What is LOCAL FEED IN? Adding Solar to the Anker SOLIX F3800 & Home Power Panel System

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Solar Panels & More Battery System Options: signaturesolar.com/?ref=ksgadwsb If you want to purchase solar panels in bulk or learn more about other battery systems, I'd highly recommend checking out the stuff from Signature Solar at the above affiliate link. They also carry the F3800 and it might be a good option to purchase from them in order to gain access to their excellent customer service.

[@Talkischeap82]

Well done Dad. You are the man, Oli is a better man bc of you.

[@jonathanguess4052]

It's so cool to see your son helping you and learning one day he could use his talent that you're helping showing him how to do it

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I completely agree.

[@2kevbob]

Oli is the best apprentice. Keep it up

[@robbe8858]

Nice your son is enthusiastic and working hard with dad And learning .

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

@robbe8858 I really value getting to involve him in these projects, and thankfully, he actually really enjoys it.

[@airos52]

As a PV installer, I say you did an epic job! I can see your attention to detail, and even reaming the PVC Connections. I would have done the layout different. Instead of a braket on each panel, build a structure with 4 brackets, and then put the panels on rails.. also the wire management was well thought out but technically PV Wire should have no more than 6 inches of direct sunlight. Again, great job, and next time you will make lots of improvements but ultimately your work ethic shows through, and you put a wonderful system together.

[@simon359]

I do like Anker products and bought two of the 767 versions, but found the solar input to be the biggest deficiency. I would rather go with the Apollo, where you can add series strings, and then parallel them together for a much higher solar input!

[@mdunbar04]

Great Job Ollie. Your helper did ok 2. 👍👍

[@finned958]

Good video. I hesitate to install the Anker Solix system from the 2 issues you mentioned. Feeding power back to the grid when you designed it as off-grid and the battery will waste solar power instead of powering up the house with excess energy. The load balancing is also an issue too. These aren’t major. Anker could come up with solutions in the next few months.

[@swmike]

Solix should really have put a wider voltage range MPPT into the devices considering how big they are otherwise. For these kinds of sized systems one often put them into series and run at several hundred volts.

[@ericgold3840]

A side comment about PV design, since I did not hear it mentioned by Ben: While I think it is fairly common knowledge that wire has to be rated for 125% of the Isc, there is also a voltage consideration that applies to cold climates. If two panels in series have a Voc of 60V and the electronics are rated for 60V, cold days are going to increase the output voltage at the panel to somewhere in the range of 0.3 - 0.4% per C degree drop below 25C and potentially expose the electronics to over voltage Maybe that long run with its voltage drop was a blessing is disguise, at least in the cold winter.

[@jake-mv5oi]

Hope Anker paid for all that cable. Nice work.

[@ZachSolar]

Such a fun project to take on with your son. Well done!!

[@monochromatech]

I didn't realize you were in MN. I knew I liked you for a reason...

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Ya youbetchya! We like it in Minnesota except for being controlled by the Twin Cities.

[@ericgold3840]

Impressive -- no less your son than the project. But 60V and a 250' run hurts my soul. That ended up being a LOT of copper, connectors, and hard work. I cannot help but wonder if a transformer would not have been a better way to go.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I agree there are more efficient methods. The goal here was to demonstrate what can be accomplished within the design restrictions of this system. There are many possibilities long term that may change with the way I have this set up. Working with Ole is definitely a highlight of these projects.

[@KY4TRK]

You need to upgrade the splitting/combined to the same awg wire if 10 awg is all you can get in those splitting / combined to liment resistant into the XD60 conecter.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I agree that would probably be the way to go. I was actually pleasantly surprised when looking at them with the thermal camera that they were running at a reasonable temperature.

