DIY Electrical for Solar Installation Detailed Main Panel and Enphase Microinverter w/ J box
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- In my Solar Installation I added a breaker to my main electrical panel and extended conduit to the roof where my Enphase Microinverters are wired. Detailed wiring details are shown for the Jbox on the roof, Enphase combiner box wiring and the utility shutoff switch. I also discuss permitting in California.
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Here is a followup video made August 2020
• DIY Electrical for Sol...
View my entire playlist for grid tie enphase installation.
• DIY Solar Grid Tie Ins...
Here is an outline with links you may want to read if you are doing your own wiring.
1. I do not recommend you do this dangerous work yourself. I am not an electrician but the City of Redondo Beach does permit homeowners to do electrical work on their homes. Doing your own work is dangerous and it is safer to hire an experienced licensed electrician.
2. This video documents my DIY Solar install of the electrical portion of my project. This is the most time consuming portion of the project and it also the most risky because you are working with the main panel. You need to turn off the entire panel before working on the panel. Be ready to shut off power to your entire house while you do this work.
3. You may choose to do some of this work. The job is segmented into:
a. Main Electrical panel
4. In California most cities like Redondo Beach, California have adopted the California PV Permitting Guidebook plans as a way to expedite permits. You can get over the counter approval if you use these plans. I also used Solar Design Tool get.solardesig... to generate a set of plans that incorporates my roof layout etc.
5. This design used Enphase Microinverters iq7plus rated and 290W
6. 2.7 kw project small but I don’t want do any more vertical wiring to the roof in my lifetime. It is likely there will be better solar technology in the future on the rooftop and it is possible that electric vehicles will cause more demand on my electricity. I may get a SPA in the future so I may expand. I have 2 spare #10 wires in the Jbox in my 7 panel array so I can hook into with my hex array.
7. Conduit selection was chosen for me by plans EMT Also it seemed that California PV Permitting Guidebook chose ¾ Emt on page 46 section 3.3 .
8. Solardesigntool.com chose 1/2 however I changed to ¾ inch conduit per the requirements of the California PV Permitting Guidebook.
9. With ¾ conduit I chose 10 heaver wire because I had excess room and #10 has lower voltage drop and is more upgradeable.
10. I am pulling 2 extra wires #10 wires for future for expansion. This costs about $30. A 500 foot roll of #10 wire is $85.
11. Enphase Microinverters ac wiring to main panel
12. Pull setup - using saw horses
13. Pull coding using one spool black THHN #10. Use red electricians tape to mark your strings with 1, 2 , and 3 red stripes and keep one string plain black.
14. Ground is Green THHN #8 from panel to solar rack then bare #6 wire from Jbox at rack to frame of rack using Ironridge bonding connector on my RX 1000 iron ridge racks. The California PV Permitting Guidebook did not call this out. The solardesigntool.com plans I bought did call out minimum #10 awg for Equipment Grounding Conductors relating to NEC Equipment Bonding and Grounding section 690.43. The California PV Permitting Guidebook does refer to 690.43. solarprofessio.... Some jurisdictions have mandated 6awg wire because of “risk of physical damage”. I just went with larger wire #8 wire. See this link for more detail.
15. The plans called for a 15A breaker see your existing breaker for your panel manufacturer and order a 2 pole breaker for back feed.
16. The utility shutoff is a Square D DU221RB 30A I ordered a grounding buss.
17. Here are good videos on electrical install
a. • Solar Training - Conne...
b. • Solar Training - Pulli...
c. • Main Electrical Compon...
18. Here is a wire pulling video • Solar Snack - DC Wire ...
19. Labels on panels . see playlist for video • DIY Solar Grid Tie Ins... look for video.
Links
iaeimagazine.o...
get.solardesig...
• Solar Snack - DC Wire ...
energycenter.o...
solarprofessio...
thanks
COOP
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Just curious how you handled your pipe vents? did you move them or use one of those solar jacks?
My panels are up high. It is my understanding the the new code in some instances allows the vent pipes to be cut down depending on the jurisdiction. Here is a link to the video I did discussing this possibility. th-cam.com/video/bkT9MB33h50/w-d-xo.html .
Great video......
Thank you. Hope it helped. Good luck.
On the Avasva you can count on professional help with problems and technical support.
