Fault Finding Solar PV System - Electrician Life
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Fault Finding Solar PV System - Electrician Life.
Join us as we do some fault finding on a Solar PV System
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If the inverter has galvanic isolation (a transformer) you don't need a type B rcd as it can't put dc onto the circuit. That one looks like it may not have one, so you should check the spec. Is the dc isolator built into the inverter? Good idea to start with resistance test prior to applying high voltage for an IR test as it can pick up electronics on the circuit before you blow it up...The main switch in the DB can be considered as the double pole isolator at the supply end, so the other one is redundant...Greta is a poor manipulated child, not someone to take advice about geophysics from....
Solar tech adding two cents to the live work conversation. As long as the sun is out, you're going to have DC potential at some point.
As for those Knipex pliers, they're quite useful for battery and PV panel string connections where the potential chance of an arc exists.
@DIY Projects Assuming the panels are equipped with optimizers.
99% of the projects I've seen either predate that technology, or the client didn't install due to the additional cost.
They're nice to have, but ultimately another layer of complexity.
WOW I was just thinking of how neat and tidy that board was "expect for the air supports" Would you like an inside and an outside photo of my Solar system in New Zealand? How do I sent them - there could be 4 images?
Mon-Fri and Sunday: working about 60 hours...
Sat night: sitting with a beer watching work related videos on TH-cam😑
Can’t deny I love the videos though, keep up the good work!
Client reports circuit breaker tripping.
Cory: immediately identifies circuit breaker is shagged.
Jordan: Becomes preoccupied with the idea that the heavy duty 4mm cable has somehow developed an intermittent dead short without the RCD noticing.
I know which one I’d rather pay £100 an hour for.
😂👍🏻
Got to justify the extortion sum of money to charge somewhere... does appear that Jordan has little knowledge and no training of solar PV and is going with what he has heard along the way... how would you fit DC isolators if it was a Micro inverter system with one behind each panel?
That is exactly what I was thinking if your getting that low reading and the rcd has not tripped it must be something inline that you are trying to read through yet again another reason when doing insulation resistance is to test first at 250v removing the chance of damaging sensitive equipment
@@cms4467 They're not micro inverters, they're micro MPPT units. The inverter is still doing the inverting. You can still fit DC isolators to a SolarEdge system.
I was not saying that this installation had micro inverters installed. I was asking the question as to how you would you fit DC isolators to micro inverters.
I enjoy Cory being around✌🏼
Awesome
Amazed watching this. My solar was put in about 10 years ago and the installation quality is in a totally different league to this!
From a recently qualified a grade electrician from Australia , I am loving your educational and informative videos .. love your content and very interesting /beneficial for
Me to watch. Keep up the good work boys love it 👌
Thanks!
I wouldn't remember anything you see in this video he is good on EV but watching him have no clue about what he had here screamed incompetents. Nothing but false information and a clear lack of knowledge.
the more i watch your videos, the more i become interested in the EV side of electrics and i am now considering doing an electricians course (full course not a 1 week course) to become a qualified electrician and specialise in the green energy side of things. keep up what you are doing and hope you inspire others to go in the same direction. credit to all electricians out there
Did you dobthe course?
This new person brings a completely different and interesting dynamic.
I have been in the game 30 years+ and you are always learning as will all know and Artisan you are far ahead of me in the Testing side of things and more. What surprised me was a little bit of contempt re-inserting the DNO fuse . No Mask Goggles , No Gloves i used to do the same as you so i do not wish to tell you how to suck eggs lol. It was only through looking at this video's recently where a Guy explained how much damage can be done by even a simple arc .I also have noted DNO sparks NEVER re-insert these without a FULL face mask. Always enjoy your vids and think your professionalism is reflected in your subs. I would be interested in your views and understand the installation was not under load conditions when fuse was re-inserted Having worked a lot on large sites where H&E have killed the Trade we are always walking on a tight line .
Cory is a great balance to the team. Glad he’s on board
Thnks!
That Cory chap sounds very professional and has he tried the vegan steak bake from Greggs, very nice
Nothing compared to the Vegan pasty you can get from The National Trust. I am no Vegan but love a good pasty. :)
I love solar edge for the fact that you can just log in to the web portal and it will tell you each panels production etc good systems if installed correctly
I agree with him about the gloves. I got used to it doing large commercial jobs, so much that you feel bare and vulnerable without them 😂
Beats getting electrocuted.
Cory seems like a cool dude. I feel his pain with the errm hand issues. I can recommend O'Keefe's working hands cream. Works like a dream when I remember to use it.
