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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Wrenches,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>We've seen solar shutters displayed recently
at two trade shows in the Los Angeles area. See <A
href="http://plugnsaveenergyproducts.com/shutters/">http://plugnsaveenergyproducts.com/shutters/</A>
The solar shutters use zip cord and the people at
the shows were telling people to just plug the inverter into
a wall outlet. I told them that they were violating the NEC and
endangering people. They replied that ETL is testing their product and
said it will get listed and be put on the CEC eligible module list. We
asked how much power a solar shutter produces when mounted
inside a window and getting light through the window and frame
and if one shutter slat shades cells on the slat below it. They
replied that their solar shutter works and seem to sincerely believe
in their product.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Joel Davidson</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=ray@solarray.com href="mailto:ray@solarray.com">R Ray Walters</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">RE-wrenches</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, May 07, 2011 12:34
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [RE-wrenches] Dangerous
installs/installers..</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Even a bad solar installer isn't going to use cut up extension
cords; that install was DIY or a "knowledgable" inebriated neighbor. I lived
in the backwoods for many years, and saw even my own work get turned into
horror systems.
<DIV>As far as your competitor doing bad work, we had the same problem for
years with a guy who was finally run out of Taos by the inspector and a
growing list of angry customers.</DIV>
<DIV>He's now in California doing Wholesale Solar.</DIV>
<DIV>Your best bet is to turn him in to the AHJ for illegal contracting, along
with pics of the work., but make dang sure he really did it. Enough complaints
and eventually they'll get him.</DIV>
<DIV>Luckily much of the system can survive without OCP; the array is current
limited and won't pop an OCP anyway, and the house wiring can't actually fry
at 2500 watts continuous, so a battery wiring issue will be the most dangerous
situation. (batteries on NEC systems are not really protected from the most
likely dangers like a wrench being dropped across the terminals)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I've rewire dozens of such monsters, and you don't even want to have your
fingerprints on it without having approval to completely rewire it.</DIV>
<DIV>Also, for budget cabin systems like that, we would often just
supply parts and a wiring diagram, and let them keep the
liability. </DIV>
<DIV>It can get cost prohibitive and unnecessary to bring the whole system up
to NEC 2011, my own beautiful house has 103 yr old Knob & tube wiring that
is going great. I only added AFCI breakers and replaced all the lights with
low current CFs. </DIV>
<DIV>You have to suspend some of the code junky in you, and proceed with
common sense, or don't proceed at all.</DIV>
<DIV>Definitely not for the faint of heart, Good luck,</DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV><SPAN
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class=Apple-style-span>
<DIV>R. Walters</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:ray@solarray.com">ray@solarray.com</A></DIV>
<DIV>Solar Engineer</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>On May 7, 2011, at 11:21 AM, Jesse Dahl wrote:</DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<DIV>Good point, and I guess I could see work like this from a homeowner,
but this is from a "energy solutions" company in my area. I can fix the
problems with the solar, some new parts, some <SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span>conduit, pull some wire.. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span>I just don't know what to do about this "energy
solutions" guy. Show him why it's wrong, confront him.... </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span>Thanks,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469)"
class=Apple-style-span>Jesse</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><BR>Sent from my iPhone</DIV>
<DIV><BR>On May 7, 2011, at 11:37 AM, "Jason Szumlanski" <<A
href="mailto:Jason@fafcosolar.com">Jason@fafcosolar.com</A>>
wrote:<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV>
<DIV class=WordSection1>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Yeah
– it can be scary. Retrofits/fix-its are the worst, but can be fun and
profitable at times. Starting from scratch is usually the answer, reusing
components if practical.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Word
of caution… be careful not to harshly criticize work in front of the
customer. Sometimes they claim that “another idiot PV installer” did the
system, when in fact it was a DIY installation. You can be matter of fact
about the safety hazards and code violations, but I’ve seen the look on a
person’s face who obviously did it himself as I tore the system apart.
<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d">Jason
Szumlanski<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Fafco
Solar</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 4pt">
<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt">
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <A
href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org</A>
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B><A
href="mailto:dan@foxfire-energy.com">dan@foxfire-energy.com</A><BR><B>Sent:</B>
Saturday, May 07, 2011 7:58 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
RE-wrenches<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [RE-wrenches] Dangerous
installs/installers..<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><O:P></O:P></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Welcome
to the Rodeo partner.. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR>Dan
Brown<BR>Foxfire Energy Corp.<BR>Renewable Energy
Systems<BR>(802)-483-2564<BR><A
href="http://www.Foxfire-Energy.com/"></A><A
href="http://www.Foxfire-Energy.com/">www.Foxfire-Energy.com</A><BR>NABCEP
#092907-44<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: blue 1.5pt solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; MARGIN-TOP: 5pt; PADDING-LEFT: 6pt; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 6pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 0in"
id=replyBlockquote>
<DIV id=wmQuoteWrapper>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">--------
Original Message --------<BR>Subject: [RE-wrenches] Dangerous
installs/installers..<BR>From: Jesse Dahl <<A
href="mailto:dahlsolar@gmail.com"></A><A
href="mailto:dahlsolar@gmail.com">dahlsolar@gmail.com</A>><BR>Date:
Sat, May 07, 2011 2:45 am<BR>To: RE-wrenches <<A
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org"></A><A
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</A>><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">Wrenches,</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"><BR><BR><SPAN
class=apple-style-span> The other day on my travels, I came across
a very scary small stand-alone hunting shack install. All the
wiring is cut extension cords and some UF, the cable from the charge
controller to the batteries is an extension cord with the 14s
paralleled. mice chewed wire, splices taped and laid on the
ground, mis matched modules (least of the problems). not a disco or OCPD
to be seen. </SPAN><BR><BR><SPAN class=apple-style-span>Also a 500W
wind generator 100 yards from the battery bank, feed with #10s and then
spliced to #12s (most of it just laying on the ground.
</SPAN><BR><BR><SPAN class=apple-style-span>Now I think the owner
should have some responsibility to stop work when the see things this
awful, but what can/should we as an industry do about this? What do we
say to people that install stuff like this? Take them to
court?</SPAN><BR><BR><SPAN class=apple-style-span>A small 2500w with
surge of 5000w inverter was used here with 6 paralleled 12V deep cycle
batteries. Powering a few lights and a vacuum at first, a well pump was
added later. I could see the lights and vacuum, but a pump? How do
you go about wiring the output of an inverter like this? From a
receptacle on the inverter to what? This guy cut an extension cord off
and splice it to some NM and ran it inside to the loads. No breaker, I
just can't get over the fact this guy sleeps at
night...</SPAN><BR><BR><BR></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"><BR><BR></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt">You
should see the photos of this mess...</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"><BR><BR><BR><SPAN
class=apple-style-span>Thank you for your
thoughts,</SPAN><BR><BR><BR><BR><SPAN
class=apple-style-span>Jesse</SPAN><BR></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><BR>Sent
from my iPhone<O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<HR align=center SIZE=2 width="100%">
</SPAN></DIV>
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