That's good I was going to say you need ground always need ground no matter what electrical you're doing you're always going to need a ground especially the type of voltage that you're running on that roof I would say ground it always either with the conduit or all the way down to the ground but I would say all the way down to the ground but I'm just a first-year electrician I've never done solar electrical panels
Your fittings dont look to be raintight. Did inspector flag that?
This is about what your panel should look like when you pull the cover off it. The Inspector did not pull the cover off the panel. I do have a video that shows the panel cover on here is a link. The video was long so I not show the panel cover. The panel was to code back in 2009 and all I did was to add a back feed breaker so all the wiring is pre-existing except for the back feed wiring. th-cam.com/video/4cLcHLtSl14/w-d-xo.html
Andrei I am using rain tight couplers and connectors I don’t know the areas you are referring to. I passed inspection. I am unaware of any rain water getting into my fittings after a year.
Why you think that in AC disconnector LOAD SIDE it is a solar side ? In this case it is produces energy (side which gives you energy as main panel)
And this disconector belong do solar system, so, logical thinking LINE SIDE it is side from solar panel 😊
Line side is toward utility. Do some research on terminology. I didn't question it. It is in the code so I followed it.
I know what are you talking about, It talk us only about situation whrn Main Service Panel without PV System but I tried find out something in internet and couldn't find anything =( because it is little bit confused. And noone can't explain why PV syctem can't be LINE SIDE
Is there a reason you chose to fish your wires in a jbox from so far down? Im about to install the wires form the disconnect to the main panel but i was planning on drilling much higher.
Jason Cury Here is a video of the actual J box install. th-cam.com/video/8TOpCuC2-kA/w-d-xo.html . It is really difficult to bend the flex conduit and you need quite a bit of distance so the flex conduit can except a bend. I can explain further if you give me a bit more detail. Also I could talk to you on the phone.
@@dannyjensen4954 actually, just run a telephone 90° right out of the bottom of the main panel to a LB.
@@TheLostAdventuress The flex would not bend. I had a bunch of wires at the top. I was afraid.
@@dannyjensen4954 telephone 90 comes right out of the bottom of the panel, right into a LB no flex needed
@@TheLostAdventuress I have a flush panel. Can you link me to a picture so I can see how I could safely get to the panel knock out via the stucco? The wires were more spread out a few feet down. I did a video on the access.
Confusing and dangerous way to test. Again the art of talking saying nothing
I guess you need to read the rest of the comments on this page and watch more videos on this topic and perhaps this video will make more sense to you? I'm guessing you are just starting out looking at DIY solar. Sorry this did not help you. It took some time and effort to do this video and all I want to do is help people. I am disappointed by your comment and it does not inspire me do do more videos. Perhaps it would have been better to have no comment at all because comments like this one do not inspire me to provide help to others.
What a mess, watching this was like sitting at the public boat ramp watching people launch their new boat lol
@@Couchlover47 iw as taught but im 40 with a learning disability.. BUT merry Christmas!
bad camera bad "script" wind noise muffled everything
Post a link here to a better video having this detail you like. Please help others with your link.
Hi Danny, One of the best videos yet of the actual enphase grid connection. Thank You So my understanding is do not turn on Solar breakers until meter is swapped out to a bi directional meter by the utility company butall the voltage testing can be performed prior to the power company arrival
Thanks. Yes. You can / should test the ac on the roof but no panel hookup until you get written ok by the utility. I have other videos on my channel showing the permitting process. Here is a follow up video on testing. th-cam.com/video/B9WVQDinwVg/w-d-xo.html . I am aware of a number of situations where people did in fact connect to the utility before getting their ok from the utility. Have a fun project.
Not up to code with the black wire with red tape you'll get nail by inspector
It passed
Need Ground Bushings
@@ErnieLA- You are correct. I did need to add these! Good catch.
you are hard to listen to with all the ahs and ums
Thanks for taking the time to give me feedback. This was one of my first videos. I can’t edit the video portion only comments. At the time, I didn’t edit videos nor did I know how. I still have this bad habit so I need to slow down and I can remove all this in editing. Thanks for enduring the video and I hope you got some useful info.
IThe magnetic sensor is called CT (current transformer).
