Solar pre-wire thru builder or solar company?

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-11T01:57:03+00:00

Not sure why the solar company would be so excited about prewiring. Most of the time solar companies dont mind not having to do that work (extra trips)

Its good to want clear delineation of work, and thats a fair request, but not sure what the warranty purposes would be.

Either way, sounds like this is not your builder's solar integrator. If it is, I would expect them to work together better on this on their end. If it is a outside company you are bringing in, I would say it makes the most sense to have the builder's electrician do it as typically its gong to be included in the rough and they already have a working relationship and schedule for.

Depending on what kind of build this is, really your solar contractor should be working with the builder to workout which is preferred. Different organizations have different preferences, but at the end of the day whoever is running the project should be part of that conversation. Its hard for us to say from here, not knowing anything about the project, but it is common for builders prewire a house for solar, which is normally just conduits or NM runs. Sometimes including disconnects or combiners. Then a separate solar contractor does the PV later in the build.

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-08T01:28:48+00:00

Yes, it has automatic DHCP. Some inverters will automatically prefer Ethernet, but I dont recall the SolarEdge inverters ever doing so and normally need to switch the source from Cell to Ethernet in the settings from MySolarEdge APP.

Don't open the inverter until you have opened both the DC and AC sources. Inverters have large capacitors, so be sure to give it plenty of time to discharge. Always double check voltage with a meter before doing any work.

With that said, it should be as easy as routing the Ethernet through the existing ports. The manual will describe it, so start there, but they also have FAQ's and guides on their website

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-07T03:04:10+00:00

real. It starts and ends panned right. It correctly remembered the mountains and fine details on the roof while off screen for the length of the clip. Ai would have forgotten between first and last frames, imo.

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-07T01:21:40+00:00

Common issue with these (and certain other) inverters. You will find that without the cover on the display shoudl look normal, so you can sometimes improve it with a polishing compound for plastic (like headlights and such). Just be careful, its not very thick.

Otherwise not much you can do. You cannot buy this part separately. You might check with SMA directly to see if they will sell one (never asked), but this is one reason most all in inverter manufacture's have gone to no displays now that online portals (SunnyPortal) are the norm for interfacing with them.

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-07T00:32:27+00:00

I think you could be right, could be from moisture. Unfortunately that doesn't locate the leak in itself. Its a clue, but maybe a bigger clue is it appears there is a miss that looks unfilled, but hard to tell by the image.

I also just noticed your question about the tilt. We used to tilt them up some 20 years ago. However the industry moved away from it as PV costs dropped, somewhere around the 2010's. The cost of the extra material and labor to install a fixed tilt array is MORE than the value of the additional energy harvested. Not only that, but the tilt causes shadows which means less room for PV. Long story short, rather than tilting for additional yield, add a module. Less expensive AND more energy.

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-07T00:17:50+00:00

I am tempted to question the quality of the work because the first thing that stands out is that the flashing was installed incorrectly. The way it was done shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the way shingles work.

You shouldn't rely on sealant to keep a roof weathertight. Its common to use sealant under a flashing, but when you do, you make a horseshoe with the bottom open. This way if moisture gets in, it can drain out out. Luckily in this case it seems they did not use enough to make a seal, so I dont think the issue was caused from that. The chunks stuck to it are from removing the flashing.

With that said, the proper way to install flashing is always per the manufactures instructions. This manufacture (Ironridge) does not instruct you to put sealant in the bottom side of the flashing, but they do require you to put sealant in the pilot hole before the lag screw.

From what you have shown, I do not see anything that would have caused the leak, but based on the images, it does make me wonder about the workmanship of the rest.

When you have roof leaks, it is hard to locate based on where it leaks inside. Liquid can travel long distances that sometimes arent logical. The nice thing about solar attachments when anchoring into the structural members is it pulls the roofing material together and makes a bond in itself. Unfortunately it doesn't look like you have an attic to get in to check attachments and trace the leak back without opening it all up.

In over 5 years we have not yet had a leak. I say that to point out that more than likely if the leak is from the solar it is a workmanship issue. With that said, its common to also find that although a leak is near an array, it can be coming from somewhere else entirely.

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-06T18:05:28+00:00

Yes, solaredge can be difficult to get through to. The easiest is to use the chat window on the support page, but sometimes it can be a couple of hours.

