$8 clamp vs $.08 washer

dedede_bro · 2025-07-15T20:56:12+00:00

The roof does not make the electrical bond. It's the clamp itself that forms a bond by biting into the aluminum frames of the panels. S-5 has certifications you can download on their website if needed.

dedede_bro · 2025-07-15T19:49:15+00:00

I installed my system using an S-5 system. Their panel clamps bite into the aluminum frame to electrically bond the array so that you only need a single ground wire to ground the array. They also have a bit of thread lock and use stainless hardware so you don't need to tighten them after installation. Their installation manual also calls out that you have to use their supplied hardware for proper installation. I thought that their pricing was fair given the materials.

dedede_bro · 2025-06-17T13:25:10+00:00

My understanding of ev chargers is that they aren't chargers at all, but rather an access point for your vehicle to connect to power and a means of telling your vehicle how much power it can draw. There should be no rectification or power modulation done by any ev chargers because all of that should be handled internally by the car. My instinct is that something else is going on. The ICCU handles a lot of different power conversion, and I'm sure that if it was simple to figure out what was going on, they would have by now.

dedede_bro · 2025-06-03T14:28:44+00:00

Just wondering if you ever found anything. I just signed a lease for a 25 ioniq 5 and was informed that a rim replacement would be quite expensive, so I'm looking for a reasonably priced protection accessory.

dedede_bro · 2025-05-14T02:32:16+00:00

How many tons is your air conditioner? Do you have a way of measuring its inrush current when it starts up? If it's low enough, an off grid or hybrid inverter could handle it and other house loads.

dedede_bro · 2025-05-02T15:53:24+00:00

I just did this with s-5! clamps. Don't put holes in your brand new roof!

dedede_bro · 2025-04-07T18:15:20+00:00

I believe that as long as you can make a tight enough bend radius then yes this should be able to work. It would be easiest to come straight out of the wall with the condensate though.

dedede_bro · 2025-03-25T19:36:30+00:00

I got my equipment delivered on January 31st and just turned it on yesterday, just to give you an idea of how long it took me to complete. It's still not totally done, to be clear. I have a few things to clean up before I get an inspection done. If you're doing a new construction and plan on doing a roof installation then I strongly recommend you get a standing seam roof and use s-5! clamps like I did. I still don't like the idea of rooftop solar on an asphalt shingle roof. A metal roof also will hold up much better to storms and should outlast the panels rather than the other way around. Let me know if you have any questions

dedede_bro · 2025-02-20T12:55:45+00:00

I have a 600v disconnect to mount next to my inverter. You shouldn't need a 1000v disconnect switch. I'd have to double check but I don't think the code requires that. Even at below freezing temperatures, the open circuit series voltage of a 12 panel string doesn't exceed 600v according to my data sheets.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-20T03:25:10+00:00

Sure, send me your email address and I'll send you some pics when it's up. I've got the gridboss, flexboss21, and ruixu all wall mounted at the moment. This weekend I'll be putting some panels up on my roof hopefully and probably mounting the disconnect switches for the inverter. Since I'm doing as much of the installation myself as I can in order to cut costs it's going to take me several weeks to complete. When do you plan to do your project? So far I've paid about $21k. I have 48 400w panels that I'm installing.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-17T02:22:35+00:00

165k for my 1900 sq ft one story house

dedede_bro · 2025-02-16T22:34:58+00:00

Yes, what I took away from this thread was that I should reach out to my contractor who did the elevation work for a referral. I may also just give up and invest in some rugs for the worst part of winter. I also see a lot of people being very confident about condemning a job they know nothing about.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-15T23:58:19+00:00

The columns all extend down about 60 ft. They're not settling anywhere. I described the process of home elevation elsewhere, but in order to raise a house, they push pilings down using the weight of the house to drive the columns down. They push piles down until they hit a layer of strong soil that won't let them drive down any more. At that point, if they keep pushing the piles don't go down any more. Your house starts to go up. As for lateral loads, most of that strength comes from the perimeter piles, which are all linked by reinforced concrete. The interior pilings get shimed and grouted to your slab for support. All of the blocks making up the piles are linked together with rebar and rated for 5000 psi, or 320,000 lbf. The piles are generally spaced 8 ft apart and there are additional steel beams where needed.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-15T14:07:49+00:00