Someone help me understand. You need a breaker purely for the solar panels located at the very bottom of all of the other breakers. This will merge both utilities electricity and your solar electricity. Is this correct?
Yes. I have covered this in other posts.
Thanks for the video, in you’re breaker box I see you have a double pole breaker on the bottom back feeding you’re solar in , I have a question if you know - in my box the main lines come in in the 2 top beakers on the left is the way the electrician wired the box and the only two empty slots I have directly across from that is that initial using that backfeed the box with a hybrid inverter only for electrical loss ?
Your config is a bit unclear and I did a DIY install so I just did research on my own given my situation. Google main topic is NEC Solar Main Panel. If you are getting a permit / and are doing the work research the topic and visit your local city planning office to get your wiring plan approved with the inspector. Mike Holt does a great job on NEC. See this link www.ecmweb.com/national-electrical-code/code-basics/article/20896904/nec-rules-on-alternative-energy-systems-part-1
dude your are new and we all can tell
Thanks for taking the time to watch. My system was inspected by the city and has been running for 4 years now. If you have some input for others benefit I encourage you to share it so other DIYers can do a better job or maybe not do this project at all? Thanks in advance for your input.
Hey Danny! Quick question...I am at the research and pricing stage of going grid tied solar...Can I use a secondary breaker panel to be the "point of entry" for my solar panels? To elaborate, I have from my utility's smart meter panel a 100a breaker that feeds 1/0 wire to my man shed, where there is another breaker panel and a receiving 100a breaker. I want to tie my solar into this panel.
I have noticed that when power is out (storm, etc) the man shed does NOT get power from my Generac whole home generator...Not sure if this is by design or etc....but does that pose a problem/benefit to going solar?
Need to know if this setup can be done before I buy, or else the project has to go. Wife rules.
This is a bit out of scope from my DIY solar project where I got a permit from my locality. I really am not qualified to answered any of these questions. I guess I would look at the Generac transfer switch wiring, this should be a simple matter. I think the Generac transfer switch by design should protect against power going to the utility and shocking utility workers working on the grid. Some how your shed is being "protected" on the grid circuit? 1) For shed / generator service just look at re-wiring the shed to house side of your transfer switch? 2)You may look at running a separate 2 wire L1 and L2 with separate ground from your main panel to the shed area where you want your panels. You should have earth grounds connected to your main panel and earth grounds nowhere else. L1 and L2 connect to microinverters on shed then to a back feed breaker on your main panel. The big issue in my mind is not to blow up your microinverters with you Generac but it seems you already have a shed wiring configuration that accomplishes this! Please do let me know how it turns out. Sounds really cool having the Generac. Super nice setup and cost effective too I bet!
Common knowledge , cables always shrink after you buy them !
You can buy a wire stretcher if it's to short. It looks like an elbow with a chain
is it like green wood
I’m confused is your main breaker on or off when you’re back feeding the panel from a PV system.
Whenever I backfeed a panel I make sure I turn off the 200 amp main when Edison is out.
My 200A Main breaker is on when I'm back feeding on a grid tied system. I'm using Enphase iq7 plus microinverters and they need utility power to be on so they can sync microinverter output with the power company. I'm not using any batteries.
Appreciate your time and education, however the UMM... is to much buddy. Constructive criticism is all. Thank you for sharing.
I have been improving my editing. This was an early video. Thank you for your comment. Sorry for the issues with this unedited video.
How many times did my guy say UM
I’m working on it sorry.
I believe the right term is "spliced"
There are several factors in about this . One plan I found which succeeds in merging these is the Ewans energy roadmap (google it if you're interested) it's the most useful plan i've heard of. Check out the unbelievable information .
Hey bro am so happy to see your video I have so confusion about the grounding what now it's clear so many times I am thinking why we are using 8AWG grounding wire but it's depends on installer which one he wants to use 8 & 10 there is optional for the installer.
Thanks for your comment. I have no I idea. I think I just followed the State of California Guide . 8awg to be safe .. I guess.
@@dannyjensen4954 thanx
How does the inverter wave synchronize with the line waves, I assume all the inverter do it automatically?
Yes this is automatic. All UL grid tie inverters now are also required to accept commands from the power company I think.
