff! More pics please. There is some detail in there I’m not sure how you managed.
I'm videoing the build and will post it to youtube soon. It will answer all questions. I've been using Openshot to edit but it keeps crashing. I've only got 64 Gigs of memory in my box :cool:. I'm waiting on PowerDirector to arrive from Amazon. That being said is there a specific thing or area you want a better pic of? I'll be glad to post some. Let me know what would help.
 
I was initially going to build it with wood but prices got pretty high and I finally scavenged some metal after all the drill stem pipe vanished. My initial design had to be modified after I got it installed. It had a little too much wobble for my taste. This mount is for the 12-100 watt panels that came off 1 trailer. I also need to build a mount for the 4-295 watt panels that came off the other two trailers. Hopefully these pics can show you more clearly what I am doing.
 

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I was very concerned about deflection and flexing during high winds. I've heard that high winds have shattered other users panels. I built all my arrays with trusses supporting the Z-axis, which so far has kept my panels intact for years now.
High winds are my greatest concern. That is why I modified my initial design for additional stability and rigidity. I plan on adding some angle iron bracing in a X pattern between my uprights. Then perhaps I MAY be satisfied. I'm trying to find a pic where Michael ripped my 10' dish panels THRU the mount bolt.
 
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I'm currently on hold waiting on Amazon for 6 more additional U-bolts which are needed for the additional support I added. I also decided to splurge on pre-made panel hold downs for $32. Come on Prime shipping!
 
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How much "bow" do you see in a 20-foot section of Unistrut? We used 3/4 galvanized pipe for our ground mount and the 12-foot run deflects almost 3/4-inch.
There should be no bow or deflection on any crossmember with the proper vertical support. I simply add more uprights where required. I had to completely upgrade this design once it came off paper and went into the ground. However the wall thickness of the pipe I ended up with was only 1/8". My original design had envisioned schedule 40 (expensive new). However I had to use what I could find for cheap. I've never regretted adding additional strength to anything I've built. The reverse however has come back to bite me more than once. I'm often accused of overbuilding. My response is "I'm good with it" I've only used half of the material I sourced for this build. It will be a "killdozier" when it's finished :)
The mount build for the 295 watt panels will be interesting. I've got some 4" schedule 40 scrap pieces I found up in Alabama. Guy let me take it off the side of his house for FREE. I sure he thought I was a nut to be interested in that pipe and be willing to take that down for him for free but I was glad to get the pipe. I hauled that 26' long bad boy back to Florida. Score! I'll have very little in both these mounts and the panels were free.
 

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I also used unistrut - 10ft lengths - between 8ft span of 2" galvanized pipe. 3+ years and not a single bit of corrosion!
View attachment 99203View attachment 99204
And there many accessories - such as the square pieces of metal used to hold down the edges of the panels and u-shaped channel extenders (bolt on). Love Unistrut - perfect for non-welders like me.

TMI: In these pics I added 2 more panels on the end (waiting for the uprights) and will put 2 more panels sideways along the upper edge while building a shed underneath the array. :)
How much was it for this rack, per solar panel installed? I'm looking for a ground mount that isn't over $100 per panel. I've got roof racking down to $60 per panel, but ground mounts and canopies are expensive, IMO.
 
How much was it for this rack, per solar panel installed? I'm looking for a ground mount that isn't over $100 per panel. I've got roof racking down to $60 per panel, but ground mounts and canopies are expensive, IMO.
Let's see, the ground mount was in the ballpark of....
- $1,134 - 18 x 2" by 10ft galvanized pipe (Home Depot price today)
- $ 468 - 13 * 10ft Unistrut (Home Depot price today)
- $ 400 - 10 x 2" IronRidge SGA Top Cap (price varies)
- $ 400 - U-bolts, Unistrut fastening plates, nuts, and general hardware
- $ 400 - Quikrete for footers/ballast
=======
Raw total = $2,802 / 22 panels = $127/panel.
%26 US Tax Credit = $2074 / 22 panels = $95/panel

Note: There's some variation here as I did it myself including digging and concrete mixing etc and hand misc tools. some rebar, and other stuff to assist in it all.
 
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Let's see, the ground mount was in the ballpark of....
- $1,134 - 18 x 2" by 10ft galvanized pipe (Home Depot price today)
- $ 468 - 13 * 10ft Unistrut (Home Depot price today)
- $ 400 - 10 x 2" IronRidge SGA Top Cap (price varies)
- $ 400 - U-bolts, Unistrut fastening plates, nuts, and general hardware
- $ 400 - Quikrete for footers/ballast
=======
Raw total = $2,802 / 22 panels = $127/panel.
%26 US Tax Credit = $2074 / 22 panels = $95/panel

Note: There's some variation here as I did it myself including digging and concrete mixing etc and hand misc tools. some rebar, and other stuff to assist in it all.
That's not bad, actually. Thank you. I estimated around $130-$136 using the Unirac ULA.
So far, the least expensive are the low-profile, ballasted roof systems, used on the ground. I used the Unirac RM10 on the ground and it works fine, but I should've put down a weed barrier.

Edit: Not counting the mistakes I made and tools I had to buy to grade the spot flat, or the extra blocks I bought that I didn't need. It was probably under $95/panel before applying the tax credit.

Screen Shot 2022-06-15 at 3.29.16 PM.png
 
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That's not bad, actually. Thank you. I estimated around $130-$136 using the Unirac ULA.
So far, the least expensive are the low-profile, ballasted roof systems, used on the ground. I used the Unirac RM10 on the ground and it works fine, but I should've put down a weed barrier.
Really Nice! Haven't see that kind of ballast before - thanks for sharing. It's so important to remember that there are *many* solutions :)

One of the variables - I used a lot of pipe to suspend mine in the air over the rain harvest tanks....
1655690612122.png
 
Let's see, the ground mount was in the ballpark of....
- $1,134 - 18 x 2" by 10ft galvanized pipe (Home Depot price today)
- $ 468 - 13 * 10ft Unistrut (Home Depot price today)
- $ 400 - 10 x 2" IronRidge SGA Top Cap (price varies)
- $ 400 - U-bolts, Unistrut fastening plates, nuts, and general hardware
- $ 400 - Quikrete for footers/ballast
=======
Raw total = $2,802 / 22 panels = $127/panel.
%26 US Tax Credit = $2074 / 22 panels = $95/panel

Note: There's some variation here as I did it myself including digging and concrete mixing etc and hand misc tools. some rebar, and other stuff to assist in it all.
Wow, I'm glad I'm building my racks. Thats a lot of battery money.
 
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