This is a long post. Sorry. The main parts are the last two paragraphs, but I wanted to give both some thank-you's and some context. Anyway...
With once exception that I'll discuss below, I've installed every element of our 100% off grid, 13.6KW, four string, three inverter, five battery (1400 AH) system by myself. I am not an electrician or engineer, and have no formal training in any of this. I have renovated many properties over the years, but "self-taught" applies quite nicely to me when it comes to solar. @Will Prowse, @Gavin Stone, @HighTechLab, @timselectric @FilterGuy @Adam De Lay @EG4TechSolutionsTeam and many others on this forum made this possible whether they realize it or not, so THANK YOU. I've dreamed of doing this for almost 30 years, and simply could not be happier with the way our EG4 system is performing. And when I finish this post I'm going to walk over to my separate office building and try to wrap up the install of a Victron system much like the first system I ever built, three years ago, when @sunshine_eggo and others tolerated my questions and general lack of knowledge and helped me gain the confidence to build the system we have today.
The one thing I "hired out" was mounting the panels on the steep gambrel roof of our "barnpartment". I did that because 1) I didn't have a ladder that tall 2) my upper body strength is a fraction of what it was in my younger days, and 3) Mrs. Madcodger wisely reminded me that I no longer possess Wolverine-like healing powers, gravity still exists, and I might well have to face the fact that I am a mere mortal. So, fine, I reached out to the professionals.
Some friends had recently completed a commercial installation for their business (almost 50KW) and I liked the look of their install. The same company that did that (eventually) agreed to install my roof panels. While they were here I also had them install six additional panels on my office building. Because these panels are on the roof of the building and I'm a former firefighter who also wants to remain code-compliant, I ordered Tigo optimisers to handle Rapid ShutDown (RSD), thinking that this would also allow me to track the performance of individual PV panels and find the problem panel should something go wrong. And that's where I became convinced that a careful DIYer CAN often do a better, or at least more careful, job than"professionals".
You see, the key to using Tigo Optimizers is that you capture the serial number of each optimiser, and record that on a little "map" of your panel layout. They even give you little stickers to make that ridiculously easy. But did the professional, well-known, solar installation company do any of that? Did they write down even one of the serial numbers, anywhere? Well, of course they didn't. And while they were at it, they didn't record the color-coding of the RS-485 wires they connected to the TAP module up on the roof, either ( I was able to figure that out with some trial and error). So know I have a bunch of overly expensive RSD devices (at least I hope they work for that - I'll test it near the end of the day) that can't do anything for me in terms of optimization or panel monitoring.
Had I not been incredibly busy with year-end work on the day of the installation (which had been rescheduled twice), I would have done all that recording and mapping myself. I just foolishly assumed that with the size of crew they brought to the job, and their experience, they would of course handle this simple task. Well, you know what happens when you make assumptions... So, until one day in the new year when I rent a boom lift to do other work around the place and can figure out a way to capture a picture of at least one or two optimizers underneath the panels, I have a bunch of very expensive devices that aren't doing nearly as much as they're supposed to do, because I relied on professionals. The panels and conduit and wiring do look to be very well installed, so that aspect of the work appears to be very good. And I'm still glad I hired them, as the panels are up, I'm still in once piece, and Mrs. Madcodger doesn't have to cart me off to the Emergency Room, which has happened before. So, hey, professionals do have their place. But I can say that their installation is also the only element of this entire system where a problem of any size has cropped up, and it could have been prevented had they just not "gone through the motions". Anyway, I think all of this underscores the fact that DIY-ers can install their own systems, and might well do it more carefully than professionals.
With once exception that I'll discuss below, I've installed every element of our 100% off grid, 13.6KW, four string, three inverter, five battery (1400 AH) system by myself. I am not an electrician or engineer, and have no formal training in any of this. I have renovated many properties over the years, but "self-taught" applies quite nicely to me when it comes to solar. @Will Prowse, @Gavin Stone, @HighTechLab, @timselectric @FilterGuy @Adam De Lay @EG4TechSolutionsTeam and many others on this forum made this possible whether they realize it or not, so THANK YOU. I've dreamed of doing this for almost 30 years, and simply could not be happier with the way our EG4 system is performing. And when I finish this post I'm going to walk over to my separate office building and try to wrap up the install of a Victron system much like the first system I ever built, three years ago, when @sunshine_eggo and others tolerated my questions and general lack of knowledge and helped me gain the confidence to build the system we have today.
The one thing I "hired out" was mounting the panels on the steep gambrel roof of our "barnpartment". I did that because 1) I didn't have a ladder that tall 2) my upper body strength is a fraction of what it was in my younger days, and 3) Mrs. Madcodger wisely reminded me that I no longer possess Wolverine-like healing powers, gravity still exists, and I might well have to face the fact that I am a mere mortal. So, fine, I reached out to the professionals.
Some friends had recently completed a commercial installation for their business (almost 50KW) and I liked the look of their install. The same company that did that (eventually) agreed to install my roof panels. While they were here I also had them install six additional panels on my office building. Because these panels are on the roof of the building and I'm a former firefighter who also wants to remain code-compliant, I ordered Tigo optimisers to handle Rapid ShutDown (RSD), thinking that this would also allow me to track the performance of individual PV panels and find the problem panel should something go wrong. And that's where I became convinced that a careful DIYer CAN often do a better, or at least more careful, job than"professionals".
You see, the key to using Tigo Optimizers is that you capture the serial number of each optimiser, and record that on a little "map" of your panel layout. They even give you little stickers to make that ridiculously easy. But did the professional, well-known, solar installation company do any of that? Did they write down even one of the serial numbers, anywhere? Well, of course they didn't. And while they were at it, they didn't record the color-coding of the RS-485 wires they connected to the TAP module up on the roof, either ( I was able to figure that out with some trial and error). So know I have a bunch of overly expensive RSD devices (at least I hope they work for that - I'll test it near the end of the day) that can't do anything for me in terms of optimization or panel monitoring.
Had I not been incredibly busy with year-end work on the day of the installation (which had been rescheduled twice), I would have done all that recording and mapping myself. I just foolishly assumed that with the size of crew they brought to the job, and their experience, they would of course handle this simple task. Well, you know what happens when you make assumptions... So, until one day in the new year when I rent a boom lift to do other work around the place and can figure out a way to capture a picture of at least one or two optimizers underneath the panels, I have a bunch of very expensive devices that aren't doing nearly as much as they're supposed to do, because I relied on professionals. The panels and conduit and wiring do look to be very well installed, so that aspect of the work appears to be very good. And I'm still glad I hired them, as the panels are up, I'm still in once piece, and Mrs. Madcodger doesn't have to cart me off to the Emergency Room, which has happened before. So, hey, professionals do have their place. But I can say that their installation is also the only element of this entire system where a problem of any size has cropped up, and it could have been prevented had they just not "gone through the motions". Anyway, I think all of this underscores the fact that DIY-ers can install their own systems, and might well do it more carefully than professionals.
;
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