This is an Enphase system with microinverters so I’m showing the complete install. My breaker needed to be on the bottom in my case per nec 2014 option 2 see link www.jadelearning.com/2014-nec-705-12d2-understanding-pv-interconnections/
I'd like to know why you need the ac in from the solar on the bottom breaker? I did my own installation and worked with a professional installer who told me the opposite - top of the stack was where you want the solar in. My system has been up and running for 7 years with no issues.
Hey Danny, just wanted to point out the tandem circuit breaker right above your new 2 pole 15 amp from solar system. Looks like you have existing 14/3 Romex wire going to this tandem type breaker. The problem is with the neutral wire of the 14/3 multi wire circuit. Neutral current adds up as you have the load connected on black and red coming from the same phase. I see this problem often, when I do a service upgrades for my customers. You want to make sure that if you use this type of a circuit breaker or anytime you wire 14/3 or 12/3, both hot leads are connected to opposite phases . You need to have 240 volts across black and red, then the common neutral current cancels out. Last say the load on black wire is 10 amps and 9 on the red one. Your neutral will carry only 1 amp. Otherwise, if they come from the same phase the neutral current will be 19 , where your 14/3 wire is rated for 15 amps for non continuous load and 80% of that for continuous loads - connected for 3 hours or more which is 12 amps. I find the copper neutral wires overheated due to the set up like this. Open neutral is dangerous, not easy to troubleshoot and when it opens, 120 volt devices connected to the multi wire circuit get 240 volts across. Not a good outcome. Second thing to look for is if your panel is rated for use with tandems, usually you will see it on a panel directory- one circuit breaker with dotted line A on the top and B on the bottom. Most cases the frame is rated higher, especially with the main lug panels. Also, having 2 pole 15amp as a source, you may need to downsize your main circuit breaker- depending on the frame size of the panel, if it is a main breaker panel.
Adam B I have 10 awg wire. No romex. My ground wire in 8 awg. My work was inspected by the city per the plans using the California Guide and solar designtool.com . The city has approved my install so I believe I am in compliance. Thanks for your. Comments.
Danny, I was reffering to 14/3 romex cable connected to single pole tandem breaker right above your new 2 pole 15 amp breaker from solar. All solar installation wiring looks good, thanks
Thanks for posting this up. I plan on doing a solar install in the next year or so and I plan on going with Enphase as I want to start out small and expand down the road.
Enphase will have iq8 this year. I may add a few more modules also. I may get a hot tub so I thinking about adding a patio cover with solar and pay some of the cost with the energy credit. I also have other videos. Thanks for your comment.
This was great, I've been looking for "solar power do it yourself free" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you heard people talk about - Piyaarter Uncomplex Preeminence - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now )?
It is a smashing one off product for discovering how to generate energy-on-demand without the hard work. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my partner got excellent success with it.
aren't you skipping the most important part of the whole set up which is the grid tie inverter . and by the way the PV breaker in the main panel can be installed anywhere inside.
These are Enphase micro inverters. Each panel has an inverter beneath it.
This is an Enphase system with microinverters so I’m showing the complete install. My breaker needed to be on the bottom in my case per nec 2014 option 2 see link www.jadelearning.com/2014-nec-705-12d2-understanding-pv-interconnections/
two questions: 1. is it safe to test out the system before inspection
2. is the back feeding breaking a special breaker or just a standard breaker with no special construction ?
Great questions. I'm not and electrician so I'm going to give you my impression based on the reading I have been exposed to under NEC 2014 rules and you may have more current NEC 2017? You need to ask your local jurisdiction and search the internet for multiple sources to confirm my impression. 2a) Take a look at this link www.jadelearning.com/blog/2014-nec-705-12d2-understanding-pv-interconnections/ for the breaker location and sizing. 2b) This is an ordinary breaker *without GFCI* . 1a) Yes look at these videos best to test your AC connections the roof and pretest all cables that will be on the roof. *Check for shorts to ground etc at each stage of completion on the wiring*. videos to watch **th-cam.com/video/4B-dTRpM6zE/w-d-xo.html** and **th-cam.com/video/cLZFpBz_yHY/w-d-xo.html** . Don't be afraid to test your wiring roof top with multi meter at the J box *before* you connect your panels and lay them over the JBox 1b) Test your enphase wiring in your garage before you haul it to the roof. 1c) test your enphase wiring on the roof 1d) Enphase IQ7+ were reading .63 vdc while not connected to utility power with the sun shining on the panels shown in one of these videos. 1e) Now. The big question to you connect the Utility power to your enphase system? Of course, this is the one thing you CAN NOT DO legally. I OFFICIALLY SAY DON'T DO IT WITHOUT PERMISSION TO OPERATE BY YOUR UTILITY! However, some people have been know to run boot leg systems for many months and don't get caught. I did not connect my panels to the utility before I got my Permission to Operate by SCE! If you were to do this I guess I would turn your system on at night first. Then I would just turn off all breakers in my house except for a wall outlet with a heater on it and kill the main breaker. Then turn on the main breaker and look at the meter. Then turn on the back feed breaker with the heater on it and look at the meter. You should see your meter load go away / greatly diminished with your panels energized. Thanks for your questions. I may do a video on testing. Good luck on your project.