[@mrscoot1]

Why did you waste the space in between the 2 containers? If you put a roof over the gap then put the panel brackets and solar panels you would then be able to concrete between them and have a covered area to store things in or a covered work are! Just a thought

[@mrscoot1]

LOL! As soon as I entered the suggestion to put roof between the 2 containers , you mentioned it. Hahaha! I do think you are gonna want the roof over the gap between the containers!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Haha, that's great. Believe me, it was a SIGNIFICANT consideration. We'll see if I end up regretting my decision. Looking at the priorities in the next few years, I don't think i would be getting to that. If I did have to move them, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It did take longer than expected to get them set up, I have to admit.

[@cliffordwalker6372]

Awesome instruction and great editing!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Thanks!

[@mikew3563]

Great project but keep an eye on that LB location going into your foundation, I get there was not much room there but you should really have an Expansion joint to allow movement. If going through the sill instead of the block is an option that would allow more room to install the expansion fitting

[@user1390]

I set up a very similar situation, but I am now changing it to a series set up and I’m going to put a 48v battery and charge controller between my panels and my ankerf3800 so I can get more power into the anker at Max charge potential. I have very similar solar panels and I am only able to get 1300 to 1400 W at peak time during the winter. Because the panels are only 31 max Volts, each in parallel the wattage potential is under used. I think you beat mine and distance because mine are 100 feet away and yours look further. I suspect because of the high amperage that there is too much heat loss in the transfer of the power to the anchor so put them in series with a lower amperage and a higher voltage makes more sense for me. Thanks for the videos always interesting to see different people set ups.

[@tlteal]

Wow those panels are NOT cheap and showing almost $450/each. Nawww.... there are much better deals out there! :-) Great setup and thanks for sharing!

[@TheOriginalCheezWiz]

More details on your friend getting the call from the utility. How has that turned out? It would be best if Anker didn't try to zero the usage but it may not be feasible. I dont think the current sensors can tell direction of flow. I also expect my utility to come knocking and accuse me of backfeeding because iif i watch my meter while it is zeroing the meter I can see alerts popping up on the display of my digital utility meter. It flashes a code that seems to be an alert to the utility to have a look.

[@Bigsparky710]

I’m Interested in this as well actually.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I have a video in the pipeline on this topic.

[@Bigsparky710]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom I tried putting my ct sensors in my sub panel and it wouldn’t allow my f3800 to test out so I had to keep them in the main panel.. I don’t have my solar hooked up yet so I figured it would be a good test to see if Xcel notices .

[@TheOriginalCheezWiz]

I know a way around this but it sucks. I move my three remaining breakers and the HPP breaker to another sub panel. I then place a 10w load in my main panel and put the current clamps on the line feeding the new sub panel. What a PIA that would be, but it would potentially solve the issue.

[@TheOriginalCheezWiz]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom, I finally got my solar hooked up and noticed that my electrical co-op's customer portal is marking my days as average rather than showing my actual hourly usage. I think they are seeing the powershaving and believe it is an issue of some sort.

[@alanday5255]

Are those bi-facial? WOW those ANKERS are expensive, Hyperion makes 400w bifacial panels with up yo 500w with Bifacial Gain for only $132.00 each. I love them.

[@patcaribou]

As one who works in the solar industry, I think your design is really creative. However, I worry about connecting 3 panels in parallel like that...especially if those connectors are only AWG #12. To find the wire ampacity, normally you'd multiply the maximum current x 1.25...(a 2400W motor on a 240V circuit draws 10A so your wire would need to be rated for 12.5A). But with DC solar panels (and you can refer to NEC690) the "maximum" current is short circuit current (Isc) x 1.25....but then you have to multiply by 1.25 again! It sounds like your 400W solar panels have a pretty low voltage / high current to begin with, so if your short circuit current is 13A, then the wire has to be rated for 13A x 1.25 x 1.25 = 20.3125A ! And that's just for 1 solar panel! So if you are paralleling 3 together, that's a 61A ampacity..., that's gonna lead to trouble. I get that each "home run" is a parallel set of #8, but holy smokes that's a lot of wire, and if those Wye's are only #12, that's definitely going to be a problem especially where its only a single conductor carrying all that current (should be #6). Additionally, with 16 current carrying wires running in conduit, you have to derate your wires by half. The other thing too, are the input specs on that inverter - Most "grid tied" inverters or even Lithium Ion batteries with built in multi-mode inverters have Maximum input voltages of 600 - 1000VV. So you're 12 solar panels would normally all be connected in series with only 2 wires leading back to the inverter, not 16. High voltage, low current = generally more efficient. But definitely keep an eye on those connectors. The fuses won't save them.

