[RE-wrenches] Nuance ground racking

[Jeff Clearwater]

Hi Dave,

Yes we were one of the early adopters and installed a 32 KW Nuance 
system last year in CA.

Mixed results though I think it's a very exciting concept and believe in 
it going forward - they are working out the bugs.

The new version is much better execution as far as the above ground rack 
goes than the first version - now ready for prime time.  It's actually a 
bit overkill now - but very solid.  they fixed the problem of needing 
two hands for the end clips too I believe.

The installation and then pull testing of the anchors can be 
straightforward but there are some things to watch for:

 1. The first test tool they rented or sold to do pull testing was
    highly problematic - they've fixed that and have a new tool but it
    is very expensive - Luke (the lead designer) had one at RE+ in Las
    Vegas last month - I highly suggest you speak with him and arrange
    to rent the new tool to do the job - do NOT use the first one
 2. They have a new wider anchor that needs to be installed before the
    post platforms - do you have the wide ones or the original ones? 
    The wide ones are recommended in clay or any wet soil - refer to
    Luke on that but with the narrow ones we need 2 or even 3 anchors
    per post in a few wet areas we had.
 3. As for your tool questions - we rented a 30 lb impact drill to
    install the rods - though the dewalt one you show may work - I'd go
    heavier if you have hard soils.  That last tool you show may do the
    trick - but for the $100 rental fee it was worth having the big 30
    lb impact drill from the rental shop.

Make sure you have a chart or write in marker on the rack itself to show 
the inspector all of the uplift figures you get.  We were in the 
1200-2000 lb range for most of our anchors - sometimes we needed 2 or 3 
according to their formulae if one anchor doesn't pull enough resistance.

Also make sure the chinese finger cable grips are fully pushed all the 
way down.  We went back after the first wind storm and made sure they 
didn't move.

All has been great with the rack through two winds storms.

After many years of pouring concrete into sonotubes - and even after 
some recent experience with ground screws - I think the ground anchors 
are revolutionary!  Just got to be installed correctly!  I think it's a 
winner going forward and Nuance - though a small company - I think is 
doing a good job making it work.

Hope that helps,

Jeff Clearwater
Village Power Design


> Dave Tedeyan via RE-wrenches <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> October 9, 2023 at 10:32 AM
> Hi all,
>
> I am going to try out the Nuance OSPREY PowerRack as a ground mount 
> option that does not require an excavator. I am wondering two things 
> about it:
>
> 1. Does anyone have experience with this, and do you like it?
>
> 2. What drill do you use for the drive rod?
> It seems like the Milwaukee 2" SDS max drill is the standard - 
> https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/5342-21
> I am wondering if it is possible to use a cordless drill though. 
> DeWalt makes both a cordless and corded version that claim to have the 
> same impact energy as each other, although both are less than the 
> Milwaukee Drill. Milwaukee has 19.9 ft-lbs of energy and the DeWalt 
> ones have 19.4 Joules, which is 14.3 ft-lbs of energy.
> Cordless Kit - 
> https://www.dewalt.com/product/dch773y2/60v-max-2-brushless-cordless-sds-max-combination-rotary-hammer-kit
> Corded Kit - 
> https://www.dewalt.com/product/d25773k/2-sds-max-rotary-hammer
>
> The cordless drill is tempting because I already have a bunch of 
> DeWalt equipment, and it would be nice to avoid needing a generator or 
> some very long extension cords.
>
> Thanks!
> -Dave
>
> -- 
> Logo <https://www.sungineersolar.com/>	
> Dave Tedeyan, P.E.
> Owner | Sungineer Solar
> p: he | him | his
> a: 1653 Slaterville Rd. | Ithaca, NY 14850
> w: www.sungineersolar.com <http://www.sungineersolar.com/>
> c: (607) 270-0370
>
>
>
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