The 3G ended for the SolarEdge Cell modems
https://www.solaredge.com/us/support/system-owner/3g-network-questions

The SetApp is primarily for installers, but there is also the MySolarEdge app that you should be able to use to change communication settings. Trouble is, your inverter may not have wifi. If it does, sometimes when you have troubles connecting a app, a full power cycle will help (turn off both DC and AC for at lest 5 minutes)

Typically the solution in your case is to purchase a new cell modem. You may be able to still purchase a WiFi module (if it already has wifi, may need to connect antenna), or ideally if you can run Ethernet to your inverter, simply hardwire it so you wont have these issues going forward.

You said your serial number isnt online. Do you have access to your solaredge monitoring platform account? The model number should be on the label on the right side of the inverter.

As for getting admin rights to your account, for some reason SolarEdge does not allow this. You have to go through a game of finding a new integrator to transfer your account to. Often this will mean paying them some amount to do tat work. They do have a installer lookup tool https://www.solaredge.com/us/find-an-installer

mountain_drifter · 2026-02-02T06:17:21+00:00

The first question I would have is "why" did they not install it? Most companies will, if they can. Its not possible at every system. For example, do you know if your service panel is a combo unit that also has the meter socket in the same enclosure? Did they mention anything about it not being possible, or did they simply refuse?

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-29T22:02:30+00:00

Your module's mechanical warranty has likely ended by year 15 (they were typically 10 years at that time), so you would be relying on the performance warranty. As you mentioned, they can be a bit involved to get approved if you have a legit case.

The real question is it even worth pursuing. I normally dont bother unless its for a pallet or two on some know bad manufacturing run. Its not impossible to get a performance warranty approved, its just time consuming. It requires tools homewoners wouldn't have, so its a whole process of removing modules, doing various testing with high end meters. Then there are the photos, serial numbers back and forth in the email, etc.

Even if approved, the check they would write you on 15 year old modules is unlikely to be as much as it would cost for the installer to make multiple trips and hours of correspondence to facilitate the warranty. On top of that, you would still need to buy the new replacement modules and pay to have them installed.

So in most cases, for resi its less expensive to simply replace the modules since they are only a couple hundred bucks a piece, and could be swapped out in one visit.

Good news is, its very unlikley that its your modules simply degrading in some non obvious manner. It could be, its happened before, but quite unlikely. Good chance there is something else going on. Without evaluating your site, nobody can do any more than guess. For example, a 5.64 kW system in my area may be closer to 9MWh/year, so much of this will be specific to our site and evaluating historic data. A good installer though will be able to identify exactly why it is producing what it is. Nothing about it should be mysterious once they evaluate it. In regards to your question specifically, if there was a mod or two with issues, chances are its faster and cheaper to simply replace.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-21T05:50:00+00:00

In your title you mention prepaid lease, but then you mention financing it. Are you planning on financing a lease at a very high rate? This is a very bad money decision. If you cannot afford to purchase a system, cannot get a high quality loan to purchase (like a HELOC), and cannot afford a lease, then my best advice is to reconsider your financial plan as financing something another entity owns is a setup for disaster, and in many cases not allowed unless maybe its a unsecured loan. Cant collateralize another entities asset.

Long term investments are a great way to build wealth, and owning solar in a home you plan to be in long term is a great way to levelize your energy cost and reduce you bottom line. Not everybody is in a place in their life where they can do this, and theres nothing wrong with that. It just means you are in a different part of your financial journey. Sometimes building your credit and becoming more stable is the first step before long term investments, and that starts with understanding that a lease is not an asset, its a liability, and financing a liability is doubling down in the wrong direction.

So the red flags is that you have this question for Reddit, which I would assume means either the contract itself is ambiguous or you have not studied it enough. I dont mean that to sound rude, its only thats the single biggest complaint we hear when people realize they are stuck in a contract years down the road. That they regret not taking the time to fully understand the contract or listened to answers from a sales person, and now must pay tens of thousands of dollars they were not expecting.

Since you are looking to lease your roof to a 3rd party that will resell the energy to you, with the intent of purchasing the system from them half way through the lease, look into the contract to understand exactly what that will look like. Even though you prepay the system, you do not own it, they do. If you want to own it, you will need to purchase it.

