Any more pics of the role of the pvc?If you're only mounting 4 panels something like this with adjustable tilt may interest you
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/ground-mount-ideas.43913/post-553852
Post your Ground Mount Setup
- Thread starter drps10
- Start date
wiseacre
Solar Addict
Note
the bolt near the top of the 4x4s act as a hinge
a 2x4 spans the the 4x4s and the pvc rests on it
the pvc is bolted to the bottom of the "hinged" 2x4s
spaced holes are drilled in the pvc and a long bolt is inserted thru and into a hole in the 2x4 span.
panels are mounted in pairs, each is a separate mount hinged/bolted between the 4x4 uprights
the pvc is U shaped with the open ends bolted (loose enough to rotate) to the ends of the hinged/bolted 2x4s (2 per mount) allowing me to easily push or pull the wooden frame to adjust the tilt
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Troubleshooter
New Member
Here's mine. All done by myself out of 2x2 square tubing. Since I didn't sink those piers deep enough (hit the rock shelf just two feed deep) I have added a ballast of 2 cu. yards of concrete. The other side is deeper, but I will eventually extend the pad all the way.
That's 6230W of Longi 445W panels, I used Ironridge xr100 rails and their hardware.
That's 6230W of Longi 445W panels, I used Ironridge xr100 rails and their hardware.
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42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
Very nice. I'm rethinking using wood for my next one...
I'm debating another array behind the garage, never thought to pour a pad. I could fit a few implements under it.
What's your angle? Do you know the depth? I'm guessing ~11' going by the side shot of the slab.
42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
Breaking news -
Cordless leaf blower works excellent at clearing a ground mount at a steep angle that's covered in light fluffy snow.
Individual admits you still need to shovel the front if the installer was an idiot and left the left corner a couple inches off the ground.
Cordless leaf blower works excellent at clearing a ground mount at a steep angle that's covered in light fluffy snow.
Individual admits you still need to shovel the front if the installer was an idiot and left the left corner a couple inches off the ground.
Here’s mine, 1st ever attempt, put this together in 2020.
Swivel casters at base for manual tracking when home; repurposed door hinges at front; have different length 2 x 4s for rear bracing (seasonal tilt adjustment).
600W PV to MPP 1012LV-MS coupled with 12V 3000W inverter.
Original 4P 460AH FLA battery bank recently began dying (almost 4 years daily cycling).
Just replaced with 400 AH LFP.
PV array is 6’8” x 6’8”.
In planning stage to soon expand array to ~2400W at ~10’ x 12.5’ to (tbd) 48V AIO.
Swivel casters at base for manual tracking when home; repurposed door hinges at front; have different length 2 x 4s for rear bracing (seasonal tilt adjustment).
600W PV to MPP 1012LV-MS coupled with 12V 3000W inverter.
Original 4P 460AH FLA battery bank recently began dying (almost 4 years daily cycling).
Just replaced with 400 AH LFP.
PV array is 6’8” x 6’8”.
In planning stage to soon expand array to ~2400W at ~10’ x 12.5’ to (tbd) 48V AIO.
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SteveBrown
New Member
I changed from the January 51 degree tilt to the February tilt of 43 degrees based on https://www.shaktipumps.com/solar-calculator.php
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S Davis
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2021
- Messages
- 809
On grid, Orcas Island Wa.
Power costs around $0.13/kWh there. I wonder why owner installed system this large and expensive.
Kenny_
Solar Wizard
Likely to power the underground Superhero Warren!
StuartV
New Member
Here are mine 
2 top panels are JR solar 385w, lower 2 are Trina 340W and i have 2 Longi 405W on moveable "sledges" All hooked up to 3 Victron MPPTs.
