[RE-wrenches] Ballasted ground mouont

[Nick Lucchese]

This solution is kind of hokey but I have a friend in a very similar
situation so I had been considering. The 60 cell variant is still available
if that is what you originally designed with. I've never used them but put
my hands on them at Intersolar this year and they appear to be a decent
solution.

https://www.powerfieldenergy.com/

Good luck, Nick

On Wed, Apr 1, 2026 at 11:14 AM Jay via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> Have you looked at the unirac GFT
> They have a stamped ballasted design which can be above ground or built
> into the ground. I don’t know if it’s got the updated stamp.
>
> Jay
>
>
>
> On Apr 1, 2026, at 12:07 PM, William Miller via RE-wrenches <
> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>
> 
>
> Friends:
>
>
>
> I have a client that is trying to meet a 4/14/26 deadline to construct a
> grid-tied system under the NEM2 rate structure.  She contacted me late in
> the process to see if I could design a system that could be permitted and
> built by that date.
>
>
>
> Her roof is inadequate so I proposed a ground-mount.  Any racking system
> that penetrates the ground would need a soils study to avoid a forest of
> posts with concrete.  Without a soils study the assumption is the ground
> has the consistency of beach sand.  We did not have the time for a soils
> study.  Therefore I suggested a ballasted ground mount.
>
>
>
> The AHJ favors “pre-engineered, ready-to-use” designs (their quote).
> Unirac provides this service for their RM10EVO product and also stipulates
> approval for ground mounting.  We entered the information into the
> U-Builder web portal, including a California address, and received an
> engineering report certifying a design with the required parts and ballast
> blocks.
>
>
>
> The AHJ failed to recognize this as a pre-engineered, ready-to-use design
> and called for a wet-stamped engineering report.  For a mere $350 Unirac
> offered to provide this, a fair price.  In the process of requesting this
> report we were informed that the California code cycle had updated on
> 1/1/2026 and new standards are in place.  The old standard is ASCE7-16.
>  The new one is ASCE 7-22.  Unirac told me that they have yet to be
> certified for 7-22 for the RM10EVO.  Oddly the U-builder report states
> compliance with 7-22 but apparently this is an error.  Unirac will not
> provide a wet-stamp certifying compliance with 7-22 and the 2025 California
> Residential Code and/or the 2025 California Building Code.
>
>
>
> I write this for two reasons:  1. This is a big heads up if any of you
> have projects in the pipeline that depend on these codes, and 2. Do any of
> you know of any ground-approved, ballasted racking systems I should be
> considering?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance for any input.
>
>
>
> William
>
>
>
>
>
> William Miller
>
> Miller Solar
>
> www.millersolar.com
>
> CA License C-10 77398
>
>
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