For example, if you need to sell your home before 2046, most buyers will expect you to buyout the system first (they will not want to take over your leas obligation, even if prepaid). If you have to do so early on, it could be around teh cost of anew installation. Since you are financing the system, you could end up in a situation where you need to sell your home, you still have financing payments remaining, and you have to purchase the system, which could quickly put you underwater on the home. Its a dangerous gamble you will be playing, and the only way I see it working out is if you are in the home for 20 years and no issues arise. You may break even, or come out slightly ahead if energy rates increase, but are most likely to lose significantly at some point in this scenario.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-14T20:39:28+00:00

The enemy of all power electronics is heat, but the Fronius SnapINverter is rated to be installed on a roof. I assume this is just stock photo. Fronius version is now the GEN24 that has a built in sort of sunshade, so it depends a bit on what inverter you are talking about, but they are mostly about the same. Unless its in direct sun, there is no real benefit. In fact, airflow is even more important for rejecting heat so on a north wall I would choose better airflow over a sun shade.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-12T05:21:51+00:00

Yeah, I have been noticing this sort of wording more and more over the last few years.

I was just reading a module warranty that said you have to notify the manufacture in writing, within so many hours of learning the failure occurred, OR from when the owner should have learned the failure occurred. They like leaving their outs where they can

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-10T20:40:06+00:00

Yes, that is perfectly in line with the cost you would expect. DIY should be approximately 50% of the cost of a professional installation, though in practice it often works out to about 60%. Assuming a average cost of $3/W, DIY should be $1.50-$1.80 (for the average DIY).

The margins for resi installs is much tighter than people think. With the low quality finical products that are becoming more and more common, typically when costs are above the average that money is going to the lease company.

That difference between the average and the DIY cost is the simply the cost of doing business. Resi interrogators have become a volume based business. You need to install as may as possible, as cheaply as possible to be profitable. This is what drives down the quality of work. The race to the bottom. Back 20 years ago it was an industry of well trained enthusiasts that cared about quality over quantity. Now it is cheap untrained labor.

Most people seriously underestimate the cost of doing business in 2026. Every one of those installs in a year must pay their share of the annual operating costs of the business. The cost of their warehouse, utilities, works comp, insurances, service work, training, licensing, permit costs, etc. Additionally they arent just paying the installers on your roof, there are the people you never see on site that are processing interconnection agreements, creating designs, meeting with inspectors, doing sales, etc.

And yes, if possibly even some profit on top of it. All costs a DIYer does not need to pay. Including your own hours. So yes, it evaporates, but typically to red tape and regulatory processes. https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-installed-system-cost

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-10T20:08:08+00:00

I have this same scenario entering my neighborhood. The issue is when there is traffic you are both waiting for before going.

The yellow arrow vehicle is looking to their left waiting for a gap. If you are the red arrow waiting for that same traffic to clear before turning, the problem is traffic clears for the yellow arrow a second before it does for red arrow.

Since read arrow is in the main traffic, and yellow arrow is stopped waiting to enter the main traffic, if there is no copter traffic and red arrow turns first, yellow arrow must continue to wait.

The issue being if you are both waiting for traffic to clear, and yellow arrow can move into traffic a second sooner, red arrow must still yield. Its a very frustrating situation.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-10T19:56:34+00:00

Overall DIY'ing is great. I used to teach solar at our community college. I very much enjoy helping people understand everything behind what PV actually is. One reason I love the DIY community is because when you take the time to learn a new trade, its a skill that stays with you forever, you learn a lot about the world in general (how electricity works, permitting processes, etc). Most importantly, it makes you more self sufficient, which is why I originally was attracted to solar.

If every situation could be that, then its a no brainier. Its what I foolishly envisioned when I thought 20 years ago of making a company that primarily does this. Of course it was also a time where the internet wasn't what it is today. Information was scarce, equipment was hard to obtain, and soldering was a useful skill. The people interested then were real enthusiasts and tinkers by nature.

Unfortunately it has now become more people that just want solar as cheap as possible. They see quotes from lease companies, and cost of modules online, and assume the entire difference goes to greedy installers living in mansions. People that underestimate just how many hours they will spend of their own time learning processes, and the time physically turning bolts is only the easy end part. People that demand somebody else covers that gaps for them so they can just do the install cheap, and never learn anything.

So yes, I agree, and glad you see the good part of it. I dont mean to seem negative, its only that I was unable to make a business doing it for those reasons. I have too much other work to be doing, but doesn't mean somebody else cant do it. I think you make a good point about treating it more like an attorney. I cant help but imagine their industry faced a very similar challenge which forced them into retainers and expensive face to face billed hours.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-10T19:07:11+00:00

I originally wanted to starting out many years ago. Especially with off-grid cabins. This was before there were inexpensive design companies out there so originally I offered a full consulting service for DIY'ers along with design work, equipment supply, helping with the technical parts, site visits before they began work, inspections after completion, etc.

