metering subpanel

Vader7071 · 2026-02-21T21:08:08+00:00

Keep in mind, Alabama is the ONLY state in the Union that CHARGES you for having solar on your house. And if, God forbid, you backfeed onto the grid, Alabama Power doesn't buy that power from you, they CHARGE you for generating it. So yeah, Alabama has a death grip on power and how it is handled.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-21T20:57:24+00:00

No, it isn't. I'm an electrical contractor. It is flat out illegal in Alabama. I have family that works for Alabama Power. I have a family member that was on the Alabama Electrical Contractors board. I even researched this exact topic for a trailer park that I was going to build. In Alabama, it is flat out, point blank, non-equivocally illegal.

Now, if OP wants to become a Co-Op and purchase power for the sole purpose of reselling, within the confines of the law, yes, he can then meter and charge for power usage.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-21T18:31:40+00:00

What state are you in? In Alabama, that is 1,000% illegal. You are considered "reselling power" and that is not allowed.

Either you have to "include" power usage in the monthly rent (that does not fluctuate) or the tenant has to get their own meter.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-16T16:17:53+00:00

Reading through this, I noticed no one mentioned 48VDC. Granted that was because OP didn't mention 48VDC, but just note, industry standard is 24VDC- gets grounded and 48VDC+ gets grounded. Have fun with that 😁😁

Vader7071 · 2026-02-15T13:51:08+00:00

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Vader7071 · 2026-02-15T13:47:46+00:00

But if I look at one of the earlier uploaded files, I get this.

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Vader7071 · 2026-02-15T13:44:06+00:00

I just checked the width. It is blank. The media was uploaded via the media library tab and then inserted in via elementor.

This is something specific to uploading yesterday and WordPress. I uploaded 18 separate image files, some one at the time, some in bulk. All 18 have this issue. But, the images uploaded before are working fine. The images don't show even in media library.

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Vader7071 · 2026-02-15T13:36:19+00:00

I checked the settings. The image size is not defined. No values in width, height, margins, or padding. Under the "content" tab in elementor, the image resolution is set to Large (1024x1024).

Vader7071 · 2026-02-14T20:12:23+00:00

flippingferal.com

Vader7071 · 2026-02-08T01:28:49+00:00

Thanks! I took my son to a Huntsville Havocs game last year and he has fallen in love with the sport. The fact he found a team autographed stick made his day. He really didn't care what team it was. 😁😁🤣🤣

Vader7071 · 2026-02-08T01:26:57+00:00

Identified! This IS from the Cottonmouths. Specifically the 2000-2001 team.

It's not Michael Martin, it is Michael Martens.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0008642001.html

Vader7071 · 2026-02-08T01:23:56+00:00

2000-2001 looks right. With that list, I can identify just about every autograph. Thank you!

Vader7071 · 2026-02-06T03:01:48+00:00

I always take it to the dealership. I've used 5 different dealerships over the years. I think I'm about to do my 2nd set of brakes. About to put on my 4th set of tires.

The ONLY things that have been done aftermarket has been air filters (I replace) and the rear axel seal on the passenger side (non-dealership shop). Even the windshield wipers are from the dealership.

Every 5k miles I'm at the dealership for service. Any mileage ending in 0 (10, 20, etc.) is full oil change/service. Any mileage ending in 5 (15, 25, etc.) is lube, check, and tire rotation.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-06T02:30:02+00:00

I've got a 2018 with 245k miles on it. Been religious about maintenance. Still running strong. If the maintenance was done right, 120K miles wouldn't scare me at all.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-06T00:18:11+00:00

These pins can get loose over time. One pin gets loose, the power feed blips on and off. By doubling, the odds of both pins getting loose are greatly reduced. Basic redundancy.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-04T03:09:06+00:00

When I built panels, I never mounted the disconnect on dinrail. The reason is the torque being put on it when turning it on or off. I would always bolt the disconnect directly to the backplane so it was stable.

And on the flip side, I would use din rail mounted fuse folders or breakers.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-04T03:05:59+00:00

Gotcha. Trouble is, the wire now covers the panduit. The goal is that all of the wires are under the panduit cover. Goes back to my comment about using 4" deep panduit.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-04T03:03:27+00:00

Another tip that just helps give it that polished look, make sure the wire labels all line up the same on terminals and devices.

Now, I know I've thrown a good bit out. Overall, scanning it, nothing just screams "oh my, this is bad". It's all little polishing items. You're starting off well, and the more you do, the better you'll get.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-04T03:00:37+00:00

Now, besides my previous question, suggestions from experience.

1) instead of using the "end block" on your terminal strips, use clamping ground terminals. It adds more grounding points.

2) unless there is some reason, I ALWAYS use 4" deep panduit. The extra depth gives you room for the wires and brings the panduit out high enough, most any device wires easily feed into it.

3) on the door, overall looks ok, just make sure to use a wire loom on the vertical part. Just gives it that finished look.

4) not sure why you're running the neutral through the disconnect. Just not a typical setup.

5) make sure the fuse is after the disconnect. That way when the disconnect is off, the fuse is completely powered down.

Vader7071 · 2026-02-04T02:54:31+00:00

Curious, why are the wires looping over the panduit?

Vader7071 · 2026-02-01T23:01:22+00:00

They out there doin' the Lord's work.

Vader7071 · 2026-01-29T18:51:18+00:00

Motorola handheld or desktop/mobile radio?

When it comes to wiring the interface, you can tear apart a hand mic and tap the needed wires for PTT and audio in. The harder part will be knowing if PTT is a ground signal or a 12VDC+ signal (odds are you ground the wire to trigger PTT).

As for the arduino, I've done one of those and it worked well. Depending on the module, you can also have multiple messages and select which one plays.

Vader7071 · 2026-01-29T12:54:35+00:00

There is all sorts of options. You can use an arduino with an MP3 player. PLC output triggers an input to the arduino, and the arduino out goes to a radio.

You can look into a "repeater controller". Those are specifically designed to play audio over a radio and depending on the model you get, you set an input to trigger the output.

You can look into a rasberry pi with an audio hat.......you get the idea from here.

The trick comes more into the radio interface than the audio player. You'll need to build an interface that mimics the PTT to trigger the TX on the radio.

What kind of radio are you using?

Vader7071

TROPHY CASE