Getting the first part of the solar system in the ground with a 14 panel array that will feed into our EG4 6500ex all-in-one inverter with LiFePO4 batteries.
Hey this is your neighbor again that is a lot of solar panels wished I could be up there this week help you and learn something but you're racking system is about what I have been thinking about I hope that it will withstand our incredible winds up there that we get keep putting me up videos really enjoying it thanks
Great video. Thank you for answering how you attached the panels to your frame. I won’t need to ask again because I read the comments before I started typing. 😀
All panels facing south is an old idea left over from the 80's when batteries were cheap and panels were expensive. Now it is the reverse. If one has the space, a set of panels facing east is a great idea. Battery quickly recovers early and power is produced all day long lowering battery requirements. I'm almost a batteryless system and have refrigeration, dishwasher and clothes washer all from PV. Any excess power heats water and I am at 62C before 10am so she can use the dishwasher. Laundry has its own hot water tank and all cycles are done with hot water. I don't waste any power from the panels.
What hardware did you use to tie the panels to the structure. I am always intrigued to see what people come up to mount panels if not using any type of rail system. Looks great, I also have an EG4 but haven’t installed yet, just running on an older Growatt. Working on a second array with more panels installed to get my voltage up closer to 450V. Thanks.
Hey Jimmy, so I temporarily mounted the panels in place with some clamps and then drilled 1/8” pilot holes through the 2x6 at 45° and then into the bottom edge of the aluminum panel frame. I then ran a big deck screw through each hole that cut a thread into the aluminum and anchored it to the wood in 6 places per panel. I don’t doubt it’s holding ability, but the screws may experience galvanic corrosion down the road because of the metal mismatch, so it’s something I’ll have to keep an eye on!
@@RidgyDidgeRanch thanks for the reply. I was looking at some unistrut to attach to my 2x6 and put some of the bolts that slide into the strut and use a large washer between each panel where they meet. Just need to find an end clamp for each end of the panel. I am sure I can buy the stuff, but seeing what I can find for cheap. I got some unistrut from a building that was torn down. Most of it is in good shape, some of it is bent, but it was free and that is for me. Have fun on your project, off grid is the way to be. 😁
HOWdy B-b-B, You installed your 1st PANEL on the wooden RACK - 🙂 = HOW ? How did you attached them --- You TESTED each Panel - could we SEE while you do this ? COOP ...
Hey mate, so I didn’t bother with the Z clamps in favor of an angled screw through the wood and into an undersized pilot hole in the lip of the panel frame in 4-6 places per panel. Testing the panels was just checking open circuit voltage and current numbers compared to the spec sheet. I’ll touch on this in the second video when I connect it all up and test the true power numbers under load. Appreciate the feedback!
@@whoguy4231 the EG4s are great but I’ve always wanted to build my own battery! I’ve started with a ~15kwh setup from lf280k cells. It’ll be in the next video!
Hey this is your neighbor again that is a lot of solar panels wished I could be up there this week help you and learn something but you're racking system is about what I have been thinking about I hope that it will withstand our incredible winds up there that we get keep putting me up videos really enjoying it thanks
Great video. Thank you for answering how you attached the panels to your frame. I won’t need to ask again because I read the comments before I started typing. 😀
Looks Great , won't take long to hook up the panels , the hard part was the structure for the panels. thank you for sharing.
All panels facing south is an old idea left over from the 80's when batteries were cheap and panels were expensive. Now it is the reverse. If one has the space, a set of panels facing east is a great idea. Battery quickly recovers early and power is produced all day long lowering battery requirements. I'm almost a batteryless system and have refrigeration, dishwasher and clothes washer all from PV. Any excess power heats water and I am at 62C before 10am so she can use the dishwasher. Laundry has its own hot water tank and all cycles are done with hot water. I don't waste any power from the panels.
Looks like very easy to build and thanks for showing. Where did you got your solar panel? past the link if you have time. Keep going...
What hardware did you use to tie the panels to the structure. I am always intrigued to see what people come up to mount panels if not using any type of rail system. Looks great, I also have an EG4 but haven’t installed yet, just running on an older Growatt. Working on a second array with more panels installed to get my voltage up closer to 450V. Thanks.
Hey Jimmy, so I temporarily mounted the panels in place with some clamps and then drilled 1/8” pilot holes through the 2x6 at 45° and then into the bottom edge of the aluminum panel frame. I then ran a big deck screw through each hole that cut a thread into the aluminum and anchored it to the wood in 6 places per panel. I don’t doubt it’s holding ability, but the screws may experience galvanic corrosion down the road because of the metal mismatch, so it’s something I’ll have to keep an eye on!
@@RidgyDidgeRanch thanks for the reply. I was looking at some unistrut to attach to my 2x6 and put some of the bolts that slide into the strut and use a large washer between each panel where they meet. Just need to find an end clamp for each end of the panel. I am sure I can buy the stuff, but seeing what I can find for cheap. I got some unistrut from a building that was torn down. Most of it is in good shape, some of it is bent, but it was free and that is for me. Have fun on your project, off grid is the way to be. 😁
HOWdy B-b-B,
You installed your 1st PANEL on the wooden RACK - 🙂 = HOW ?
How did you attached them --- You TESTED each Panel - could we SEE while you do this ?
COOP
...
Hey mate, so I didn’t bother with the Z clamps in favor of an angled screw through the wood and into an undersized pilot hole in the lip of the panel frame in 4-6 places per panel. Testing the panels was just checking open circuit voltage and current numbers compared to the spec sheet. I’ll touch on this in the second video when I connect it all up and test the true power numbers under load. Appreciate the feedback!
He built the rack and install the solar panels in just under 6 minutes 😂
Huh... You got an aussie accent ???
Yeah mate, I spent the first 23 years of my life in Australia!
@@RidgyDidgeRanch Good luck with the build... You're fast, took me almost three years to get offgrid. Hope you go with the EG4 batteries!
@@whoguy4231 the EG4s are great but I’ve always wanted to build my own battery! I’ve started with a ~15kwh setup from lf280k cells. It’ll be in the next video!