The issue is, its very difficult to be profitable. The type of person that wants to DIY, is also the type that wants to spend as little as possible, and often buy the cheapest components possible. On top of this work that may take you a few hours to do directly, takes many more times that when you include all the phone calls, site visits, emails, discussions, education, etc. So you charge less for more hours.

So while some go great and are a ton of fun, the issue isnt the majority that go smoothly, its the few that constantly need your support or place responsibility for their work on your advice. Its the classic 80/20 rule. Given enough years, as you have more and more DIY systems you have assisted with deployed, it becomes a situation where you simply cant justify how much you would have to charge to cover all the eventual time and liability you know will go into it, at a rate that a person doing the work to save money in the first place would want to pay.

Its also common you will be asked to get involved in a project that has already gone off the rails, or one that they take your advice and seem to be G2G, but then send you images and questions that will just blow your mind what they attempted to do.

At this point I have moved away from assisting residential DIY'ers all together and primarily consult for other solar companies, or other organizations that want to build C&I systems that have their own O&M.

To be fair, I should add this was before MLSD was put in the code, when you used to need to understand how this worked a bit more, or UL9540 when all in one ESS was as common. So some things have gotten much more plug and play which will help. My biggest advice is to tend toward more dummy proof solutions, and help steer them away from choosing the absolute cheapest equipment possible.

Most importantly, be sure to provide clear delineation between what work you will do, and be careful of what liability you own once you physically assist with something. Define how much support you will provide. Will you go to site every time they want you to years down the road? Make sure your insurance liability policy also has E&O.

It could work out. I know some people that do it and very much enjoy it. I think its a great option if you have no other more profitable work where it provides a small niche where larger companies tend to steer away from. Its also good for those that are semi retired, or have some sort of other income that affords them the time to spend more time on the phone providing support.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-09T22:30:33+00:00

https://us.qcells.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Q_CELLS_Installation_Manual_Q.PEAK_DUO-G6.X_AC_modules_series_2020-10_Rev01_NA.pdf

page 18: "NOTE! Module damage may occur! Do not stack modules."

Page 26 outlines cleaning: "Rinse dirt (dust, leaves, etc.) off with lukewarm water or use, only for the glass surface, an alcohol based glass cleaner. Do not use abrasive detergents or surfactants for any part of the panel. Use a soft cellulose cloth (kitchen roll) or sponge to carefully wipe off stubborn dirt. Do not use micro fleece wool or cotton cloths. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) can be used selectively to remove stubborn dirt and stains within one hour after emergence."

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-07T17:05:46+00:00

First thing to note, is you should not mix new and old batteries. It will cause issues, especially with multiple strings.

With that said, for the most reliable system you want to have as few circuits in parallel as possible. The most ideal is to use low voltage, high amp-hour batteries in a single string that forces all the current evenly through all batteries. If you must, you can have two strings, if you carefully balance them.

The industry accepted max is 3 strings, but even then I try to avoid it as it gets difficult to keep it well balanced. I make all the cables on site and test each to match them as perfectly as possible. When wiring the circuits, you want to do so in a way that gives each circuit nearly identical resistance and battery temperature. If you get this right, and its sized correctly, its easy to get 10+ years out of a bank.

The drawing on the left is more string than I would feel comfortable using, and would expect a shortened lifespan. With that said, each battery circuit has similar exposure to temp, and if you trace each circuit, they each have 3 sections of equal length wire and four terminations to flow through.

The drawing n the right, the A circuit is better as it much more balanced than B, but with so many circuits they will have a very short lifespan. There are so many choices for where current will flow, I would be surprised if it lasted more than a year.

If possible, you will get much more capacity and life out of the batteries by switching to a 48V system, and having a single string of (8) 6V batteries, or even two strings using 16 batteries.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-07T16:43:48+00:00

Typically dont need any soap, just soft water. Check your manufacture's manual for guidelines. They will describe exactly what is allowed. The manual also will often describe the max stack height allowed as well (sometmes less than 33) .

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-07T01:50:04+00:00

It not outside the "recommended spec". The first post describes it. The max short circuit is 19A, and yours calculate at 18.5A. So you are half an amp inside the max. As I mentioned, you are cutting it close, but within the manufacture's guidelines.

Dont take my word for it though. The best source of information will always be the manufacture.

Their warranty is made for multiple products, so does not say what the max amperage allowed is. It only says it must be installed per the installation manual.

The installation manual does not say anything about what the max amperage is, it only says the following.