Remarkable honesty in these videos, really great example of working electricians 👏👏
“Feeding electricity to the sun” its nice that the sun gets some energy in return !
Was warming up to Cory till he basicly said he liked Greta 🤣🤣 Great team work keep them coming !!
😂👍
Yes, Greta is sadly (like so many) ignorant of the real science and appears to be unable to grasp the many aspects of warming that are faulted and fail the Feyman test that "If an hypothesis isn't confirmed by experiment or by observation then it is WRONG. Not that it can possibly be explained by others. Just remember that NASA has had to apologise recently for its manipulation of historic data to make it look as it the planet is warming - when of course if you start measuring from the 1930s the world is still cooling.
@@corrigenda70 If you start measuring from 1649 we're definitely warming, what's your point?
Please don't stop making vids, very informative and beats the BBC.
Super Job Cory! You found a solution that fixed it. Wow Great team work! THUMB UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheer!
A New title for the video, "Polishing a turd" :) Love watching and listening to your troubleshooting!
Thanks
Great dynamics between yourself and Cory - excellent additional to the channel.
What I like about your videos is that you do things like all tradesmen. You even admit - 'What do we do' but of course you come up with the solution. II used to do electrics in my earlier day of house renovations but could never tackle what you guys have to do (and show on paper!) these days.
You are correct in that all TV is rubbish in the USA also ! Love your content !
I’m a meter fitter (I know scum of the earth) but it’s good to see that electricians have to deal with poor solar installers
That meter box was just lovely, it's just been thrown in! great job considering what you had to work with.🙂
Cody’s tool of the day is a great idea!
I think BigClive likes disassembling broken MCBs :)
👍
I like the tool of the day! I see it earlier in the video and thought that is a bit of me!! Will definitely be purchasing!
Awesome
I have been retired for a while now. I love the site banter. Watching this reminded me what it was like. Keep it up. Would love to see the gloves when the are printed haha.
I am sure The inverter shuts down if it cannot detect a grid voltage. As the voltage from the inverter needs to be higher than the grid supply. Pleas e correct me if I’m wrong. The shut down is there to protect linesmen from shock if they are working on the lines down the road.
Yes you are correct, its called "Island protection" mandatory for grid tie inverters
There are quite a few situations were you do work live, such as industrial commercial, and medical premises. Ford's won't let you shut down a production line , so you can word dead , not will Tesco let you switch of there computers because they need a few extra sockets in there computers room . At the beginning of this year in stalled 5 hot air curtains in a yoga and gym club , that in use 7 days a week . 5 brand new circuits all connected to two live Hagar 3 phase boards . So when you work live make sure you don't work alone and make sure the person you work with know what to do in an emergency . It's on of the joys of being a sparky working on live circuits . You don't have to be mad to be a sparky but it helps
Do your IR testing at 250V first. Some units don't like 500V and can be costly to repair. More often than not these very low readings are hidden equipments and not cable damage.
Great fault finding and resolution. Good improvements to a shoddy slapdash install too. Top marks.
When the sparky says 1.5mm is good for 23 ish amps... You don't want your ring main fitted.
I would assume that the cable run is also out of spec. But you really can't tell how far it is from The video.
That house looks like it's old and had a few refits. And sadly I can say I've seen worse.
Don't you test for DC leaks on the AC?
The subtitles for Greta are awesome! Grub grub thumb bag! 🤣🤣🤣
😂👍
Love the 'Allo 'Allo 'pull zee main fuse' impression!
Cory is a very good Electrician he should start up on his own
The Guy is good and agree with idea of insulated pliers
Where are the separate dc isolators??? Poking around an invertor without panel covers
giving customers the answers to fix diy = priceless well done lads you "thats entertainment"
Jordan and Cory seem like a good team so there is no need for Cory to start up on his own provided he is satisfied working with Jordan. A good team can achieve more than the individuals within it if it's working well. The challenge for Jordan is to let Cory grow and become more of a partner than an employee. Good work guys!
you can see he has got briliant future, absolutly no limits what he can achive
I like Cory already. You seem well suited together.
👍
Interesting. It’s evidently a long run from the inverter to the main meter cabinet, evidently with the ‘generation’ meter also mounted in it. My own place is much more compact by comparison, but with the gen meter and the relevant RCD and switchgear on the other side of the wall, which happens to be a front porch, with the standard meter box being on the other side of it’s wall. The inverter, which is an SMA “sunny boy” 1600TL product, is also inside the front porch, with the dc isolator next to it, and some ducting up to the roof attic for the panels. Alongside the dc isolator is a warning notice that the ac must be isolated first during daylight if required - not trying to break the dc current. If the inverter is working normally, it then shuts down into a fault mode - fed by dc only, with the relevant fault display. Occasionally that happens if there’s a mains power cut during daylight.
