Couple wires a huge, High Voltage, Solar PV Array, 12.6kW

We are completing the wiring on all our backyard solar arrays. Together, they total 12.6kw of solar PV. We are wiring these in large series strings to make high voltage DC. This will feed into our garage through an underground conduit. The solar MPPT charge controllers are built into the Growatt inverters, model SPF 5000 ES. Each 5kw inverter can accept up to 6000 watts of solar PV input, and up to 450 volts DC. Using high voltage PV helps lower the cost of wires and combiner boxes.
Previous videos:
Growatt Inverter SPF 5000 ES Introduction:
Growatt Inverter Load Testing:
Solar Array Build:
Affiliate Links:
Growatt Inverter SPF 5000 ES: shop.signaturesolar.us/produc...
Use code: DAVIDPOZ at checkout for a discount on your purchases from Signature Solar.
IMO Switch. Note, this link is not an affiliate link. I have found that buying two smaller switches is less expensive than this big one. I have provided a link below to Amazon where you can find them less expensive. www.industrialcontroldirect.c...
Amazon Affiliate Link:
4-Pole IMO disconnect switch: amzn.to/3yIuqMO
Cable Glands (strain relief): amzn.to/3uwesSG
Wire, 12 gauge THHN Black: amzn.to/3vwOUpD
Wire, 12 AWG, THHN, Red: amzn.to/3yJH9ih
Wire Pulling Lubricant: amzn.to/3hXRl0I
Mule Tape: amzn.to/3p4KBj1
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

[@Mechanical803]

Clean solar energy is the hope for protecting the planet from pollutants. Thank you for providing this wonderful content

[@stevenlane729]

I love the use of the vacuum cleaner to draw through the string.

[@lesliestandifer]

never seen that before very clever

[@qapla]

I have done that many times ... works like a charm as long as the conduit is empty

[@ButchB1000]

Always pull another string with the wires so you have it incase you need it later.

[@LithiumSolar]

Great tip on the webbing. I ruined several LBs in my very first PVC run not even realizing the nylon fish stuff cuts when pulled like that.

[@meganwinters5163]

Perfect timing on this video! I'm about to wire my first DIY system. Thank you David, for the continued education from your renewable energy journey! I'm ALWAYS learning something new!!!

[@CotyCondry]

that vacuum wire running trick is absolutely brilliant. like, so simple but I might never have thought of that

[@rickvia8435]

Your method of wire pulling is the exact way we pull CAT6/ 6e ethernet cable through conduit. Even down to the foam lube you used. We pull 10s of thousands of feet of cable (even 100s of thousands of feet sometimes) on jobs.

[@lithtweezie1]

Another great video. Looking forward to the next installment.

[@aurelioalvarez4015]

Great example of "Work smarter, not harder" with the vacuum!

[@loucinci3922]

Excellent overview of your re-wire project. I especially like the labels. Good job! Thanks for sharing.

[@georgedrenes8143]

Really enjoyed the video. Anxious to see the wire up of inverters since I have two of them and a transformer to wire up as well. Keep up the great work, David!

[@davidalton7378]

I have completed six 10KW systems using 10K Growwatt 240v. split phase grid tie inverters. 2 strings of 9 panels in series 1 string of 8 Panels. Makes an efficient high voltage setup. With rapid response modules (NEC required) there is no need for cut off switch at the panels. I really like your off grid setup. Thanks. I watch all your videos!

[@francoisguyot9770]

I love the vac/pull string method! I didn't know that one.

[@jfrederick71]

The more I watch, the more I learn. Thank you.

[@daniellarno7477]

Mate for a DIY guy doing this.. you did an excellent professional job.. good to see people are learning how to be self sufficient

[@solarworldllc5158]

Thank you brother!!! You helped us helps others. Love you videos 💯

[@neliosamch3195]

Those IMO switches are impressive. In 5 ms extinguish the welding spark in their own suppression chamber. I got to install one so no more waiting for the Sun going down to work in the array. Thank you for the information David.

