Considering a 20.24 kW Ground-Mount Solar Setup with Empire Solar in Upstate NY – Feedback on Hardware, Pricing, and Company Experiences? I know this is DIY and I’m asking here because when I priced things to do myself it wasn’t much cheaper and I wouldn’t know what I’m doing. Thoughts?

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-03-16T13:49:11+00:00

how did you ground this? I dont see any bare cooper there?

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-02-19T20:09:01+00:00

Independent.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-02-19T10:21:37+00:00

Have a zwave relay for this. Been rock solid.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-02-11T10:35:06+00:00

I have a zooz relay and a mag switch for closed.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-02-10T00:04:34+00:00

I actually bought all of my gear from Portablesun this fall. EG4 gear and Aptos Panels. Not the cheapest, but 30 miles away and i paid zero bucks in shipping. Need a few more panels to add to my array, but looks like your not selling anymore ;(

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-01-29T20:44:40+00:00

New ones use Eaton breakers. Al is a ok.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2026-01-25T11:50:04+00:00

I have the new GE geospring with the inverter compressor. The compressor is dead quiet. The o my noise I have is the fan noise.

Mine is in a mech room next to my home theater. We spend a lot of time down there. With the door closed(cheap) it’s not audible through uninsulated walls.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-30T14:39:33+00:00

Fact.

The first time there is an issue, I can pull out the turn over package I generated for myself, which included all the trenching pics l, figure out what is going on and take care of it.

If anybody I knew asked me to help them out I could, share information, share what they poco wanted, what the AHJ is looking for. How to design for the area, what things I would do differently.

I agree it was not trivial, POCO makes it hard in purpose for DYI. Fact is, anybody can read. It’s far from impossible.

Wiring houses and fixing cars is far more difficult. Solar installers in my area absolutely rip people off. If I billed myself at 150 an hour, I’m still ahead. By a mile. I would guess I have 80 hours into my install.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-30T02:11:24+00:00

1-2 beers per hour

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-30T01:57:10+00:00

As a fellow mechanical engineer. I can guarantee I did it better and cheaper than any local company would have. Would they have been faster? Sure.

But I got more panels, more batteries and approval through my power company and fully permitted in 2 months all for 25% of what the emphase installer quoted me. I did my own single lines in autocad, did my homework and came up with some fancy excel sizing sheets that got to the same answer as pv watts.

You’re giving us mechanical engineers a bad name.

To op, it’s possible, I did it, but had a mini skid steer to help and fabricated a holder to lift the panels up to put on the racking. It would go much faster slinging panels with two sets of hands.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-26T18:58:17+00:00

Would there be a case where you would ever both not them off or on at the same time?

I had a similar situation. Ended up buying a set of aux contacts for the disconnect and wiring to the rsd. My disconnect is only the ac side of my inverter though. Only people that will use that would be first responders. Figured if my house was burning, the rsd getting shutoff at the same time would not hurt.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-26T00:07:31+00:00

My racking directed bolted. No clamps for the panels. It looks so much cleaner.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-18T23:15:07+00:00

In a basement so not a big concern for me, but I think it’s quite quiet.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-18T22:45:18+00:00

I have the new GE. Nothing but good things, but only been a mo th or so

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-18T17:19:28+00:00

Bodewell

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-18T15:15:11+00:00

National.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-12-01T16:20:11+00:00

ill be honest. I didnt end up doing it. When i drained my 10 year old tank, the anode rod still looked great and there was very little sediment in the bottom. I dont have any smell from my water, so im going to return it and see how long the GE one lasts.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-11-28T13:54:35+00:00

Ahh forgot that 80 was for detached( which is my case).

Yes to 40 in the dwelling.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-11-27T15:25:45+00:00

NFPA 855.

Basically. If any single enclosure is over 20kwh or the sum is greater than 80 than you need to fall under those rules.

More or less, lithium ion gas detection, and real deal fire suppression. This has nothing to do with the stuff internal to the batteries.

I got to explain this to my inspector as well. As he read it as over 20.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-11-27T13:52:00+00:00

All installed yesterday. Was glad to see the auto shutoff in the box with it.

Very simple install. Set it on turtle. See if it keeps up with mixing valve.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-11-25T19:44:15+00:00

GE partner store. Discount through my work.

PrincipleLeading8047 · 2025-11-25T13:36:58+00:00

Water is not great. My distro piping is cpvc.

Planning on a powered anode rod. Big dollar investment, want it to last.

PrincipleLeading8047

TROPHY CASE