Squirrel damage! [RE-wrenches]

Peter Parrish peter.parrish at calsolareng.com
Sun Mar 30 15:17:49 PDT 2008


We performed a warranty repair for BP Solar on a system in a relatively
isolated part of the Santa Monica mountains. I am BCC'ing the client so that
he can respond to Conrad personally if he wishes.

The site is isolated -- though grid-tied -- and virtually every wild critter
imaginable has inspected this PV system at one time or another. The client
said that "ground squirrels" (or something of the like) had really chewed up
his PV cables: USE-2 whips on the PV modules and LFNC connecting the wiring
to the first j-box and EMT.

When we did the warranty work, we used LFMC everywhere we needed flexible
runs. 

Here's the interesting part. The roof was metal and but didn't have standing
seams but overlapping sections anchored with Tek screws with rubber washers.
The modules were anchored to the roof ridges using the same type of Tek
screws. Original installer had also fashioned hand-cut pieces of perforated
Al sheet metal to cover the gaps between the PV modules and metal roof.
Looked like a lot of labor, but it apparently solved the problem!

I hope that the client is inclined to respond to Conrad, in case Conrad
wants a pic or more insight into the problem and its solution.

- Peter

Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President
California Solar Engineering, Inc.
820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065
Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885
CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26
peter.parrish at calsolareng.com 


-----Original Message-----
From: Conrad Geyser [mailto:conradg at cape.com] 
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 12:30 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Squirrel damage! [RE-wrenches]


We just had a 3.6 KW system that the squirrels went berserk on.  They chewed

just about every wire and right through a number of the junction boxes.
Any suggestions?
Conrad
Cotuit Solar

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nick Lucchese" <nickl at sierrasolar.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 3:21 PM
Subject: Re: Testing GFCI's [RE-wrenches]


>
> Hello Again,
>
> No responses but that's okay. After another conversation with the customer

> the story changed a bit. The neutral to ground at the sub was removed and 
> put back in place at the main service. I was able to instruct him back to 
> my original configuration and problem solved. Thanks to those who may have

> been scratching their head to offer an explanation.
>
>
> Have a great weekend,
>
> Nick A Lucchese
>
>
>
>>--
>>Greetings Wrenches,
>>
>>I recall this issue being brought up before but couldn't find it. My 
>>apologies to those frustrated by my unsuccessful attempt at locating it in

>>the archives. I have an installation 1.5 hours away and just received a 
>>phone call from the customer after being visited by the inspector. For now

>>it's a single FX on an E-panel with a string of 4-L16's, PV to be added 
>>later. There is utility present although the customer has just one 20 amp 
>>circuit running from the main service box 200' away. Neutral to ground 
>>bond occurs after E-panel in main load subpanel. Presently he is running 
>>the entire house (just his tools for construction) on this single 20 amp 
>>circuit from the utility while he builds the house. When the inspector 
>>uses his GFCI tester with the E-panel in inverter bypass mode (utility) 
>>everything checks out okay and the GFCI trips. Once the utility is removed

>>from the equation and in stand alone mode/ inverter power the tester says 
>>that the neutral and hot wires are reversed and the GFCI's won't trip. 
>>Does anyone recall why this is and what type of GFCI tester could be used 
>>to verify that the GFCI's are working properly? The inspector had truly 
>>convinced him that the hot and neutral output wires were reversed so I got

>>the customer to open up the E-panel to trace the wires and confirm that in

>>fact everything is wired correctly. I'd really like to understand how this

>>can happen so that the customer can get his final and out of his higher 
>>interest construction loan by the end of the month. Any insights?
>>
>>Thanks for your time,
>>
>>
>>
>>Nick A Lucchese
>>
>>
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>>Hosted by Home Power magazine
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>>http://lists.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/read
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>>
>>Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com
>
>
> -- 
> Nick A Lucchese
> NABCEP Certified PV Installer
> Planet Home
> General Contractor # 808851
> Sierra Solar Systems
> 563C Idaho Maryland Road
> Grass Valley, CA 95945
> tech info and foreign orders:  (530) 273-6754
> order line: (800) 51-SOLAR (US only)   FAX:  (530) 273-1760
> e-mail:  <mailto:nickl at sierrasolar.com>
> world wide web:  <http://www.sierrasolar.com>
>
>
> - - - -
> Hosted by Home Power magazine
>
> To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com
>
> Archive of previous messages: 
> http://lists.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/read
>
> List rules & how to change your email address: 
> www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquette.php
>
> Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/
>
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>
>
> 


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