[@tylerb9808]

I agree. I have a much smaller version (single string) of the imo rapid shutdown, (or isolator if you will). Works like a charm, and yes, the plus/minus in, criss crosses internally to minus/plus out. Took a sec for that to sink in when I installed it, but that's the beauty of the design, and why its able to do what's its supposed to do so well.

[@tonymcclendon-hobbytime7727]

very impressed with your work

[@kennethalmond8922]

Thank you for another great video!

[@MrJoeAllert]

That was excellent! Thank you for posting this, I'm about to wire up my own system.

[@davidwright1752]

Love the Vacuum cleaner trick for pulling the string through

[@ThacMan]

Dude deserves as many subs as Will. Very real, detailed content on this channel about all things solar.

[@AlexWaardenburg]

I love those stickers. I used them for the same purpose and could not believe they survived being pulled through so much conduit

[@bernardlauer2582]

Where did u find the stickers

[@RG-cg6ou]

Thanks for taking the time to demonstrate your learning curve. I’ve watched your videos numerous times. It’s too bad some people waste your efforts with stupid comments though.

[@bassamsalam4938]

Great work

[@raybacchus1026]

Very educational video thanks for sharing

[@GREGGRCO]

Nice to hear this birds singing there for going green !

[@KayNMike]

Well done ... we also have a Growatt (combo inverter/controller/charger) and love it

[@careyjohnson1784]

I've been watching you long time you have come a long way I hope your friends and family and wife are proud of you great job

[@thompsoncrusher7840]

Another great video. Take care

[@genericname3685]

I never knew that there was such an innovative yet simple way to move the wires into the pipes without much effort.

[@brianwood7480]

It's called a mouse in the business.

[@dirtriders3615]

Your videos are always great man

[@dr.projectx5142]

Nice a 15kw system is great a d great set up with the inverters.

[@magamike1800]

Those all-in-one units look excellent. Going to try to use one to charge the Cyber truck off solar when I get it. Can charge at 5A and 240V so should be possible to charge slowly with 2000W.

[@jstaffordii]

You may want to check your local electrical code. High voltage DC above 250 volts must be encased in properly labeled and bonded steel (emt) conduit. This is to protect fire fighters from cutting DC lines.

[@King7765]

Why would they cut the lines when they can just flip the disconnect switch? Or are they not smart enough to do that and just want to fuck shit up?

[@atouchofa.d.d.5852]

Cool idea on the Shop-Vac fish cord

[@rostygreg4767]

thanks for the knowledge..happy family seen there...

[@offgridinthepacificnorthwe3210]

Nice job David. I am going to have to buy the 4 pair IMO for our new solar installation. That will allow me to add another array to the 3 I have. Nice work and thanks for the idea on the disconect.

[@LucianoBatista]

Esses inversores da Growatt são muito bons, parabéns 👏👏👏

[@jamiejoker118]

Brilliant 👏

[@austinokoro6301]

Very interesting site, simple and explanatory

[@richarda.valdes1197]

Always lay a big electrical conduit ahead of the time. Always twist the stranded wire before inserting the end into a terminal. This stops the stranded wire from flattening out as you tighten the screw at the terminal connector.

[@slip0n0fall]

No need to twist on compression cage style terminals.

[@engdarfatgalalyelectrical1076]

Nice and useful information I hope to be healthy and safe

[@mythosmint80085]

These videos are the best

[@rafimor1365]

always many thanks

[@doolittleranch8302]

What a great video..

[@ruckboger]

@4:21 "I don't know what I can do about that.." then the torch comes out. Had me chuckling.

[@stevehastie6032]

Nice job 👍🍻

[@dustins4194]

Dude! This answers all of my questions! I just had to watch again and take notes... lol.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

That's great. Glad it helped.

