[RE-wrenches] Inspectors on ladders and roofs

[Andrew Truitt]

In many jurisdictions in Maryland the inspectors require photos of the array
showing grounding, wire management, footings, etc...   Like Mr. Nelson, my
experience in the Bay Area (back in '04-'05) was that the installer was
responsible for supplying an OSHA compliant means to access the roof for the
inspector.  Not exactly sure why the difference, but I think it has to do
with the fact that MD inspectors aren't as familiar with the technology /
equipment.  Clearly photos are not equivalent to getting on the roof - I've
examined systems that passed these type of "inspections" with loose ground
lugs, poor wire management, and leaky footings.


For a brighter energy future,

Andrew Truitt
NABCEP Certified PV Installer™ (ID# 032407-66)
Truitt Renewable Energy Consulting
(202) 486-7507
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-truitt/8/622/713

[image: 24 copy.jpg]

"Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion
to fission. And it just so happens that there's an enormous fusion reactor
safely banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could
ever use in just about 8 minutes. And it's wireless!"

~William McDonough





On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 7:53 PM, Mike Nelson <mdelectricsolar at gmail.com>wrote:

> Keith,
> Here in rural Mendocino & Sonoma county, our inspectors love to climb on
> the roof, and look at everything. I've opened combiner boxes, explained
> WEEBS, talked about sub-structure in the roof, etc. I always get to the job
> early on inspection day, and set up a ladder in an easy to climb location. I
> welcome the opportunity to interface with the inspectors, and hear their
> side, which usually includes alot of questions, and some interesting
> stories.
> Michael D. Nelson
> MD Electric & Solar
> Gualala Ca.
>
> On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 6:37 PM, Keith Cronin <electrichi01 at yahoo.com>wrote:
>
>>   Wrenches....
>>
>> Today, when I ran into one of our electrical inspectors, we had a
>> discussion about having the ability to have thorough inspections for
>> solar.
>> In our jurisdictional, they are not allowed/required to go on to the
>> roof.
>>
>> So, how do they ever get to see all of the grounding and mounting methods
>> used on a roof and verify whether or not they are adequate?
>>
>> Sure, they ask to open the electrical infrastructure on the ground, but
>> what about the stuff on top? Combiner box check?
>>
>> Wiring routed in a way that meets the standard?
>>
>> What's it like by you?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Keith
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>>
>> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>>
>> Options & settings:
>> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>>
>> List-Archive:
>> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>>
>> List rules & etiquette:
>> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>>
>> Check out participant bios:
>> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>>
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Options & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List-Archive:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>
> Check out participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20101115/32f06996/attachment-0003.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 24 copy.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 35142 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20101115/32f06996/attachment-0003.jpg>