[@patcaribou]

Also..."shorting" a solar panel, unlike a battery, essentially plugging the positive lead into the negative, is not dangerous. The maximum current will be limited to the Isc. I wouldn't recommend it though. You could probably unplug 1, since the Max voltage you'd get when you tried to unplug would be 30'sh V. But if you had 10 connected together in series....and then plugged the positive into the negative....shorting that whole string out, again, wouldn't be dangerous....but it definitely would be if you tried to disconnecting it.

[@patcaribou]

"Additionally, with 16 current carrying wires running in conduit, you have to derate your wires by half"......So essentially 2 x #8wires, derated at 0.5 has the equivalent ampacity, 55A at 90C, as 1 x #8 wire. Still below the required 61A, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[@SalvadorButtersworth]

Yes the F3800 is only designed for 3 solar panels. 6 if you connect 2 of the units together. And that is ridiculous, for something that allows expansion batteries up to 52kWh.

[@johnturner7060]

High voltage inverters are the key. Way less costly than your cable!! You could have add two strings of panels in series running on 10 gauge wire to the inverter. As always your video is interesting and your explanation is excellent

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I agree 100%. It's not necessarily the most cost-effective option. We just did our best to work within the limitations of the way the system was designed.

[@LarryRichelli]

The way to do it for more solar is to buy a AOlithium 51.2v 100ah server battery and 48V charger and plug that battery into the Anker. You could then put your panels into series and have a much faster charge setup

[@denarhue1]

Help are y0ur batteries in the container.. I did not want my batteries in my attached garage for fear it would get too col

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Batteries are in the basement so that they stay warm. 👍

[@TheViking34482]

I had a question removing the neutral wire well on my old generator I just hook the two hot legs to the panel and it worked just find for over 40 years so why can't I do the same on my new champion 7500 watt running

[@TheViking34482]

Well I will ask again when hooking up the whole house from a generator why hook up the neutral and ground from the generator when you already have that in your panel and they will work even when the power is out

[@williamwilson6499]

2:08 Vertical mounting is considered best for bifacial.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

@@williamwilson6499 Is that because the panels are naturally just a bit higher that way?

[@williamwilson6499]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom The two faces catch the light reflecting off the ground. Check it out. It seems counterintuitive, but there are videos of guys testing it and it seems to be the best way of mounting bifacial Panels.

[@williamwilson6499]

Let’s try again. Maybe KZbin will let this comment stay. The panels get the light reflected from the ground along with the direct light. Seems counterintuitive, but you can find information gathered from testing that shows a better output from the panels.

[@skpoe]

Thank you Benjamin for the video/example. The Anker panel link you supplied is broken, would you recheck please? Would you share a diagram on how you connected the all panels in parallel for one of your XT60 channels? Which brands of Y branch and 3-way branch cables did you use? I have an F3800 with several panels and trying to see what I can do better.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Thanks for the heads up on the link. I'll check on that. I believe there is actually a diagram that accurately depicts the parallel setup that we used.

[@skpoe]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom Thanks for the follow-up. Still looking for the diagram, can you respond with a link for it or add it to the description links please?

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

@skpoe It's in the F3800 manual. Text me at [phone] and I'll send a screenshot.

[@skpoe]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom Thank you. I'll double-check the manual before I bother you again.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

@@skpoe Not a bother at all!

[@edmanyiu]

Hello, do you know if the F3800 has floating neutral or bonded neutral?😊

[@ATHORNFAM2]

What was the total cost of this system?

[@Shalatee]

Did you run 8 awg wiring from the HPP to the solar array? And were the wire connections coming from the solar panels 12 awg? If so, is it safe to connect 8 awg to 12 awg wiring? Thank you.

