[RE-wrenches] squirrel problems

[Orion Thornton]

Kirk,

 

At this point we do not have a problem with squirrels in Montana, but our
Boulder, CO branch has been battling with them for quite some time.  Wire
mesh has been the main deterrent but cannot always hold them back.
Unfortunately it is hard to secure the mesh where it meets the roof, without
extra penetrations.  Last I heard we may be trying a coating on the wires to
make them less edible.  I will try and get some details on this and any
other methods we have tried.

 

Orion Thornton

Independent Power Systems

 

 

  _____  

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Kirk
Herander, VSE
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 11:20 AM
To: 'RE-wrenches'
Subject: [RE-wrenches] squirrel problems

 

I just had to rewire an array because of squirrel damage. They chewed the
insulation off of the use-2 on almost every panel within 2 inches of the
j-box. This was discovered because the inverter GFI kept intermittently
tripping, so one of the uninsulated positive leads must have shorted to the
grounded array frame, verified by measurements and arcing.  At least the GFI
did its job.... We found a massive nest underneath the array. And I just got
another call from a customer with the same issue, although we don't know yet
if damage has happened. Both these arrays are mounted on Unirac Solarmount,
parallel to and stood off from the roof about 6 inches. I'm thinking of
skirting the perimeter of the array with a metal mesh of some sort. Any
other ideas? Thanks. Most likely they will come back if I do nothing.

 

Kirk Herander

Vermont Solar Engineering

802.863.1202

NABCEP(tm) Certified Solar Installer

NYSERDA-eligible Installer

VT Solar Incentive Program Partner

 

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