Zwy
Solar Wizard
Many here know I already have one MT Solar mount for my array. The recent purchase of the 370W pallet of 31 panels requires another ground mount. I submitted what I wanted to Sinclair and Kyle passed it on to the engineers. I asked if I could pickup at their loading dock as they are only 7 hours from here which would save $2100 for shipping and he said yes. Cost would have been about $5200. I specified to Kyle I preferred 4 feet at full tilt of 60 degrees. He wasn't sure if it would pass engineering. I also wanted poles cemented in plus I could add cement above grade to get the ground clearance I wanted.
I also looked at MT Solar and prices have increased. It would have cost me about $12K for the mounts needed for 30 panels plus freight. The advantage to the MT Solar mount is I can have a much higher ground clearance from the bottom of the array. With MT Solar, 4 feet would be no problem with 8 inch SCH poles and a 65 degree tilt. Kyle even mentioned looking at MT Solar to get my desired ground clearance.
Over 3.5 weeks went by with no response from Sinclair on approval. I had sent Kyle another email a week prior with no response so I thought they just didn't want to talk to me anymore. I just happened to be on FB Marketplace one night and ran across a listing 3 hours away with 53 used panels, Enphase micro inverters and 4 MT Solar mounts in a 3x5 configuration for 3 mounts and a 2x5 for one mount. I contacted the seller about just the mount and he stated the system had been damaged by high wind. I figured the crank adjusters had broken which he said, yes, that was the weak point. I asked for a price for the mounts and what looked to be Ironridge mounting rails. He came back the next day with a price of $4k and I told him I'd be there in 2 days to pick it up.
When I arrived to pick up the mounts, he told me what had happened. He had a brand new system up that was completed a month prior. A tornado with 140 to 150 mph winds had come thru, hit the original array after ripping out 40 trees. The screws broke and the poles had bent over. He had replacement cost coverage and the original system cost $64K. The replacement was slightly larger and was $72K but was not an adjustable mount. The MT Solar mount is rated to 105 mph, I thought they held up well considering a tornado hit it.
I'll have to source replacement adjuster assemblies and make some changes to the layout. I figured up what this would have cost new and it was $24K. So I have a little leeway. Here is a photo of the I beams, frame and twenty two 17 foot long rails, the rest filled the whole back of the pickup.
As I have more mount than I need, I'll probably add some more PV. These are 8 inch pole mounts and I can use 8 inch SCH40. My other mount was 6 inch SCH80, that gets costly. Currently checking prices and I found some 8 inch SCH40 at $735 per 21 foot stick. I'll add to this thread come spring summer when I begin install and document more of the install than my review of the original mount.
On the drive back, I swung by a town of about 40 people where I had passed thru a month before. I had seen this house with panels on the garage, nice little array.
The next house is this one, I think there is some type of neighborly competition going on.
As for Sinclair, when I returned home there was an email from engineering with the final ground clearance of 3 feet 7 inches. They have yet to follow up, my guess is they really didn't want to sell me a mount. Stay tuned for followup, I already have an idea for replacement adjusters instead of the factory setup.
I also looked at MT Solar and prices have increased. It would have cost me about $12K for the mounts needed for 30 panels plus freight. The advantage to the MT Solar mount is I can have a much higher ground clearance from the bottom of the array. With MT Solar, 4 feet would be no problem with 8 inch SCH poles and a 65 degree tilt. Kyle even mentioned looking at MT Solar to get my desired ground clearance.
Over 3.5 weeks went by with no response from Sinclair on approval. I had sent Kyle another email a week prior with no response so I thought they just didn't want to talk to me anymore. I just happened to be on FB Marketplace one night and ran across a listing 3 hours away with 53 used panels, Enphase micro inverters and 4 MT Solar mounts in a 3x5 configuration for 3 mounts and a 2x5 for one mount. I contacted the seller about just the mount and he stated the system had been damaged by high wind. I figured the crank adjusters had broken which he said, yes, that was the weak point. I asked for a price for the mounts and what looked to be Ironridge mounting rails. He came back the next day with a price of $4k and I told him I'd be there in 2 days to pick it up.
When I arrived to pick up the mounts, he told me what had happened. He had a brand new system up that was completed a month prior. A tornado with 140 to 150 mph winds had come thru, hit the original array after ripping out 40 trees. The screws broke and the poles had bent over. He had replacement cost coverage and the original system cost $64K. The replacement was slightly larger and was $72K but was not an adjustable mount. The MT Solar mount is rated to 105 mph, I thought they held up well considering a tornado hit it.
I'll have to source replacement adjuster assemblies and make some changes to the layout. I figured up what this would have cost new and it was $24K. So I have a little leeway. Here is a photo of the I beams, frame and twenty two 17 foot long rails, the rest filled the whole back of the pickup.
As I have more mount than I need, I'll probably add some more PV. These are 8 inch pole mounts and I can use 8 inch SCH40. My other mount was 6 inch SCH80, that gets costly. Currently checking prices and I found some 8 inch SCH40 at $735 per 21 foot stick. I'll add to this thread come spring summer when I begin install and document more of the install than my review of the original mount.
On the drive back, I swung by a town of about 40 people where I had passed thru a month before. I had seen this house with panels on the garage, nice little array.
The next house is this one, I think there is some type of neighborly competition going on.
As for Sinclair, when I returned home there was an email from engineering with the final ground clearance of 3 feet 7 inches. They have yet to follow up, my guess is they really didn't want to sell me a mount. Stay tuned for followup, I already have an idea for replacement adjusters instead of the factory setup.