[@TrevorFraserAU]

Awesome sauce

[@robertplas3947]

My comments may have already been said. First, I think you should have kept the Midnite combiner box and replaced the 150 volt DC breakers with Midnite 600 volt DC breakers, 2 pole, 15 amps. this would have provided you overcurrent protection. And you could have wired in a Delta 600 volt DC lightening arrestor into the combiner box. My second suggestion is that on close together connections like in the Dc disconnect switch, the use of wire ferrules on the ends of the wire can help to prevent arcing and short circuits. Pulling the wire was very constructive. But, when it just doesn't get through, then sometimes you have to locate a spot near the middle of the run, dig up the conduit and install an access point with a grey electrical can at the surface. This dramatically shortens the pull, especially with heavy wires. then they are spliced at the can for continuity.

[@rongray4118]

David - Love the video...the frozen ground is what I am dealing with in Northern Nevada right now!! LOL!! Thank you for posting! Your videos are Fantastic!

[@cranedaddy678]

Thank you for this, you've answered so many of my questions just by watching you lol

[@GREGGRCO]

Easy to VOM trouble shoot the switch box, good thinking.

[@Stubones999]

I'd love a comparison between what you have and a grid using micro-inverters...

[@waynewilliamson4212]

These are a great set of videos...and I was hoping you would use multiple growatt inverters linked...keep up the great work and keep the videos coming...

[@michaelspencer6523]

Ground rod nerds at least 6 feet in ground. Solid contact.

[@HomesteadingintheForest]

“Foaming lube, ahaha,” was my favorite part.

[@ABRUSAHAELEKTRIK]

Wow interesting.

[@manojkumar-mn8hn]

you are one amazing genius hard working dude who knows everything.... amazing talent.. pretty sure your wife/kids are proud to have you :) . Please keep up the great work.. you make such hard projects seem easy and possible and i am sure many of your viewers feel the same..

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@terrya6486]

The high voltage switch is a double pull double throw and they do a criss-cross pattern on those.

[@kurrppy]

Nice video and great Run To Homebase shirt! I did that when I was stationed at Hanscom. You the man!

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thanks for noticing, and your service. I miss those types of events. Hopefully they will come back soon.

[@kurrppy]

@@DavidPozEnergy I miss those events too. And thank you for your service!

[@comingtofull-ageinchrist6736]

mule tape is correct. some of it is actually rated for 1800 pounds. We use it to pull stuff up on scaffolding, so a person can keep both hands on the ladder when climbing and stay safe. that's why it is called mule tape. Using lubricant made for wire pulls will stop friction on the 90's and keep from damaging the wire insulation and ruining the ampacity of the wire! Having someone to feed the wire while it's being pulled will further aid in reducing friction as well as catch any loops that may get in the wire while pulling it into the conduit. Also, using a rigid metal 90 will help in the ease of a long pull of wire, especially when it starts getting bigger. this is a common practice among electricians for underground wire pulls and is very effective in making a long pull much easier for any wire size!

[@5885ronny]

Super 👍😊

[@johnthomas5806]

nice upgrade to your system

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thanks.

[@DaleKlein]

Feel for you with the existing buried conduit size. I put a run for solar about 30 feet from a shed to garden. Initially I had just 2 microinverters, 2 amps max 240vac so used 1/2" conduit (so cheap!) and #12 wire. DC Solar trailer later, I put 13 microinverters worth, 12-13a max and wanted to use #10 wire, L1L2NG. Fill table says 5 fit, but just 4 was fun to pull. So in summary, coulda shoulda used next size up in the first place.

[@methods-SE]

Very nice Far more valuable than the overproduced crap you usually find on KZbin. A man who doesn't hide his mistakes... Does a better job of preparing you. I've done a lot of projects... And every single time I've made mistakes. Recovering from errors is the essence of DIY.

[@sfl-new-homes]

David: “I don’t know what I can do about that.” Flamethrower: “I do…”

[@javiergiraldez1647]

Recomendation: Use Ferrules to better connections. By the way, simple and quality video.