Around 4:50 “a bit of a mess” is an accurate description!
The other thing that’s a bit hairy in your presentation is the installation of private kit inside the meter box; in general, it’s owned by the utility supplier as far as the master fuse, and the DNO beyond. So in my case, the generation meter (which belongs to me) is not in the box - just a pair of cables into it from the inverter. I’ve had to have the utility firms meter replaced after it failed - most likely due to a local thunderstorm/lightning strike. Free power for a little while after that, until I noticed the fault and had to negotiate roughly how much I’d used!
Incidentally, re ‘Smart’ meters (mentioned by others), recently I had a fair bit of correspondence with the utility supplier (SSE at that time) with their compatibility - or lack of - with solar PV. They did not want to install those at such sites then. I don’t think they know what to do about export when they are in use - the new ones should be able to measure output as well as import, but then one’s generation meter isn’t ‘smart’, so they can’t match the two together when handling ‘feed in tariff. At present, I’m on 50% deemed export, and they probably prefer to stick with that until the whole lot expires.
I Love nerding out with these Electric guys..great video!!
The total installation needs to be rewired and installed correctly. The customer is lucky you took on such a lash up !
Great work from you two. As questioned, this deffinitely looks like the unfamous Balkans standard install, which tends to work until it doesn`t - 50 minutes to 50 years, no promises made :)
Genuine Top Guys! 👌 Quality as always
Rouge traders when it comes to solar. Incompetence is all I have seen in this video
8 have waited for an electrician for 6.months now. Wish there were more around.
Never working on anything that's live? Sometimes you don't have that luxury, for example when working on the installation in a hospital. You can't go there switch circuits off where someones life support could be connected to. And for such a purpose these pliers are made for. The partially insulated which electricians normally use are only to protect ourself. The fully insulated are to prevent a power outage caused by short-circuit. And depending on the area where we use these also to protect ourself against the arc of a short-circuit, for example in a CAT IV area. This is used in addition to an insulated rubber mat where the electrician stands on (these are also rated 1kV, like the insulated tools), insulated gloves and eventually a face shield and arc resistant clothing. And of course only by an experienced electrician.
400V, 5kA arc. Video is slowed down, that happens in 1.2 seconds:
th-cam.com/video/8MsiciK-9Ew/w-d-xo.html
BTW: Voltage testing is also considered as working on a live circuit...at least it is here in Germany.
I like to use dry sticks too
It takes a minimum of 3 mins for the inverter to kick in after supply has been switch on check out G98/G99 standards, and MCS, if you want a bit of advice on solar drop me a PM, sometimes the DC disconnect isolators are built in to inverter, what size is the system if it’s more than 16 amp it requires DNO approval so should only be on a 16 amp mcb unless there’s DNO approval (G99) ( what is max out put of inverter )
Just FYI you don’t need 2 CTs the Eddi will kick in based on the CT which measure the incoming supply, but you get more detail on the Eddi with solar CT
Physically that looks like a 4kw inverter and there aren't many available until you get over 12kw
It's solaredge dc isolation happens under the panels with the optimisers
send the faulty switch to bigclivedotcom for autopsy
Good, I picked up right in the beginning that the CB was faulty because of the sound and when you pushed it up to reset it did lower a bit. Regarding the "lockable enclosure", it would still not be acceptable to me here in SA because that specific enclosure would fall under what would be termed "suppliers" enclosure, therefor no consumer equipment would be allowed according to our regs. That would certainly save you the headache of in situations like these. I hate enclosures that look like a crow's nest with no space or order in them. Much appreciate your videos.
Remember working on a customers house who had one of the first solar systems fitted in the UK years ago planning had no idea of what it was . A German firm came over to fit it before all the feed in tariffs . they wired it so the old disc meter went backwards when the solar panels were producing electric. the owners soon learnt not to let the meter go back past the previous meter reading because the billing system assumed the meter had gone all the way around and a huge electric bill would appear
So they would on very sunny days run lots of electric heaters outside to make sure the meter never went too far past the last previous meter reading and if it did they would make sure they had to use a small amount of electric to stop any investigation . Every time they came to change the meter they would runaway . the installation was covered in Achtung stickers and warning stickers of a electrocuted man . free electric was far better than feed in tariffs they had years of being hassled by energy provider but always refused to change the system .