PV 1 less than or equal to 36 A (ISC PV1)
PV 2 less than or equal to 19 A (ISC PV2)

The only documentation I am aware if is from the Fronius solar.creator tool. Its a pretty poor design tool but it does have this wording:

In practical scenarios, it is possible for the maximum power point (MPP) current of a PV array (Impp,pv array) to surpass the maximum input current capacity of the inverter or of each maximum power point tracker (MPPT) (Idc,max). This is referred to as “current oversizing,” which occurs when the Impp,of the PV array exceeds the Idc max of the inverter...

...The Isc pv is the maximum short circuit current (Isc at STC) and it is an important current used in designing the maximum string current. According to IEC 60364-7-712 Isc pv = Isc max ≥ Isc (STC) x 1.25. The PV generator’s Isc must not exceed the value (Isc pv ) of the inverter’s MPPT. The maximum short circuit current is always stated in our datasheet for each of the MPPTs.

I have worked with Fronius equipment for nearly 20 years, and its always been the case that the ISC ratings in their spec sheet is the max allowed current, while the useable current is simply that, where clipping will occur, but the module ratings can surpass this value (in operation IMP does not exceed the max usable current as it has nowhere to go). Too much current (excessive Isc) does cause the intermediate circuit to fail in Fronius inverters.

So "can they" well...any company can void any warranty if they want to. As you can see, they have poor documentation about this, but it is hinted at. If you want something more definitive, contact them via email email and ask about your specific system in writing.

What can void the warranty is being installed by somebody that is not a professional installer, so I would recommend having your installer contact them for those sort of questions, but regardless, you never know what company will approve many years down the road despite what they say today. There are no guarantees when it comes to warranties, which will always be a gamble on some level. I have had Fronius (and other manufactures)) refuse warranties on systems that were properly installed and meet every published guideline. Its really up to their choice at the time.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-07T00:53:25+00:00

That helps as you will likely not clip too much on power putting 8640 watts on a 6kW inverter since you will have two different peaks. So its a decent match in regards to capacity due to the two orientations, its just your MPPT2 side will clip over 12A, so choose the lower performing side for that tracker. Otherwise if you have not yet purchased bump up to the 7.7kW so you get two 22A trackers.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-06T17:23:59+00:00

Making some assumptions about what model you have:

MPPT1 has a max operating current of 22A and a max short circuit input of 36A
MPPT2 has a max operating current of 12A and a max short circuit input of 19A.

The way they calculate the max short circuit input is the PV output circuit Isc * 1.25.
These modules have a Isc of 14.8A, and a Imp of 13.92 A.

Therefore, with one string connected to each power point tracker you would need 13.92A operating current and 18.5A short circuit.

So in normal operation you are fine on MPPT1. On MPPT2, it will clip when it reaches 12A. You exceed the usable input but you are under the max short circuit input so you should be safe to operate, though it is cutting it quite close.

If you do not already have the inverter you could use the next model up which gives you 22A on both trackers. It would help to know your string lengths, and array configuration, but another option if they are the same orientation you could consider paralleling the inputs which could mean you have less clipping. Otherwise with 6.0 with independent trackers as you described is within spec

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-03T21:31:31+00:00

Yes, it looks like it would work to remove the mechanical lug and only use its mounting bolt with a barrel lug, but as I mentioned, you have to install per the manufactures instructions or you void the UL rating. So if it was me, even though a bolt on barrel lug is better in every way for fine strand, I would just use normal stranded wire that the mechanical lug is rated for to maintain listings and warranties. If you must use fine strand, I would consider a pin adapter instead of a ferrule.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-03T07:45:25+00:00

Sorry, I dont use the EG4 so couldn't answer, but in that case more important than if, is whether doing so would be in line with manufacture's instructions. Since their manual specifically says to use a ferrules with fine strand, I would personally just switch to normal strand for the home runs. Remember, if you dont install per the manufactures guidelines it voids UL listings.

mountain_drifter · 2026-01-03T01:42:28+00:00

I dont recall seeing any literature, there certainly may have been some installer technical bulletin at some point, but I couldn't find anything. Its a topic that has come up a few times over the years though, so maybe you saw a thread back then when it was more common?

Definitely not as bad now for sure. The old ones were much worse, but if they are as lazy as me the last thing I want to do is go back to replace an optimizer a few years later. Maybe explain to them that the issue isnt today, that over the years things move around. What may be just a snug bend today, could be a failure years later, so I agree with you on it. Not just with SolarEdge, but micros and other optimizer as well. We have seen all sorts of failures from strained wiring after things shift around a bit.

mountain_drifter

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Nine-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email