@@dannyjensen4954 Thank you! i passed my inspection yesterday. The inspector was impressed. I also used the solar design tool and found an engineer online to review and stamp the plans. The system is up and running!
Dad Life Great Job. You saved a ton of money I bet.
Danny - great vids - thank you - curious if you recall what circuit breakers you required for you microinverters? I'd read somewhere on enphase's site that you need 20amp breaker per 16 micoinverters?
Shane Claussen Thank you for your complements. IQ7a is probably what you will be installing not IQ7+ like I installed. You need to look at the ENPHASE spec sheet. I’d pick the largest breaker rounded up to a full string.
@@dannyjensen4954 Thanks - I rechecked - look like IQ7 is up to 16 @ 20amps. Thanks for the quick response.
Hey bro according to my information there is 4 breaker of 20A slot in a combiner box and it's did not get more load from a 20 A breaker and the load is depend on micro inverter there so many choices in enphase like IQ7,IQ7+ & IQ7A according to this we send 16,13 or 11 modules per string if am wrong please suggest me.
I have the enphase main box as well and I can't get a green light because I now have a fridge running and its interrupting the communication to the microinverter. Do you know if the status needs to show green for solar harvesting to occur?
I have 2 refrigerators and have not had an issue. It makes some sense that maybe electrical noise would be causing a communication issue because the inverters talk to the envoy over line 1 and line 2. I'm guessing your green light is the envoy green light. i'm wondering if a power line filter connected to your refrigerator would fix the problem assuming you have isolated it to the refrigerator by turning off he breaker and having the problem go away. Here is a link for your consideration
www.amazon.com/Suppressor-Single-Phase-Line-Conditioner-JREle-JR-L010-N/dp/B073RMDRK8/ref=pd_day0_hl_328_2/143-9866339-4871133?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B073RMDRK8&pd_rd_r=7fe6fd8c-a51d-11e9-a213-f70688893b5a&pd_rd_w=nJjj3&pd_rd_wg=kXpoL&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=GHA3J0FPCJRS8Z7RDMR1&psc=1&refRID=GHA3J0FPCJRS8Z7RDMR1
Also, maybe could could check the ground wire where it connects to your service panel and try connecting your refrigerator to a different circuit via an extension cord to see if this helps to isolate the problem
@@dannyjensen4954 This is good to know. I have a GFCI hooked up to the fridge along the same circuit. I'll have to get that taken cared of. Thanks!
Kind on cable did you use from the roof to the charge controller ? Did you use OFC cable ? To loss the lest amount of electricity is see they want 0/0 wire but for 50 or so feet that’s expensive 10AWG wire you lose like 5% any info welcome !
Thhn 10awg . This is 220v ac. I thing you may be a 12v application? Batteries?
I'm shocked you can have 2 seperate power inputs to one breaker box. So you have A) normal 120v grid input at the top? + B) 120v solar power on the bottom left? Into the same breaker box? running at the same time? Or do you manually turn off the grid?
Yes. That is how Enphase works! It only works for Enphase. However, other string inverters connect in the save manner. It has been this way for some time.
??? With your hybrid inverter needs an ac input, so do you have another breaker somewhere going into the inverter? And then coming back into the bottom most point on your circuit breaker box? I’m very confused about that.
This is an Enphase micro inverter system. You can search for this and find the schematic for the wiring details. 1 inverter for each panel.