"the Wall" as i call it, is ratchet strapped to bolts in the floor behind the panels
2 top panels are JR solar 385w, lower 2 are Trina 340W and i have 2 Longi 405W on moveable "sledges" All hooked up to 3 Victron MPPTs."the Wall" as i call it, is ratchet strapped to bolts in the floor behind the panels
Kenny_
Solar Wizard
Nice! And mobile too!Here are mine
"the Wall" as i call it, is ratchet strapped to bolts in the floor behind the panels
View attachment 192379
View attachment 192380
View attachment 192381
SteveBrown
New Member
I changed the tilt on all my panels from January 51
I changed from the January 51 degree tilt to the February tilt of 43 degrees based on https://www.shaktipumps.com/solar-calculator.php
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Delmar
Solar Addict
My "portable ground mount” with adjustable fold-flat tilt angle. Four x 100W panels edge-bolted for strength, wired in series for 48V. The six 8V FLA batteries make useful ballast. Even made an appearance on Bing Maps.
The PVC pipe was strong, inexpensive and easy to fabricate. No reason why it could not be used on a true anchored ground mount.
The PVC pipe was strong, inexpensive and easy to fabricate. No reason why it could not be used on a true anchored ground mount.
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Hi from sunny Queensland Australia...
Offgrid again (first time back in the 1980's- things sure have changed since then lol)
Currently running a 'temporary' setup with two arrays of three series 250W ex gridties totaling 1.5kw (picked up 18kw worth of panels (72) for under two grand lol) but they are sitting in the shed until I finish building the house to put them on... until then, my little 'temporary' setup runs the shed and caravan...
Three in series facing north at the right angle for summer/winter collection, 3 facing west at 45 degrees for the afternoon sun... Together they put about 7.5-8kwh a day into the battery bank, sufficient to run the caravan and shed... Strapped down to two full IBC's- they aren't going anywhere with 2 tonnes of water ballast lol
The fourth panel (right at the top) runs a UV sterilizer and 'stirrer' pump in the rain water tank behind it- they only need a 20w panel- but buying one was going to cost more than I paid for the 250w ones lol- and I got plenty sitting in the shed idle atm...
Feeds 16x 400Ah (20kwh) of LYP cells- currently 4S4P to run at 12v feeding an old 8kw 12v inverter I've had for nearly a decade now (LYP are LiFeYPO4, similar to LFP, but far more tolerant of temperature extremes (we get upwards of 40C plus for weeks on end in summer here- over 100F) and with the LYP capable of charging from -45C to 85C (-50F to 185F), and LFP needing to start reducing their charge rate above 40C- the LYPs made better sense even though they are slightly more expensive than LFP...
During setup at the shed
Feeds the battered old 8kw 12v inverter (years of being mounted in the back of the ute has given it a bit of a battered look, but still works as good as the day I bought it back in 2014...)- there's a 48v 12kw hybrid inverter also sitting in the shed for once the house is finished...
Heavy sucker- took three of us to get it into the cab- used the winch on the tilttray to unload it- it weighs in at 72kg (160lbs)- wasn't going to drop a brand new inverter!!!
I know that 8kw on a 12v system isn't ideal- but stayed at the 12v because all the caravans electrics are 12v (lights, TV, water pumps for the sink and bathroom- the house will be 48v with the battery bank reconfigured as a 16s instead...) and it is only 'temporary' (mind you, it will probably be 'temporary' for another couple of years before I finish the house lol- took me a year to build the shed...
Offgrid again (first time back in the 1980's- things sure have changed since then lol)
Currently running a 'temporary' setup with two arrays of three series 250W ex gridties totaling 1.5kw (picked up 18kw worth of panels (72) for under two grand lol) but they are sitting in the shed until I finish building the house to put them on... until then, my little 'temporary' setup runs the shed and caravan...
Three in series facing north at the right angle for summer/winter collection, 3 facing west at 45 degrees for the afternoon sun... Together they put about 7.5-8kwh a day into the battery bank, sufficient to run the caravan and shed... Strapped down to two full IBC's- they aren't going anywhere with 2 tonnes of water ballast lol
The fourth panel (right at the top) runs a UV sterilizer and 'stirrer' pump in the rain water tank behind it- they only need a 20w panel- but buying one was going to cost more than I paid for the 250w ones lol- and I got plenty sitting in the shed idle atm...
Feeds 16x 400Ah (20kwh) of LYP cells- currently 4S4P to run at 12v feeding an old 8kw 12v inverter I've had for nearly a decade now (LYP are LiFeYPO4, similar to LFP, but far more tolerant of temperature extremes (we get upwards of 40C plus for weeks on end in summer here- over 100F) and with the LYP capable of charging from -45C to 85C (-50F to 185F), and LFP needing to start reducing their charge rate above 40C- the LYPs made better sense even though they are slightly more expensive than LFP...
