[RE-wrenches] Ballasted ground mouont

[David Quattro]

You could probably get a fast, and very affordable stamp from ENGINEERINC.
Contact
Headquarters
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Burbank, CA 91502
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Mail
new at engineerinc.io





On Wed, Apr 1, 2026 at 11:16 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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