[@tweetybird7668]

so how long is the payback period for what the entire set up cost you, inquiring minds want to keep

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Would take a long LONG time. I'm honestly not even sure that it ever would break even. It's more about having options in emergency situations than something that makes money.

[@tweetybird7668]

@ I thought so too

[@tweetybird7668]

$2/day is hard to justify there might be other ways to save energy by just conservation

[@weicheungbasil]

How many power set was use?

[@Amperekaefer]

Danke für das Video. Die Querträger für die Panels sind auf den Containern *falsch montiert* ! Ein Fehler der immer wieder gemacht wird, auch bei der Montage von Trapezblechen für Bedachungen. Die Trägerschienen gehören auf die Dacherhebungen und nicht in die Rinnen-Mulden montiert. Das Wasser sammelt sich in den Mulden und somit ist Wassereintritt ins Containerinnere vorprogrammiert. LG

[@Trillville43]

Great video, and a lot of what you want is offered in the Delta Pro Ultra.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Since Anker was first to market in this category, their competitors took note of their user feedback it seems.

[@ricardorios5638]

Hi , you said 405 bifacial , so these are Not Anker panels. Or are they ?

[@awbean5254]

WHERE DID YOU BUY THE TRIANGLE ADJUSTABLE BRACKETS FROM FOR THAT SIZE OF SOLAR PANELS?

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

NO PROBLEM HERE IS WHERE I GOT THEM FROM FOR: amzn.to/4fnhSiY

[@awbean5254]

Thanks for sharing. We enjoyed your project!

[@rcguymike]

future test? get a victron 250V or higher voltage MPPT use that to charge a 5kW server rack battery and then plug the Anker inputs into the 48V battery. I bet you could gain some efficiency and only need 1 or 2 pairs of wires. I'm actually doing that with my Delta2Max and moved the solar I had going to that to a 100/20, increased my overall gain some and now I can choose to either run the house off the MultiPlus2 or feed either 1 or both MPPT's on the D2M which feeds our networking equipment/critical loads.

[@user1390]

I’m doing exactly this with the same set up. He has except my charge controller can go up to 500 V and I’m using a 48 V battery to charge the anker faster and longer. It does cost a little more money for the battery in charge controller, but I double my solar charge capability..

[@Cire63]

Nice job. I like your hat.

[@salty6pence672]

Beaver Cleaver?

[@johnshorba]

It seems like after doing research you're saving a lot of money going with the Delta Pro ultra, once you hit two batteries you're at 12 kW, the 6 kW battery is the same price as the 3800 kW battery as of 1/16/2025

[@AOHgoog22]

A+ WE NEED ANKER SOLIX TO MAKE A SMART LOAD CENTER RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL PANEL TO CUSTOMIZE CONTROL

[@Bigsparky710]

From what I see you should have ran 2 pipes with that setup and hopefully you don’t get over heating issues with all those wires together… you should have derated with all those wires in the pipe. Second you really should have went with bigger wire. Your volt drop is gonna be massive at that distance.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

8% voltage drop. Have analyzed with the thermal camera, and I don't think we would be required to derate? The most that would be drawn on one of the 8awg conductors with the way this is setup is 13.5 amps. 27 amps if I only used one set of 8awg per panel group. Let me know if I'm missing something.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

What type and size of wire would you have ran? I'm genuinely interested in your opinion. As far as I'm aware, it was necessary to run PV wire specifically since we can't technically transition to THHN or similar?

[@Bigsparky710]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom well 8% is less then what I would of expected to be honest. Still over double the industry standard but I know I spent a good amount of time figuring this out. First off that distance, voltage and amps . My calc says you would need 1/0 to get close to 3% . I’m going about 90 feet and I ordered 4g PV copper and according to my calc I’ll be under 3% which is standard. What I decided to do was use a 3 in 1 to parallel 3 - 400watt panels. Then connect a 8g mc4 short wire. I’m going to cut the one end off and then connect my 4 g wire with my 8g using a Polaris in line connector. It’s a big rubber connector for line side use. This will allow me to connector 8g to 4g PV. Also I didn’t know you’re in MN because I am a master electrician up in the cities. I’m doing basically the same thing as you but ground mount and 90 feet away. Also always upsize wire you spend more cost up front but the amount of saved in the long term pays itself off easy when talking about percentages of loses.