During setup at the shed
Feeds the battered old 8kw 12v inverter (years of being mounted in the back of the ute has given it a bit of a battered look, but still works as good as the day I bought it back in 2014...)- there's a 48v 12kw hybrid inverter also sitting in the shed for once the house is finished...
Heavy sucker- took three of us to get it into the cab- used the winch on the tilttray to unload it- it weighs in at 72kg (160lbs)- wasn't going to drop a brand new inverter!!!
I know that 8kw on a 12v system isn't ideal- but stayed at the 12v because all the caravans electrics are 12v (lights, TV, water pumps for the sink and bathroom- the house will be 48v with the battery bank reconfigured as a 16s instead...) and it is only 'temporary' (mind you, it will probably be 'temporary' for another couple of years before I finish the house lol- took me a year to build the shed...
That was during the setup- but still no BMS, no... (I do a check once a month to check they're tracking, (I have the equipment to do a manual balancing if required- been installing offgrid since the 1980's and got my grid tie installers licence back in 2004) but to date- they are still tracking accurately despite over two years of use)
I simply keep out of the 'end zones' ie limit it to 14v max and 12v minimum and that minimises the need for a BMS (I actually have one but its a 16S one for the final 48v system, and until I get the house finished, well its sitting in its box...
LYP is actually quite forgiving if kept out of those 'danger zones' where the BMS kicks into life.
It does lose me a bit of the theoretical capacity, but 20kwh of storage to run a caravan is really overboard (that bank was specced to run my house with AC and a workshop, and it's totally overboard for the van- even though I do all my cooking on electric (out in the shed- cooking in the van is a pain as it is LPG and that costs $$$- about $30 a bottle for the 4kg bottle and that lasts about 6 weeks using the gas stove lol) and I leave the laptop running 24/7, I rarely drop under 12.9v overnight down from 13.1v off charge (even if I leave the vans fans running in summer 24/7, or in winter use the electric blanket overnight...)
I even run the vans AC on really hot days- but that little temporary array struggles with that- I can run it for about 5 hours in the afternoon, but its basically a choice of charge the battery bank or run the AC- not both...
I'd never run a LFP/LYP without BMS for a client, but like I said, I got the gear to do a manual balance if required...
(its all a bit 'do as I say, not as I do' LOL)
I paid $1.95 per AH per cell from the supplier here in Qld- so $780 each including GST (the total bank would have cost me $12480 Au but as I could buy them GST free (as a business) it only cost me $11232 Au delivered to the door)
The Eve 280Ah LF280K is $375 per cell here (although I wouldn't use them here as they would be in reduced charging mode for much of the summer due to the heat- thats why I went the LYP instead of the LFP)
By the time its hitting over 40C, and the battery pack is 5C higher than that when charging, you are up to over 45C, and that's well into throttling range for a LFP...
(I'm glad I'm not in Western Oz atm- they were over 50C/125.6F a couple of weeks ago!!!
Even for me- thats .....hot...
By the time its hitting over 40C, and the battery pack is 5C higher than that when charging, you are up to over 45C, and that's well into throttling range for a LFP...
(I'm glad I'm not in Western Oz atm- they were over 50C/125.6F a couple of weeks ago!!!
Even for me- thats .....hot...
ksmithaz1
Solar / EV Junkie
I'll try this again. 6 pillars of 8x8x16 block on 8' centers. Plan is to go 4 more up, 4 studs on every third block (M8). 4x4's on the top, then maybe 11 trusses 10x5x~13. Run 1x2 along the bottom want to put a 5x2 array 72x45" panels, strap from underneath, just have a panel roof. Torn on that or dropping some OSB and roll-out shingle, and some other mounting system. Just for fun, winds get up in the 100's here so everything will be tied down on studs. Probably PO the neighbor. (note the shadowing, it's around 1500 when the picture was taken.
I'm assuming he was using Australian dollars not US dollars
Still pricey since $375 AUD would be $245 USD.
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