Great video. Nightmare of a space issue there especially if customer decides to upgrade to smart. One thing I'm curious about is why go straight in at 500v and not 250v?
What excellent young chaps you are. Do you cover Leicestershire?
If you pull the main fuse then the solar inverter will shuts off. One of the basic safety features of all grid-tied and hybrid inverters need to be approved for connecting to the power grid.
I enjoy your video even as a layman it teachs me alot about how electricity works in the uk! keep up the good work.!!Btw where are you based incase us viewers want to hire you for a job???
Thanks! Based in Cambridge
I always use 250v first when doing insulation resistance testing then when I’m sure nothing is connected use 500v
This is how I was taught it ensures the circuit is clear thus avoiding damage to vital components
Meter fitter is going to have fun fitting a smart meter in with all that crap
What a great excuse to delay the smart meter install, I think I will go and clutter my box so it won’t fit
@@electricery smart meter installation is optional or just ignore your supplier like I am with eon
@@haldo691 i do ignore them, unforturately one day some dick in government will force it to be compulsory because the Smart Grid needs them everywhere so they can control the useage
not best practice to fit any equipment in meter cupboard but us sparkies sometimes have had to do it.
Distinctive and good work......... Follow you from Iraq
Interesting to watch two eyes working on a job. I wonder if it's a help or too many cooks. Some may 'think' faster but that may confuse the other in the process. I think it works if one eye details the job they will do, and the other eye reviews what they intend to do, as a waterfall.
Cory when I was a lad I was told to pizz on me hands to toughen them up 🤔😳 but I do wood not sparks
did you do it is what im asking?
“ Gabriel” nope but some times now but that’s only because I’m old lol
Caddy van tour please!!
Wrong electrician I think 😂
3:43 The boiler flue is mounted upside down; the eccentric inner tube must stand up
I was under the impression that the DC isolator is the important one, as you can’t safely work on the inverter without first isolating the DC, while the AC side is rather simple to isolate even without an dedicated isolator
It's solaredge it has an optimiser on each panel when you turn the inverter off it drops the voltage down to 1v per panel and next to no current. an iso is always best practice but everything he has said and done in this video shows his incompetence and lack of knowledge don't get me wrong the installer was trash but this guy should give the customers money back he shouldn't be allowed to touch another PV system again. Anybody who was competent would have been there 20mins
I've got a similar unit in my shed. Had a faulty MCB, totally over sensitive.
You need 2 DC isolators, one for each solar string. 😉
no you don't, for old sting transformer inverters yes. not for solar edge. The toggle switch on the bottom left is an internal DC isolator. when is switched off there is no load on the stings going to the panels because of the Solar edge optimizers giving out safe DC voltage. still shoddy tho.
@@donzotv1667 those optimisers are a great idea also reduces the voltage to around 1v per panel when there is no load on them.
The danger is from high DC voltage coming from the solar panels in daylight, not voltage coming from the inverter.
@@martinwragg8246 under the panels there are optimisers that communicate with the inverter when the inverter is turned off or switched into safe mode the voltage per panel is 1v with next to no current
Didn't you need to change the MCB 6A with an RCBO 6A (or an Combination of one RCCB and one MCB)? The Original Installation was through the RCCB to both of the MCB. Now you have one RCBO and one MCB without RCCB protection. Please let me know whether that is correct. Thanks. BTW: I like your channel. Greetings from Austria (The Country without the kangaroo's).
At 3:10 - Cory's right GT is Cool!
Hahaha what great people - Happy days! :D
At 18.05, yes the system should be off but you don't know if the system has been wired correctly and maybe still live when turned off. A friend of mine was shocked when he checked a large electric motor in a factory, all he did was put his hand on the motor. The company electrician had wired power to earth, yes he did chase the electrician through the factory to tell him what he thought. As for the fully insulated tool, a good idea.
Nice install, nice to see the competent schemes work. As for the gloves, the people who insist on electricians wearing gloves are numpties who don't have a clue and are pen pushers, you try putting an RJ 45 end on wearing gloves, or even getting the end of some insulation tape, you may as well wear boxing gloves.
If an electrician can't work live I don't know who can, we do live testing, again the health and safety fairy's, be like saying to a soldier you can use a gun but don't use live ammunition, the country has gone mad.
You walked by the DC isolator lads, on the inverter box look at the lower left sticker, HUmmm! Makes me wonder.