[@Bigsparky710]

@@BenjaminSahlstromso when you’re installing wire inside of a pipe you need to count of many current carrying conductors are in that pipe and upsize according to the NEC. This is because of heat build up and could damage the wire or start a fire. Idk if this would happen but on a hot day and drawing a lot that’s when it would be the hottest.

[@Bigsparky710]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom NEC- 310.15(c)(1) adjustment factor for more then 3 current carrying conductors. I been doing electrical for 17 years in commercial and residential. This is my first solar setup, so it’s been a long learning experaince to do this correctly and safely. I also am using inline fuses as you did, then I also want to install a 40 or 50 amp breaker installed for each set of 3 panels. I am also installing 12 panels REC 420watt 48.8 volts. I found a retailer selling them for about 190$ each so not bad at all and they are top notch panels.

[@qapla]

I enjoyed the video but did not follow the links since my browser blocked them and reported "Peter Lowe’s Ad and tracking server list" Since you ran extra wires now, you can double the number of panels later without having to retrench or try to pull wires through an already pulled conduit.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

That's was definitely a consideration.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

What is the meaning of the tracking server list? Obviously, they are affiliate links, but is there an actual issue with them? I definitely want to do my best to provide excellent and accurate links. Really appreciate the feedback!

[@qapla]

@@BenjaminSahlstrom I did some additional research. It seems "Peter Lowe's list" is a list some ad bocking software uses to report that a link is tracking a "pass through" click. This tracking is used in affiliate links so someone like you can get credit for the click. There does not seem to be an actual issue with the link it is only being blocked because the link click is being tracked - although, in this case, it seems to be harmless tracking. Looks like your links are safe.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

@qapla Thanks for the follow-up! I appreciate why some people use ad blocking, but affiliate revenue accounts for probably close to 1/3rd of the income for my family. Thanks!

[@troyh9223]

Hi Beaver.

[@LarryRichelli]

All I can say is if you paid that much for panels, you did not check out Signature Solar! 450 watt Aptos panel $176

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I'm definitely aware that there are better deals to be had! This was meant to demonstrate how Ankers equipment performs when installed as they intended. I'll definitely be getting some more cost-effective options in the future.

[@bizzfo]

Pricey panels

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

True. They're not the cheapest out there.

[@hardymichael533]

EMP PROOF

[@SolarizeYourLife]

You could have used two 2 gauge to the house... the F3500 solar input only 25 amps??? How are you connecting all these panels to it??? They need to seriously update it to 80 v input!!! Ecoflo kills Anker on solar....

[@Bobcat1950]

Income vs outgo. How much including your labor did it cost? How long will it be before you break even? How much maintenance will be required going forward? I enjoyed the video, but it is not feasible for me. My son did it, other than the tax breaks he is disappointed. More so, after a few roof leaks.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

I don't think I would be interested in installing solar on a roof unless it were standing seam steel. Regarding break-even, I don't think that I would. It's honestly less about "saving money" and more about having a backup solution that doesn't require fuel in a long-term outage scenario.

[@publicmail2]

SO you saved about $4, $31 vs $.31.

[@publicmail2]

Couldn't you just power some big powerful LED's back at panel at night? Of course not, nothing for free. Bifacial panels uses are unique and get you about 10-20% extra, especially in areas with snow to reflect light. The added cost of panels to me makes bifacial return questionable to me. Anytime they sell you something that says "up to", the results are unrealistically unachievable, like having the perfect snow reflecting at just the right angle to the backside.

[@robertb287]

I retract my earlier snarky comment - You are getting paid to use the F3800 - I assume the equipment was your incentive - as before there are bad things about how it was done detailed below...

