Fixing Common Solar Installation Mistakes | Preparing for Code Inspection with the EG4 18KPV Part 2

[@ahbuildingafarm]

Definitely like the code compliance insights. A lot of people here in Tennessee don’t realize that even if you do an off grid - zero grid touch system it still needs to pass Tennessee State inspection. Many Tennessee counties don’t do electric inspections in which case you need the state to inspect not Zero Inspection. Therefore many “off-grid” solar systems are not to be used for your home. Perfectly fine for your RV, but for a home it needs to be compliant

[@davidowen7600]

awww... David grew up so quickly... much more professional... thank you.

[@jimbob100-d3l]

Would be much more useful to show how to do a full install that complies with NEC (solar groundmount, dc disconnects, running conduit to house, etc.) instead of picking random code things to talk about

[@SignatureSolar]

Thank you for your feedback!

[@KentWarnick]

Good job! Keep the training coming.

[@SignatureSolar]

Thanks, will do!

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Awesome, thank you kelly, super helpful!

[@SignatureSolar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ayo7607]

So if everything needs to be rigid with meyers hubs coming in to the box, why does the conduit box come with plastic European connectors?

[@SignatureSolar]

If you’d like to reach out to our manufacturer EG4, they may be able to help!

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

It looks like there is an expansion sleeve on the PVC that is coming into the meter box...To account for thermal expansion. Do you know if the other PVC sections coming out of the ground need that same expansion sleeve?

[@jeffwinkelman6574]

Love to see what a setup with a meter collar looks like

[@Electronzap]

Nice, looks good.

[@patriciamariemitchel]

I ran all my wires into the basement where my Sun 2000 Huawei inverter and breaker box are. The only thing I have out there is the cut off switch and the meter that was already there.

[@afreeland]

How do you determine the breaker size for the A/C disconnect switch? Also links to the products used above would be helpful =)

[@stuartlancaster7808]

The breaker can be no larger than the panel it is feeding is rated for.

[@afreeland]

@@stuartlancaster7808 so the ac disconnect will sit between my 18kpv inverter and a 200amp feeder breaker. So this would mean a 200amp ac disconnect would be required?

[@SignatureSolar]

We recommend consulting with an on site electrician

[@dalenulik5622]

What did they put on the end of the aluminum wires at the end,?

[@SignatureSolar]

It's electric grease. It insulates and protects the wire from corrosion.

[@mikeremillard5414]

what size wire do you have on the grid connection

[@SignatureSolar]

The wire size that we used in the video was 2 AWG for the Grid connection, however, you will need to size your wire according to the OCPD and the amperage that you are planning to pass through your inverter for your specific setup.

[@gosolxsolar]

The EG4 is a transfer switch itself. It is a listed interactive inverter. That means it automatically disconnects solar and AC coupled backfeed from the grid when it senses loss of power from grid. I just can't see why added an additional transfer switch...much less a manual one. A simple solar disconnect would be better to meet code. Even better would be if there were a throw switch in the inverter for the AC coupling. Then, an external disconnect wouldnt even be necessary for AC coupled microinverters.

[@Cairos1014]

Same question. Why the external transfer switch? The 18k transfer feature is one of its appeals.

[@SignatureSolar]

With an external transfer switch, you can still have grid as an option if something happens with the inverter itself without having to rewire things

[@gosolxsolar]

@@SignatureSolar Hmm. I thought the inverter had a hardwired grid pass through. Have you had situations where the power to the house actually went down when an EG4 inverter failed, but the grid was still otherwise available?

[@iamblaineful]

@@gosolxsolar It's more for maintenance and to deal with an inverter failure, the house can continue to be powered by grid while the inverter & solar is completely offline. It's not something you would do daily when the sun comes up, strictly to ease maintenance for the PV side (inverter, batteries, solar) without interrupting the house AC.

[@kirkking6601]

When the Inverter is down for updates or repair you can flip the manual transfer for grid power.

[@JobE-km2up]

In the first video you had a Rapid-Shutdown button. Where did that go? If the panels are on the roof Rapid-Shutdown is still required. Otherwise a much better looking system. Thanks!

[@SignatureSolar]

We took it out because it was not required. It is built in to the 18K. If the 18K was installed indoors, it would need need an additional one to be installed outside to be easily accessible, but this particular outdoor installation does not need one because of the 18K already having one built in.

[@rosalynfranklin3654]

Where did you place the CTs?

[@SignatureSolar]

CT information can be found starting on page 20 of the manual of the 18K: eg4electronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EG4-18KPV-12LV-Manual.pdf

[@neo2299]

Why not just use the grid pass through option instead of having all those extra boxes?

[@pdavis2207]

They are using the grid pass through option, the extra boxes and transfer switch are necessary if you want to be able to disconnect the EG4 to work on it or bypass it in case of a failure of the unit.

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

So many boxes, so much labor and materials. There has to be a better way.

[@americannumber2]

18k is weather proof I didn’t know that

[@pdavis2207]

Yes, but there may be some placement restrictions when it comes to direct sunlight, the manual covers it. I personally wouldn't want to put anything this expensive outside and exposed to the weather.

[@pete4778]

You have to manually switch to solar to use the system with the transfer switch. My system is automatic with a automatic transfer switch.

[@SpottedCow1604]

I dont think you understand

[@pdavis2207]

You would only use the transfer switch in this case if for some reason you needed to bypass the EG4. For example if it were broken. Otherwise all grid and solar power would be being passed through the unit.

[@prestonjmathis]

I did a setup like this. Had to use the manual transfer switch we were adding a battery and reconfiguring the AC piping to accommodate the additional battery