[RE-wrenches] DPW Rack Problems

Thu Oct 8 07:03:57 PDT 2015

William,
I have followed your posts over the years and appreciate the efforts you
have made in developing and then your willingness to share them with the
list. Thank you.

If DP&W had wire management products available, it never reached my radar,
although admittedly I never asked them either. We would definitely consider
passing more for that added value.

I too appreciate the robustness of their TPM product, especially compared
to the old Unirac TPM that we started out with and watched get blown apart
more than once. However, I think we would benefit from a more competitive
market, which would hopefully help drive better product to installers and
thereby customers.

Howie Michaelson
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™

Catamount Solar
Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
VT Solar Electric Incentive Partner
http://www.CatamountSolar.com
802-272-0004
On Oct 8, 2015 3:13 AM, "William Miller" <william at millersolar.com> wrote:

> Howie:
>
>
>
> At one time I shared your dream: that if only the manufacturer’s would
> build wire management and shielding systems, consumers would flock to buy
> them.  I asked DPW to help me develop some wire shielding hardware and
> Steve Schumacher was willing to give it a try.  See this link
> <http://www.millersolar.com/MillerSolar/practices/PV_wiring/Wire_shielding/_Wire%20Shielding_history.html>
> for some pictures of the system Schu helped us develop.  Unfortunately, I
> was one of the few people that ever asked for this product, and there was
> no reason for DPW to put any more energy into the idea.
>
>
>
> Over time I came to realize that what is hindering the development of
> better wire management and wire shielding systems is not the lack of
> manufacturers building the systems-- it is due to the lack of demand for
> them in the market.  Wire management and shielding systems will add to the
> cost of any installation.  If installers can get away without using these
> systems, why should they bother?
>
>
>
> They get by without them because building officials are all too often
> ignorant and lazy.  I have tried and tried to convince the officials in the
> county in which I live to read the black and white of the current NEC but
> they refuse.  Most of the inspections of my work by building officials last
> less than 2 minutes.  When I ask inspectors and plan checkers questions
> about codes and practices I usually get quizzical stares.
>
>
>
> The engineers at DPW know what the code requires for wire shielding: they
> can read and I have highlighted the requirements many times.  DPW was
> willing to experiment, but apparently no one asked to buy these systems so
> there was no reason to put them in the catalog.
>
>
>
> I have had my problems with the DPW painted parts for years.  It is not a
> new problem.  Hopefully with the attention they are getting this will be
> resolved.  I have also waited way too long for even the most minor parts
> orders.  This needs to improve.  How hard can it be to put a few dozen
> bolts in a box?  Why should it take almost two weeks?  They need to fix the
> paint and get parts and assemblies out the door in a reasonable time.
>
>
>
> I must say, however, that DPW has provided a very consistently good range
> of products over the years and they have been more responsive than 99% of
> the manufacturers out there.  I am still a fan of DPW.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> William Miller
>
>
>
>
>
> [image: Gradient Cap_mini]
> Lic 773985
> millersolar.com <http://www.millersolar.com/>
> 805-438-5600
>
>
>
> *From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] *On
> Behalf Of *Howie Michaelson
> *Sent:* Wednesday, October 07, 2015 6:15 PM
> *To:* RE-wrenches
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] DPW Rack Problems
>
>
>
> Thanks Michael for the communication conduit.
>
> While I appreciate DP&W's effort to address the issues raised, I don't
> feel their response really speaks to the issues - for us, these are long
> standing problems, although they appear to possibly be getting worse more
> recently.
>
> More importantly, for me this is one of the most valuable aspects of this
> list - the power of the group to garner a manufacturer's attention in order
> to address a problem (think warranty replacement issues, or equipment
> failure rates) or make an improvement.
>
> For instance, if a ground mount racking manufacturer developed a
> functional, code compliant wire management system, I would expect to hear
> about it first on this list, get highly useful evaluations of the
> innovation, and then watch the sales of that system take off due to the
> "viral" nature of information shared on this list. If there are any racking
> manu reps that still read this list, perhaps they could take the ball and
> run with it. One can dream...
>
> Howie
>
> Howie Michaelson
> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
>
> Catamount Solar
> Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
> VT Solar Electric Incentive Partner
> http://www.CatamountSolar.com
> 802-272-0004
>
> On Oct 7, 2015 7:51 PM, "Michael Welch" <michael.welch at re-wrenches.org>
> wrote:
>
> I have had off-list contact with DPW, and I've been asked to post the
> following for them. If you have questions about my posting this on their
> behalf, contact me off list.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Thank you for alerting us to the problems you recently encountered with
> the paint used in our TPMs.  It is our intent to respond to customers'
> concerns to maintain your trust and support.  We recently had a problem
> when a supplier discontinued a paint we've used since the inception of our
> TPM product line.  After testing multiple formulations over the course of
> several weeks we were able to source a silver paint comparable to the
> original and now have that paint problem resolved.  As to lead time issues
> we are working with our distributor partners to move orders more quickly
> through their internal processes.  We extend our apologies for the
> inconvenience this paint problem has caused.  Please contact me personally
> with any questions or concerns.  I may be reached at
> schumachers at directpower.com or at 505-889-3585.  Steve Schumacher, DPW
> Solar, National Sales Manager
>
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