Hopefully don’t need to reroof anytime soon
40 year roof. I’ll be dead
Can you pls. post video measuring current at junction box, and specify your solar panels {KW\??}
Thanks much
Most home panels in Socal are 120-0-120 240 split phase. Most Microinverters are 240 single phase. "Enphase Microinverters ac wiring to main panel" How did you do that and keep from
putting 240 on a 120 leg
Enphase has line 1 and line 2 outputs. My service has 3 wires 120V line 1, 120v line 2 and Neutral. My service panel alternates line 1 and line 2. The 2 pole breaker I added landed on line 1 and Line 2. I was putting my meter on line 1 and line 2 in the video. All 240 services I am aware of are just like I described. I can but my meter across line1 and line2 and I get 240. Enphase units sync up to line 1 and line2. Enphase units have no neutral and are grounded by a chassis ground you must run to your roof top.
Are you harnessed in?!?! Haha jk
Nope. Not for the video. I've since learned a few things. Plus I'm almost 4 years older.
@@dannyjensen4954 I was jk I do solar too and that's always one shit my lead yells at us about 😅
What are the sizes of your circuit breakers? How many amps can your solar do? Like if the house Total panel is 100amp should the solar side be able to do 100amp?
You will need to look at the specifications of your Enphase micro inverters. Enphase determines in the specs how many micro inverters you can be in a string. In my case my IQ7plus units were 295W or 1.21 amps at 240v x 6 micro inverters = 7.26A so the breaker size was 15A at the combiner with plenty of head room. The combiner box consolidates IQ strings so it is possible to use a larger AWG wire and a larger back feed breaker at the main panel. However, many people at limited on how large of breaker they can put in the main panel by the size of the electrical panel. NEC code limits the back feed breaker size to a percentage of the total service. The NEC code varies by region. In my case, I have a 200A service so I have plenty of room for back feed amps from a combiner. Thank you for your comment and good luck with your project.
Here is a link I have used in the past on this topic.
www.jadelearning.com/2014-nec-705-12d2-understanding-pv-interconnections/
@@dannyjensen4954 thank you for the reply. What I was asking was like does the solar provide enough power to the house? 15a then to the main box say 50amps. So does that mean that the solar will provide up to 50amp for the house and the rest from the utility company?
@@taniksambo1969 My solar feeds in on a 15A breaker but only 1.8kW. I have a few videos that generally address this issue. You need to start looking at your electric bill and get familiar with the topic of Net Metering. The power company provides the excess power that I'm not able to generate. Here is a video that shows you how the billing works. th-cam.com/video/yoZVtioskVE/w-d-xo.html
Is that customer breaker panel on the outside of the house and not inside?
Outside
@@dannyjensen4954 what’s the other option than doing this crimping thing.
@@DakillaChi No crimping. Are you talking about the breaker installation
@@dannyjensen4954 like the solar here is being crimped on to the wires but I don’t want to use that crimping method I’d like it to go to a breaker in the panel box. Like how many amps do I need available for the solar to jus use a normal breaker that’s available in my panel.
@@DakillaChi Here is a video that shows how it works here with micro inverters th-cam.com/video/58DNhhzoDJs/w-d-xo.html
Hey, awesome video!!! You did it all and explained in layman’s terms. I live near you, and wanna follow your lead. What wire rating did u use, and where did u buy it? Thanks & congrats on a great video & job, helped us future diyers.
I'm so happy you find value in my videos. You are a brave person tacking this DIY project. I tried to document everything I could not find youtube as well as stuff I did find by search around. I used THNN wire this was called out by the California Solar Guide I believe. I did a video on permitting this covers calling out all the wire types. I bought a big roll of black for both the black and red wires because you get a bigger discount on a big roll. The red wire I marked with red electrical tape as shown in the video. The Green is also THNN but is 8awg. I also used #6 bare copper. All purchased at Home Depot or Lowes.
8:15 very important
You know your stuff! I've had people argue with me on this point in these comments below.
danny jensen thanks for sharing! Appreciate you
Clean
Hello Danny, Looking at the electrical part of all this and was wondering if you can comment on the "backfeed breaker". Is the 15 amp 2-pole breaker you have in the main panel a special breaker or just something you picked up at the local home center? Is the breaker in the the Enpahse Combiner box that is connected to the PV an Enphase breaker? Is there anything special about it?