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Please be specific with what bad information you're talking about. I always appreciate feedback! This video was meant to show how you can deploy solar within the design limitations of the F3800 system.

[@robertb287]

​ @BenjaminSahlstrom Sorry I write novels but it is all pertinent. By switching from temporary install using a generator plug or transfer switch to permenant install using wiring you are subject to all the safety rules from the NEC. OK - first the bad - The NEC requires an EGC (Equipment Ground Conductor) be run in the same conduit as the PV wires. This wire is connected out at your array to the panel frames, racking, and connex boxes. It keeps you from getting a shock from a voltage differential at the frames. The other end of the EGC at the house connects to the house grounding system, (i.e. your main panel has a ground bar, or you can pick it up where you are either using power to charge the batteries from the grid or are back feeding the grid. I see in the instructions for installation that ground bar in the Solex power panel. There were NO frame grounds that I could see. You can tie the EGC to one frame and then connect the opposite side of the frame to the next one over using ground clamps. The wire being exposed would need to be bare 6awg solid copper wire. Many HF style inverters put AC power out on the DC PV lines - I haven't looked to see if the Anker does this - to check - out at the panels with everything connected measure both AC and DC voltage across one of the Y connectors - i.e. either leave a panel disconnected with the rest connects. If you get any AC reading at all, that is bad. The frame grounding to the EGC eliminate this hazard mostly, but a disconnect between the inverter and panels before you work on them is a must. If this is true, it should be present anyway. NEC requirement is for wire support every 4.5ft. So you may be ok there except for the places where it looks like your Y connections are under a bit of tension from the panels being to far apart. You are missing a DC isolator - this is a method of turning off the string when you want to work on things. As is you are plugging in your panels when the voltage is live. The isolator should be located outside the house just before your wires enter - it should be mounted at a comfortable height like 4ft. You can get one isolator per string, or you can get one big one. Personally, I would want one at the array and one at the house, but the one at the house is mandatory. The cheap copies on amazon are junk, but they buy real ones even though they cost. The DC isolator is required by NEC 690.12(b) - must be easy access without tools, readily accessible, and interrupt the flow of current. It can be a DC breaker or the isolator, but the isolator is a much better choice. Metal enclosure or the flame proof plastic that IMO makes. There should also be labels on all conduit containing DC cables. Note - if your wires don't enter the building near your main service disconnect you need a fade proof card to tell the firefighters where the DC disconnect is in case they need to kill all power to the house. Otherwise they kill your AC feed and get electrocuted by the DC feed from the panels. Ideally there is a master rapid shutdown button by the imoautomation.com/imo_us_usd_view/products/solar/dc-isolators-dc-disconnects.html You are missing any form of SPD. These should be installed at both ends of the wire just before it heads up to the array and just before entering the house. Your 200ft run is like a large antenna to any nearby lightning strike and will generate hundreds to thousands of volts on the wires. The SPD will short that to the ground (the EGC again) and prevent your expensive equipment from being damaged. I prefer the midnite solar brand, but there are many others that will do. The need for an SPD per set of PV wires is one reason people use a combiner at the array - it limits the number of expensive SPD. Suggestions - Turn the Unistrut being used as wire trays sideways - this keeps the wire out of direct sunlight. Zipties - the common type are made from nylon and with weather badly and fall off over time. Get stainless