[@qolspony]

This is exactly what I want to do with my system.

[@NoelBarlau]

"More voltage! Arrgh Arrgh Arrgh!" - Tim the Tool Man Taylor

[@vincei4252]

Yeah, you have to be extra vigilant with the wiring in those IMO disconnects. I used red and black wire all the way from the panels into the basement and have an IMO on the arrays and one before entering the inverter in the basement. I checked the voltage at each step and got caught out by the negative voltage coming out of the first disconnect. I had to correct the wiring even though with two disconnects in series it would have come out fine. Didn't want a gotcha in future if I made further changes to the system.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Good to know I'm not the only one that goofed. Thanks.

[@chrisgreene1456]

50 years ago we used wire grease to lube all the wire.... worked with all wires sizes.

[@neetipukar6915]

Hello sir a lots of love 💕 💕 ❤️ 💗 from NEPAL 🇳🇵

[@mjp0815]

So many cool wiring tricks, from my favourite "non-electrician"!

[@austinvallachira5796]

waiting for next

[@Jkauppa]

freedom mr wallace

[@dig1035]

Thumbs up and subscribed!

[@MiltunaMusic]

Tiny helpful hint: I use a square of fiberglass door screen material where you connect the vacuum hose to the conduit to avoid sucking a lot of line into the vacuum.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Good tip, thank you.

[@JancoKock]

You can also tie red and black togheter on the solar side and use your DMM beeper on the other side to figure out which pair is where (if you labeling scratched off :))

[@oshavlfarms7239]

If you're using lube, you won't cut through the conduit. If you're using that kind of lube, you should use the hose to get it in there. You can also use soap and water, or lots of things. I've pulled LDF, coax, 10-120+ strand fiber, 3/0-16 gauge copper, you name it over THOUSANDS of feet. Lube is your friend, and the feeder can and SHOULD push a bit as the ingress can always cause issues/friction. The bunching can also help you get around corners. Fish Tape works great for pulling too. The string then mesh is complete overkill and just creating extra work in my opinion. Also, with the ground. Put a ground rod or two near your house and tie the ground in to that. We typically wouldn't run the ground like that as with a ground rod on each side you're connecting to the same ground (though there are definitely exceptions to this such as ground fields for lightning). Think of the soil as a giant resistor, it will equalize the different between the ground rods 100' away and the potential difference will be slowly consumed by the resistance between the rods similar to a power resistor used when connecting a battery bank to an inverter.

[@InspiredScience]

Excellent point on ground rods. Plus, w/ground closer to panels, it provides much better protection. I was going to write a comment similar to yours; however, you beat me to it :)

[@sorinankitt]

Frozen ground can be thawed easily and safely by leaving insulation batts covered with poly for a day or two. The ground itself has heat underneath that is constantly rising even in the winter. The insulation blocks the cold air from dropping down into the ground. This is the same method that some roads are built with. Huge insulated panels are buried under high heave, frost prone roads to trap the ground heat rising up so the frost can't push down. I've done this for a 4 foot deep trench in winter and it works. The ground was soft the next day for digging.

[@MStrickkk]

Most of the time Mule Tape refers to the webbing that has a steel chaser inside it too. Also, KY Jelly is way cheaper than wire pulling lube, in case you do another pull in the future.

[@lunatik9696]

Nice I am looking at the Growatt 48V 6K low freq. SPF 6000T DVM The BMS turns off my 24V 4K Giandel unless fully charged and both MPPTs charging.

[@michaelwagner6877]

"I don't know what I can do about that" immediate cut to torch.

[@tonyb.4824]

I would put a fuse for each conductor in the large junction box. Overcurrent protection is important.

[@ronaksoni2729]

Next video is going to be a interesting one 👍

[@terrya6486]

Wow I would have gone with 2 inch pvc with that many wires. But you made it work good job !

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I wish I had gone with 2" from the beginning. Next time!

