The Lil' Solar Shop O' Horrors
What can go wrong when you don't have the right parts
installed correctly
Common "Do-It-Yourselfer"
Mistakes
(and what they can end up costing)
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Some
of the right parts, but it wasn't complete:
Thats a good old DR inverter and Xantrex charge controller in
all that mess. We cleaned this up, and had plenty of sauce to
go with all that spaghetti. Rewiring this power board in the field
cost much more and will never be as good as a shop designed &
built model.
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Rodent Revenge!
This wire ran unprotected through a hole in a wall. The critters
decided they wanted to get through there too and started gnawing.
Though this wasn't high enough voltage to shock anyone, This could
easily have shorted out and caught on fire. This was all put inside
of conduit where exposed to damage. |
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Digging
is Hard Work.
This wire is rated for direct burial, too bad
its not really buried! 18 to 24 inches deep is code for this use,
not 1" to 2"! We had to hand dig & pull this wire
up, dig a proper trench and rebury it. Cost about double to fix
it over doing it right the first time. |
Solar Shop O'Horror Exclusive!
Modules are bailing wired to a rotting wood mounting
frame that is screwed to an old satellite dish frame. Frame sits
on top of a special inverted telescopic pole, so that the pole
is 3" in diameter at the top but actually reduces to 1-1/2"
diameter pipe at the ground where more strength is needed. Idea
worked so well, that they tied the rack with various cords to
keep the contraption from blowing over or toppling under its own
weight. Took over twice as long to dismantle without damaging
the modules, and erect a new pole & rack. Believe Us, Does
this sound cheaper? |
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This
was supposed to be attached. What happened? Fortunately the battery
post didn't melt down! |
This is such a mess,
look at the corrosion on the shelf above the batteries! |
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| Talk about a lot of hot air! Improper connection of
solar panels can cause more than pocket book damage! |
Want to catch Hauntavirus? Sticking your hand in this box because
your system has a short will surely give you something.....?!? |
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Common Mistakes
of unqualified Solar Installers
(may even include licensed electricians)
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That used
to be a battery lug!
Extreme corrosion has completely annilated this connector. Below
is the galvanized metal battery tray, or what is left of it. Worse,
this mess was on the 2nd Floor, and beginning to leak into the
ceiling of the bedroom below.
Lessons here:
Vaseline battery connections,
don't use galvanized steel under batteries, use acid proof plastic.
replace batteries before they start making this mess.Also, we
never recommend installing batteries on the 2nd floor. |
Mail ordered
from "The Other Guys"
Here you see most of the right parts, some wires are even in conduit,
but then those main battery cables are really asking to be tripped
over. If they pulled loose, they could carry up to 20,000 amps of
battery current with no protection. It takes real attention to detail
to make ALL the connections right! |
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| What can we say about this one? Well,
DON'T, for starters. At least there isn't a layer of snow on the
wires. |
Don't let this be you! Don't create
a monster! Let SolarRay, Inc. create a horror-less system for you! |
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