steel ones and use them instead. Also, get wire clips to attach the wires to your panel frames. Lengthen the wires as needed to make it all neat and tidy and not able to swing in the wind. MC4 - do you know what brand your MC4s are? They should all be the same brand - there are many cheap knockoffs out there that use steel verse copper pins , and they don't fit together to make a low resistance connection. They don't stay water tight. You may want to think about some dielectric grease on the tips of the pins to keep the moisture out when the o-ring seals fail in a year or three Tools - For anything over 10awg a Greenlee 1903 wire stripper - it won't damage the wires like I saw when you stripped them with the wire cutter. For 10awg or smaller an automatic stripper works well. The AMZCNC hydraulic crimper - the dies are marked in AWG, but they are actually metric. This is why they don't fit what they should, and you can end up with wings or loose connection or having to crimp with two different sets of dies... Sometimes, it takes one size on one side and another size on the other side to get a good crimp. All of the cheap ones from Harbor Freight or Amazon are like that. If you get frustrated, go buy a real crimper like the Temco TH0005 or TH0006. They are marked in AWG, and the dies will crimp neat and correct and imprint the wire size into the lug/pin when used. Design - The panel arrangement of 12 x 400w all in parallel is very inefficient - I realize you did this because of the Anker input restrictions on their MPPT. You are losing something like 400w of power while charging. This is the resistance of 16 x 8awg wires. If you were to switch to something like a Victron 250/85 MPPT you could add a combiner box at the array and run 3 parallel strands of 4 panels and only loose 90watts - that is using the wire you have in the ground. If you ran just a pair of 4awg you would have the same effect. The problem is you would need to tie all your inputs into a set of bus bars and hook the output of the MPPT to it. This would mean smaller conduit and cheaper wire since you could use THWN wire instead. Wire size - You have 3 panels in parallel which means you need to use the panel Isc * 3 = 13.8 * 3 = 41.4 amps * 1.25 * 1.25 = 64amps - this is the minimum wire size you can use per string. in conduit you have to use the outer diameter of the pv wire to calculate the fill percentage - just looked up a couple of random 8awg PV wires and for 16 strands of 8awg means you need to use 2" conduit - looks like you did but I couldn't see for sure. NOW the fun - because you have 16 current carrying conductors in the PVC you need to derate them according to Table 310.15(C)(1) of the NEC - so they can only carry 50% of the rated capacity - so instead of 40amps you can carry 20 amps but you have 2 of them per string which means you have 40amps - which is below the 64amps you actually need by code... Good thing this is off-grid. Neatness counts - you have stacks of those batteries and back to back in places - that sort of setup would never pass a formal inspection - They would need to be in a row tied to a bus bar and the output of them connected to a generator input. Grid backfeed is a whole different issue I am not going to talk about other than to say it requires an interconnect agreement and that setup wouldn't pass the power company inspection. For attaching your frames securely I suggest marking where the holes in your strut are and welding bolts to the boxes with the threads sticking up. Then you could just sit the strut over it and run a nut down to secure things. Wind uplift calculations on panels is pretty insane when you have them mounted tilted up like that. The two panels on each set of struts could lift several hundred pounds if you got a 30~50mph gust - not sure where you are located, but my county has a wind and snow load map. Use the tool in the link below to find your loading by address. ascehazardtool.org/ And last - FYI Red cable will fade over time, so it will be white in a few years. This is why all PV wire is typically just plain black. and P.S. I love the kid powered wire conduit puller - I have some wire I need to pull through the attic. Do you loan him out??