[@terrya6486]

@@DavidPozEnergy When I brought my 100 amp service wire around my house I use 3" and hooked it up under the eaves all the way around the house I had 96' to get to my garage where I could put my sub 100 and panelin that's the one that's always in my videos with the panel off and wire sticking out everywhere. Lol

[@bigdaddeo76]

On a long run through conduit, I used to use something I think was called an electrical snake. You can push it through the conduit, then tape the wires to it and pull it back.

[@chrissnyder8538]

If you'll notice at the top of the PV disconnect box and on both the right and left sides is a "fin" that is for guiding the wires away from the sides of the switch. The switch is referred as "snap action".

[@igorkvachun3572]

Yes 👍 ⚡🔌

[@Dennis-mq6or]

Great video Dave. You might want to investigate a compound called "NO-OX-ID" which would prevent oxidation from occurring where your wires connect, especially on those screw down terminal connections that remain outside.....

[@joedukes9760]

Especially important when joining dissimilar metals.

[@GREGGRCO]

De-ox, no-ox, etc. Good stuff. Even gray anti seize, only if you have to.

[@jeffpurdy2347]

FYI 690.31 Methods Permitted. Where PV source and output circuits operating at voltages greater than 30 volts are installed in readily accessible locations, circuit conductors shall be guarded or installed in Type MC cable or in raceway. 690.31 Methods Permitted. (G) Photovoltaic System Direct Current Circuits on or in a Building. Actions for Section Where PV system dc circuits run inside a building, they shall be contained in metal raceways, Type MC metal-clad cable that complies with 250.118(10), or metal enclosures from the point of penetration of the surface of the building to the first readily accessible disconnecting means.

[@kamarasune6568]

For as many things that you are fabricating for your builds might I suggest you invest in a $ 45- $ 75 hand held Whitney punch. From what I've seen you do I'd bet it would quickly become one of your favorite must have tools in your collection. Love your channel btw :)

[@SuperVstech]

Pull a green ground, and use ohm meter to choose wiring strings. No need to prelable them Also, you could tie a black and red together for each set... labels are simple too.

[@bsimpson6204]

We used to call this ‘belling out’ when we installed a new multicore cable we always tested each core was correctly terminated

[@thabisomodisane1435]

You always come up with a plan , it can be building, fitting , connecting your a Millwright Electromechanician

[@danielrivest8942]

David, You should never run a ground wire in rhe same conduit as other wires. If you had a lightning strike the ground wire by induction would transfer the hi voltage to all the other wires. Regards Daniel

[@slip0n0fall]

Great video. As a matter of conciseness: THHN is not technically rated for wet locations (underground conduit is considered a wet environment). That said, most but not all THHN is dual rated as THWN, which is. The other gotcha is THHN is often found in the 90*C column, but THWN is at 60*. You're videos have been a great resource to someone just getting started in solar, so thanks!

[@aboveallthingslove6349]

"Bonding" is the handshake, and "grounding" is your feet on the ground.🙂 In a bonded system the boxs, conduits, and mounting system such as struts etc carry the non-load but conductive structure containing the wires. If for some reason something shorts, it will be carried to the point of the run where it is then properly grounded or earthed. So basically, the metal conduit and boxes conductively bound together will do nothing unless you then ground a "bonded" member such as a metal conduit, metal box, or metal mounts connected along the line to a properly sized copper multi-strand wire and grounding clamp connected to the final grounding rod. Tip: If you try to connect to what would appear to be a conductive structural member like an I-beam or a metal water waste or service pipe you will probably fail inspection plus it can be dangerous.

[@AveRage_Joe]

Looks like we did many of the same things lol. I also changed my solar to a 6s, used 12awg as well but runs are not as long, the same bag, line and vacuum trick to get the wires through. At my job we also use that book of letter stickers when rewiring cannon plugs or anything really. Great way to label! Fun times!!!

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Thanks Joe.