2 guys at £100 an hour, well at least the customer got Laurel and Hardy for their money
Why is the client not getting the installer to sort the issues with the install, they obviously don’t feel it was done right, the mcb fault might be the only fault but with the rest looking like a poor job, the relatively low amount of time checking it is all good and then being able to fix and advise the customer of anything you would recommend is also fixed!
@@russellbosley5988 got his money and run, charged top dollar I bet
Love your videos Jordan ,very interesting and informative :)
I' am watching you video from nepal
Very interesting as a solar user.👍👏👏👏👏👏
Nearly everything he said wasn't true he clearly know nothing about solar pv
Glad you spotted the missing DC isolator... Should be one per string since they are geographically separated... these PV installs were a complete wild west....
What a mess that was. Sterling work guys. It's always a right headache undoing and redoing what a butcher has slashed in.
The installation inside was bloody awful.
never stand in front of the inverter whilst its generating or even when the dc voltage is ramping up. best chance of the inverter components blowing in your face. the modbuss meter needs to be fused down also to below 3amps. and the over all install is shocking. where is MCS when installers are install this sort of bodgery. makes my blood boil.
? Did the government really subsidise thousands of installations, each having a similar standard of workmanship?
Oh how I wish you where in Bristol !
Is it normal to run cable outside the house, especially under the door with foot traffic? Wouldn't that be dangerous?
love the youth in your video he is such so so funny but the future well done
Leaving exposed conductive parts on the end of that flex feeding the CT is dangerous in a box like this, even if it does require a tool to access, consumers need to check their meter and you can't expect them to realise these exposed parts are 230V. If you opened this box and saw single insulated tails, you would code it. All the supply equipment is double insulated.
All of the solar gear should have been mounted in a separate box, with the CT inside an enclosure tp maintain double insulation.
Plus you took that cable off an RCD...
what codes can you see i can just see loads of 1
You are right, it's more entertaining than the rubbish that is on T.V. even here in New Zealand.
Haha thanks
What would be amazing for Solar fault finding panel side would be a DC volt stick/pen wish it was a thing! I’m a solar PV installer and it would save so much time lifting each panel and looking for un connected panels
DC isolator isn't a requirement. The toggle switch on the solar edge is fine as a functional isolator due to the optimisers only putting out 1V per panel when disconnected from the inverter. But saying that its always good practice to install a DC isolator.
Very interesting topic. Thank you very much. Good luck.
What about that lovely massive Wristwatch tho? What model is that? Great tips, thanks.
Full re-wire. Warranty on the solar edge was voided by you boys opening it.
Cool two guy from Ireland
You can't polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter. I'm a sparkie and had to go round after my solar installer tightening compression glands which were all left loose. Is it that they forget, is it the apprentice or do they just not know?
That un-glanded SWA is unforgivable.
Super I always enjoy your videos helpful
It's a solaredge with panel optimisers. With any fault fro the iverter the panel will switch to 1V output. No DC isolatoer needed. Also an unplugged string will only generate 1Volt per panel.
I installed these kinds of inverters quite easy to install and trouble shoot
I see spider webs, Cory is not a good electricians mate, I think I need to take back what I said on the other video it appears that he is not getting on with you Jordan, he wants those ear spiders to get you he's not protecting your ears, tut tut. - great job lads keep it up the good work, I personally can't wait till I start doing work as an electricians mate on especially PV and EV I love problem solving.
Yeah I would have started by taking all that PV system out of that box and putting in a new external meter box specifically for it. New mains meters won't fit and if there's an electrical problem on line in all the PV system is lost with it
A DC isolator is required as well as an AC although I've never seen an inverter produce anything once disconnected from the AC, after all they're required to shut down without an AC supply and have no voltage or frequently to synchronise with.
Voltage drop on a long feed is a real problem. I always check the cable type and size and the length vs stats
Not the best idea doing a 500V IR test L > N with that generation meter downstream! PV electrical side is fairly niche. If you need any advice/guidance in the future please message me.
W = V x I (neglecting power factor) so 230 x 0.9 = 207W
Instead of replacing single breaker they replaced more! and dual pole RCD with single pole RCBO to make system against regulation as I remember this way it will not protect as this is supply of power! NICEIC was created to stop messy instalation! HAHAHA so why they are giving certificate everybody? 130k subs must be amusing channel, this scenario was writen well! We should learn a lot from mistakes of others but unfortunately many times it is from own mistakes as that will teach you the best! I wish you way more subscriber and hope your next video will clarify your mistake and you should change CAPTION and explain your fault to save others from making RCD and RCBO works as MCB and safety is like 50 years ago HMM.
Greta thumburg tatto sounds ace. Do a vid of that.