[@robertb287]

I forgot to add a question, you don't show where the wires go once they enter the house, but the NEC says they MUST be inside metal conduit in or on a dwelling. Did you do this? This means inside you would use EMT or FMC to get them to the location/room where they terminate. In that room, I would terminate them in a metal raceway and use FMC over to the end where they plug in so just the end is exposed. The reason for this is the cables is rated at 156% of current expected to be carried, but it is a constant on that never goes off if there is sunlight. This means if there is a short to ground or between the cables it can smoke and eventually cause a fire. In theory not, but better safe than flames. The issues all stem from the F3800 being sold as temporary units versus permanent installation, so they have no knockouts to terminate FMC or MC conduit at the units. To me, this is reason enough not to use as a full house backup system. They are designed to be easy and foolproof, but that also means they don't really meet the NEC for a permanent install like you have done. If you are pulling wire in large conduit like that it is sometimes a good idea to run an extra pull string along with the wire. This way later when you need to add an EGC you can just pull it verse having to pull all the wire out then run it all back in. I will sometimes also run an extra pair of wires I don't intend to use now for expansion later. You could use one of your existing wires as the EGC if you have a spare, but I am not sure you do from the derating. Were it me with all the wires you have pulled - I would add a combiner box with a set of bus bars at the array. Connect 7 of the 8awg wires to it using lugs you crimp on to each bus bar. Use a fuse holder per wire up to the panels - so 16 fuse holders. Add a midnite solar SPD there. Then at the other end have another bus bar set where you connect the 14 wires, then a ground bus bar to connect the rest of the stuff to. Add the SPD here. It is better outside, but where your bus bars is will work. Add FMC or MC whips to reach each of your input connectors with the XT60. Now the real question - can the F3800 take straight DC verse panels that it needs to run the MPPT for? According to the FAQ you can do this- well, they used an example of a 48v100ah server rack battery - this is the same as using the bus bars as I describe. If you put in the Victron MPPT I listed earlier between the 7 sets of cables and the bus bars. I could draw you a diagram of what I mean if you want to pm me a place to send it. The caveat is you can only use one of the ports on the side at a time when doing straigh DC charging - which seems odd... kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnfPg56Dop2lesUsi=ghUzLCraZq6k0A5Z&t=667 A box like this would work at the array and is large enough for the fuses per string, the bus bars, a disconnect that does all your strings, and the SPD to mount. You can put a 2" or whatever size your conduit is. Make sure to tie the metal to the EGC. www.vevor.com/electrical-enclosure-c_10749/vevor-20x16x8-carbon-steel-electrical-enclosure-wall-mount-junction-box-ip65-p_010399775149 add a DIN rail for fuses, screw the bus bars down - all three of them - pos, neg, and ground. Fuse holders - then a box or two of midget fuses www.stellavolta.com/copy-of-soladeck-1451-power-panel-component-din-terminal-block/ What you are making will look similar to this www.stellavolta.com/midnite-solar-mnpv10-1000-combiner-for-1000vdc-fuse-holders/ Advantages of the combiner box - - Gives you a place to mount the SPD - Gives you a place to mount the DC isolator - Gives you a place to transition from 8awg PV wire to THWN or other wire - Gives you a place to mount a breaker for the wires feeding back to the house - this means you no longer need 156% of expected current - now you only need 125% of expected current so even derated your wires are more than big enough and you can spare a set for the EGC. This changes from needing 8 SPD to needing 2. And you still need the DC isolator before the cables enter the house. Label requirements since it is a permenant system www.hellermanntyton.us/industries/energies-solar/nec-690-pv-labeling-requirements In particular gp1.wpc.edgecastcdn.net/00AC62/documents/datasheets/SOLARPOSTER2020.pdf I know it is more work, but it is a lot safer. And shameless plug - you can learn a lot about all of the solar from diysolarforum.com

[@Dmitrytln]

Solar panels are available for lightning, but you use them without surge protection.

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

How would you recommend adding surge protection?

[@raaah]

Get the Solix for free? Cause that’s the only reason I can think why you would run all that wire the way you did. You could’ve bought a different system and saved more money less work that’s why I thought you got them for free

[@albertomartin70]

Those are the worst panel for the Solix F3800. I dont know why Anker did that. Why they sold them in a packaged offer too with the F3800. Worst Voltage / wattage combination for the Solix F3800.

[@mrscoot1]

Do not talk about fight club! Lol when you do not put your conduit together 1st, do not show video. Lol ! Just do it and say you did it correctly! Hahaha!

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

Haha, I definitely thought about doing that! Decided it was a good learning opportunity to share my experience more transparently.

[@Samlol23_drrich]

They are bifacial? Does that mean their mom is Caucasian and their dad is African American?

[@KY4TRK]

Are you a oxymoron, bifacial means they get solar energy from both sides of the panel.

[@Samlol23_drrich]

@ dude……….if you didn’t realize I was joking than I’m not the oxy…..

[@BenjaminSahlstrom]

🤣

[@idahoduckhunter]

Yes solar companies grew to where they needed Hr dept and inevitably a push to be more diverse