Mike Bruns This is a normal 15 amp two pole breaker. You can’t use a different type of breaker according to my understanding. I think there’s other comments in this video that also give you details on the exact breaker position In the panel.
Mike Bruns Combiner Box breaker is a standard breaker I got from the Alte store.
@@dannyjensen4954 I read more of the comments and I believe you used a 15amp 2-pole GFCI breaker in the main panel. Correct me if I am wrong. Thanks.
@@mikebruns1300 It is my understanding that you can not use a GFCI to back feed. A standard breaker is needed.
Not all breakers are rated to back feed. If you see LINE/LOAD on it DONT use it.
Nice video! pls post detail DIY installation. Thanks
Jogalzjojo FUN! What details do you need? Thx for your comment. I really happy you like the video!
okay I only have one question. when installing a solar system do you feed the power that you generate into a outlet then feed that back into the power grid, or do you pull directly from the power that the solar panel provides?
hmmm... the answer is in the video: the power from the generated power is coming into the main service panel on the breaker he installed at the bottom under the load breakers, that is feeding the generated power directly into the main service panel; all this instead of an Outlet.
@@mayodavid4962 the power from the generated power
@@mayodavid4962 so is he just giving the solar energy he harnesses back to the electric company?
@@Dtr146 The main service panel is from where all the wiring starts to your whole house, so, since the power generated is being sent into there first, the house will absorb as much of it as needed and if the house wiring needs more it will absorb the rest from the utility source which is connected on the other end of this service panel, when the house is absorbing less or none then the power generated on the roof will flow through the service panel and into the wiring from the utility. You would likely have changed to a meter that turns in both directions so that it back winds when you are sending electricity into the grid.
If you have solar power back fed into panel how does it not buck phases?
What size double pole breaker on main panel
The sizing of the back feed breaker depends on the amount of Amps you plan to feed to the panel: The exact breaker size depends on 1) your city 2) the inverter / micro inverter manufacturer given he amount of watts in the string. Solar Design tool also calls out the breaker size. I had 7 micro inverters at about 300w each at 240 volts. The California guide calculated a 15 amp breaker. However, I upgraded my wire size to 10 for less voltage drop and future so I could have had a 30 amp breaker based on my 10 awg wire.
If the current is goes on above 30A so the wire size is changed according to current we used 8AwG for 30 to 50A
How can I control the system thru the internet??
I may not understand your question. However, all systems can be monitored usually through the internet. This is usually a function of the inverter you select for your project.
@@dannyjensen4954 my sistem was turn off and they ask me for money and I don't have any money. I try to get someone to help how to do it. Thank for help
@@teresagonzalez9530 You may have a leased system you are paying for and the owners may have a clever system to make sure your lease payments are kept current? I can't help you. I own my panels on the roof.
Watch the Matrix
It should be noted that code limits the number of wires inside your conduit, you don’t want it too stuffed with wires and it also creates excess heat and lowers amp carrying capacity of your wires
Thanks. For your comments.
Someone is going to set their house on fire watching this video.
Steve Scheurich It passed inspection with the city. The inspector had 20 years of experience. I recommend that everyone get their job inspected. To your point it is safer to have a licensed experienced electrician do the work and have it inspected. I totally agree with you if that is your point. A fire is certainly more likely with a DYI job than a non-DIY job - we agree again. However, it is very unlikely if you follow the code and get your job inspected! Thanks for your important Comment.
Don't worry about Steve - He is known to be an idiot. A backwards thinker that prefers no advancement. Some r like that.
I guess you're immune to gravity. Hope you widow enjoys the free power.
Mark Martin Putting the panels up is scary
@@dannyjensen4954 denny.
Scray ? Then why don't you install an anchor, put on a harness, and secure yourself? You are advocating that people put themselves at risk to install a PV solar array system on the roof of their house. Is that worth risking your life over ? Is it worth spending trillions of dollars to reduce global temperature by 0.01 degrees Celsius ? It is insanity.
Mark Martin I should have worn a harness and I should have told everyone to do the same. Good comment.
@@dannyjensen4954
Good answer. It's not like it's your everyday job. So it's good you put it up on TH-cam.