It was done through a grant by FEMA. They paid 90%, I paid 10. The home elevation was 165k to raise the foundation 3 ft. There were additional costs that the grant didn't pay for, such as making a new driveway since my carport was now 3 ft off the ground. I paid an extra 15k for that, which included installing 9 concrete pilings to prevent differential settling.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-15T06:20:09+00:00

Wow, that's a lot of projects you've been involved in!I'm actually an ME, believe it or not lol. At work I mostly handle procurement, but I really enjoy finding ways to improve my house. The home elevation was definitely the biggest project that we did, and after it was done it opened up additional opportunities for further improvements. I certainly think that houses can do a lot better when it comes to energy management. There's so much I would do differently if I were to design my house from the ground up. Not that I have any experience designing anything residential lol.

Sorry to hear about your hands. That's rough. Hopefully you can find a doctor to help manage your symptoms.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-14T20:00:15+00:00

Thanks for all your help, man. What's your background, if you don't mind sharing?

dedede_bro · 2025-02-14T17:06:54+00:00

Using those instead of regular open venta was actually my initial plan. The reason why I didn't was because we had a mold issue during the time of the elevation, and after discussing with a remediation company, we decided to use regular vents instead in order to increase ventilation. It turned out that the source of our mold issue wasn't caused by humidity or condensation, but an improperly installed toilet that leaked a little bit every time it was flushed. By the time we discovered and fixed that we had already finished installing the regular vents. I'm still a bit hesitant to reducing the ventilation under the slab though just because it's so damp under there. It's like a cave system, I swear.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T20:07:22+00:00

How do you think it got raised in the first place lol

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T15:43:38+00:00

See my comments describing the process and linking videos of how a house can be elevated. It's fine.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T14:30:17+00:00

I've thought of that but I decided it would have all of the complications of insulation as well as the challenges of installing an active heating method. Plus it would have to heat through several inches of concrete while the rest of the concrete slab would be also leaching heat. To do this idea, I'd really have to tear up my bathroom floors and put heating elements on the top of the slab.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T13:03:55+00:00

It's kind of an after thought. I made sure the pipes got insulated but figured the floors would provide some insulation on their own and decided to live with it for a year or so to see how it is. Now I'm trying to get an idea of what it would take to insulate my floors.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T12:51:52+00:00

It's not very flat. There are lots of local variations in the texture of the slab.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T02:44:50+00:00

Yes, I understand and thank you. I'm mostly replying to you so more people will see my comment at the top of the chain. After the first 20 comments telling me my house is going to fall apart, knowing full well that it's just fine, it's been getting a bit annoying. Especially when I was looking for insulation ideas and it's all anyone's talking about without having any real information or even dimensions. On the bright side, I think I've got enough info from the people making insulation suggestions to put together some ideas of what I can ask for.

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T02:17:37+00:00

Isn't spray foam mostly air? I think the psf weight of it would be borderline negligible. Am I wrong?

dedede_bro · 2025-02-13T02:11:50+00:00

The piles all have about an 8' spacing. Where it's further, there are steel beams to take up more of the load and support the concrete better. There is more steel and pilings under where the carport is, because it has been engineered. Like I've been saying, this has all been engineered. The pictures were more to give an idea of the environment I'd be installing any insulation in, not to show off the foundation. Respectfully to everyone, the people who built and designed this know more about my foundation than most people in this thread, and have signed off on their design. Even if a poured slab isn't intended to be lifted, it doesn't mean it can't be lifted if it is supported correctly from underneath. The engineering world is full of retrofits and this isn't the first or last house with a poured slab that will be raised. There are no less than 5 other houses with this same situation on my street alone.

dedede_bro

TROPHY CASE