He'll have to answer that, but I think it really comes down to how it's wired. I have a buddy who is a lineman, and he was telling me that illegal solar systems are becoming a concern. The way he put it is, "in a dead line situation you can hear a generator running and know to check for back feeding, but solar panels are a silent killer".
School me on solar
- Thread starter Plumber1
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He'll have to answer that, but I think it really comes down to how it's wired. I have a buddy who is a lineman, and he was telling me that illegal solar systems are becoming a concern. The way he put it is, "in a dead line situation you can hear a generator running and know to check for back feeding, but solar panels are a silent killer".
Im nearly certain that it will. As per my other response to you it has a disconnect that automatically isolates the array from the grid when there is an outage.
Edit - I've been doing some reading and it looks like you are correct for residential scale PV systems. You may even be correct for large commercial systems like the one I described. I still work for the same company and will see if my recollection about it operating during an outage and without batteries is wrong.
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Yep. Large commercial arrays can generate enough energy just from moonlight to ruin somebody's night.
You
- Most solar contractors are the bottom of the food chain electricians.
And now
SunPower
the solar power giant originally based out of San Jose, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — SunPower, the solar power giant originally based out of San Jose, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This comes just over a month after laying off more than 350 of its California employees.
I have a small building that I wanted to keep cool so I bought 4 panels off Amazon for a total of $650. I bought a solar a/c that can switch automatically between solar and grid power for $405. The shed stays cool without consuming any electricity as it is not even hooked to the power in the shed. When the sun is bright enough the ac turns on. So far, this setup is doing what I set out to accomplish.
I will not say it is fail proof as I am not in it everyday but it is certainly limited unless it is hooked to the grid system.
I would not even consider solar for my home because I do not want that ugly ass shit ruining the looks of my home.
I will not say it is fail proof as I am not in it everyday but it is certainly limited unless it is hooked to the grid system.
I would not even consider solar for my home because I do not want that ugly ass shit ruining the looks of my home.
Can run on solar or grid or both but solar is the priority.
AC unit
https://airspool.com
Panels
https://signaturesolar.com/aptos-40...k-up-to-500w-with-bifacial-gain-dna-108-bf10/
AC unit
https://airspool.com
Panels
https://signaturesolar.com/aptos-40...k-up-to-500w-with-bifacial-gain-dna-108-bf10/
Sweet. How long have you had it?
I see 2 models, with the cheaper one $1445, and the "quick n easy" for $1,900. My ancient heat pump can't keep up in the heat of summer so I'd drop $3k right now for this. Just have to confirm that the panels will fit on my wood shed as I don't want them on the house roof.
Wow...they went up in price. I bought it last October'ish but did not get it installed until right before Thanksgiving. At this point in time I can say that even with the price increase, I would do it again if I had too. Doing well in an uninsulated small building in the direct FL sun.
The mini splits are dirt cheap if the panels don't fit. They even have a mini split with 2 inside units. But these don't have the built in solar switch.
I talked with someone with a new solar system on their house today that sounds like a scam, but I have limited details, so I thought I'd see if any of you had heard of a similar situation.
The homeowner signed a financing contract for a roof mounted solar system, $47,000 on a 1,000 sf house. In the agreement the company was to install the solar system and a "free" HVAC unit, which has happened, then the solar installer was to activate the system and assume the utility bill for a specified time, which has not happened. The homeowner said the panels have been mounted and done for over a year now, but the company has gone silent. Also, her utility bill has gone up.
Is the scam to sell equipment, then run or close up shop?
The homeowner signed a financing contract for a roof mounted solar system, $47,000 on a 1,000 sf house. In the agreement the company was to install the solar system and a "free" HVAC unit, which has happened, then the solar installer was to activate the system and assume the utility bill for a specified time, which has not happened. The homeowner said the panels have been mounted and done for over a year now, but the company has gone silent. Also, her utility bill has gone up.
Is the scam to sell equipment, then run or close up shop?
I talked with someone with a new solar system on their house today that sounds like a scam, but I have limited details, so I thought I'd see if any of you had heard of a similar situation.
The homeowner signed a financing contract for a roof mounted solar system, $47,000 on a 1,000 sf house. In the agreement the company was to install the solar system and a "free" HVAC unit, which has happened, then the solar installer was to activate the system and assume the utility bill for a specified time, which has not happened. The homeowner said the panels have been mounted and done for over a year now, but the company has gone silent. Also, her utility bill has gone up.
My guess is that these companies get some money from the homeowner and then get subsidies under another company name and when the heat turns up they close the doors of the business that did the selling.
47k on that size house is nothing but fraud.
It's within the standard range around here. The absolute cheapest that I’ve heard is $16K, which was about the only one that has made financial sense to me, and the most expensive was $98K. The standard range is $40-70K around here, which I find ridiculous.
One thing that most people in FL don't think about is when a hurricane comes to town and rips them off your roof. Homeowners insurance will point to improper installation and get with solar companies insurance. And vice versa.
This is an insurance nightmare for the buyer and a bonanza for the insurance company not paying for all the damage and then raise your rates and drop you next year.
This is an insurance nightmare for the buyer and a bonanza for the insurance company not paying for all the damage and then raise your rates and drop you next year.
If you bought the panels I listed above and jammed them on every square inch of the roof you could jam 40 of them on there at 150 each for a total cost of 6k. Then double that for the rest of the crap needed and add a couple grand for labor and you are at 16k. Any more than that is thievery!
Yep. When I had a solar guy in to talk about it, my first question was about insurance. He asked me who my InsCo was. I said, "For a house this old? Only one it could be." Every Floridian knows who that is - he didn't. "You mean you do not know the InsCo of last resort in Florida?" "Nope". "Then how can you have an intelligent discussion on the subject? There's the door - I strongly suggest you get an education..."
For the non Floridians, the answer is "Citizen's Insurance".
Co-worker had to have his roof re-shingled. When he bought a House that had solar on the roof.
Insurance paid for the re shingle job.
However getting the panels off of the roof and reinstalled was all on him.
Insurance paid for the re shingle job.
However getting the panels off of the roof and reinstalled was all on him.
I have a solar heating system for my pool. It's extremely simple compared to a photovoltaic system. The pump simply sends water up to the plastic panels on the roof where the water is heated by the sun and returned to the pool. I certainly dont use it during the summer, pool water is warm enough as it is but in the cooler months it's very nice. When I had my roof replacement paid for by homeowners insurance they paid the solar contractor to remove and then replace the panels.
I have a friend who installed enough solar panels to run his heat pumps for his pool. Now he uses the pool all winter as well.
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