Pain & Loathing in Solar [RE-wrenches]

[Allan Sindelar]

Ray,
We don't do too much digging. We tell folks that we're specialists, and that
their money is best spent doing the digging themselves or hiring a laborer
or excavator. At $60/hour, that dirt's worth quite a bit! We recommend that
owners arrange power sheds, battery boxes, and distribution wiring, and set
their own array poles in the ground. We supply battery box drawings, power
shed dimensions, and we can supply steel poles and welding if desired. Our
main product is our knowledge, and next is our service. We charge for the
design, and this is part of that. Some folks want a turnkey job, but most
will save money where they can.
Raising our base rate has helped a lot. Our time is valued more. We're more
efficient. We do less grunt work. And the only customers we lost were the
ones we didn't mind losing.
Allan @+E

----- Original Message -----
From: Ray Walters <remotech at taosnm.com>
> It's after midnight, I'm in the middle of laying out a power board on my
> table and lost my motivation. This is a tough business. I just checked:
> I've hand carried over 20 tons of lead acid batteries the past 5 years.
I'm
> tired. All of you must be dealing with this too? Wrestling 4/0 cable with
> your fingers. Pulling a hundred pounds of slimey wire through 200 ft of
> conduit a few inches at a time....Always the digging: in rock, in mud, in
> frozen ground...
> And the ritual insertion of the ground rod 8 ft down into what ever the
> earth can dream up  ... Well pumps: lets not even think about the miles of
> pipe pulled and slid back in - "This time it'll last 10 years"...
> Is it worth it?
> Are we really saving the world?
> Am I off topic?
> Have I stared too long into the sun?
>
> Ray

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