How do you pick a solar installer?

Grubscrew

Grubscrew

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Reading some of these solar threads, it doesn't seem solar is as clear cut as one would think. It also seems yesterday's carport installers are now solar installers.

Are there currently any solar installation regulations that need to be followed, do installers need registered or certified?
What are municipal\council requirements with regards to solar?
What are insurer's requirements with regards to solar?
From my understanding AC is covered by a COC from an electrician, what equivalent is there for the DC portion?
 
I read through a few 1000 posts on the forum to see what others are doing and did some googling to learn the basics.
Then decided what I needed and wanted, and did calcs in excel.
 
Disclose location get recommendations, I got mine from @RonSwanson and I can tell you hands down best choice ever. You MUST get recommendations the investment you make will bite you if you cut corners.

Also as @Pegasus said research research research!

I put as much info to help others here if you need a starting point

Snyper's Solar Farm

Hi all, I am finally getting round to making this thread. After loads of research and another bout of load shedding I finally decided to pull the trigger and load shed Eskom. Prior to going solar I already had all the lights on LEDs, house is kitted with energy efficient appliances and...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
Sunsynk has a approved installer list on their website which is a good start. Master rating would be ideal. Even better would be those who communicate well and have a good reputation on the powerforum, of which I know two, Steve87 and leshen.

CoC needs to be done by a master electrician, so the solar installers work needs to be certified thereafter, usually they work with specific electricians to do it for them.
 
Grubscrew said:
Reading some of these solar threads, it doesn't seem solar is as clear cut as one would think. It also seems yesterday's carport installers are now solar installers.

Are there currently any solar installation regulations that need to be followed, do installers need registered or certified?
What are municipal\council requirements with regards to solar?
What are insurer's requirements with regards to solar?
From my understanding AC is covered by a COC from an electrician, what equivalent is there for the DC portion?
Click to expand...
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Check on local Facebook group for your town and who people recommend. Compare quotes. Check out references. I don't have anything installed yet, but saw one or two installers who are recommended often.

And of course share experience and progress on the forum or power forum so you can query the installer if something needs attention.
 
No, but seriously, get recommendations, etc. Do an electricity audit of your home to determine what your needs are. Browse the solar forum threads.

I got all my stuff from Steve at Powerforum Store. And I used my local electrician that also does solar installations to install everything for me. We have a good relationship and he is always willing to help.

Steve also has a list of installers he can suggest in your area. I can only imagine what it must be like to try and get a guy to come and quote you these days with everyone fully booked etc. And yes, I also noticed even the trellidoor guys do solar installations in our area. WtF. Every second poephol is now an installer and solar expert.

Find an installer that is willing to assist and do some background checks, check their FB pages to see their work, etc. It is a lot of money and you want to spend it wisely.

Good luck.
 
abd2 said:
Sunsynk has a approved installer list on their website which is a good start. Master rating would be ideal. Even better would be those who communicate well and have a good reputation on the powerforum, of which I know two, Steve87 and leshen.

CoC needs to be done by a master electrician, so the solar installers work needs to be certified thereafter, usually they work with specific electricians to do it for them.
Click to expand...
I was very disappointed with that Sunsynk installer "accreditation". Seems it can be gotten very easily.
I decided to use that list to choose the installer for my dad's install, and he did not know how to do a neutral/earth bond relay on a Deye.
And I also told him his fuse for between battery and inverter looks dodgy, he assured me it is fine.
He had to come out again 3 days later to replace the melted fuse holder.. etc

Be careful out there for the many, many cowboys..
 
W@P said:
No, but seriously, get recommendations, etc. Do an electricity audit of your home to determine what your needs are. Browse the solar forum threads.

I got all my stuff from Steve at Powerforum Store. And I used my local electrician that also does solar installations to install everything for me. We have a good relationship and he is always willing to help.

Steve also has a list of installers he can suggest in your area. I can only imagine what it must be like to try and get a guy to come and quote you these days with everyone fully booked etc. And yes, I also noticed even the trellidoor guys do solar installations in our area. WtF. Every second poephol is now an installer and solar expert.

Find an installer that is willing to assist and do some background checks, check their FB pages to see their work, etc. It is a lot of money and you want to spend it wisely.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Also have a gardening service that offers a solar panel cleaning service as well. So a cut and clean.
 
Grubscrew said:
Reading some of these solar threads, it doesn't seem solar is as clear cut as one would think. It also seems yesterday's carport installers are now solar installers.

Are there currently any solar installation regulations that need to be followed, do installers need registered or certified?
What are municipal\council requirements with regards to solar?
What are insurer's requirements with regards to solar?
From my understanding AC is covered by a COC from an electrician, what equivalent is there for the DC portion?
Click to expand...
as a certified IE and contractor ,dont listen to anything you find on social media unless the person posts his credentials .there are sites that list all the registered certified solar contractors if the company is not on that site hes not certified to do the job .(fullstop)
 
I would say that MyBB recommendations are always very good, but combine them with other indicators. It does not help if someone recommends a service provider, and they themselves don't have a good, current and relevant knowledge and experience in all of the engineering disciplines involved, and with solar there are at least 4: Structural engineering, electrical engineering (AC), electrical engineering (DC), energy storage, and energy generation. And then we still want a wireman's license as well. It is difficult just to get hold of someone like that, leave alone establish a rapport, do a site visit, produce a quotation, and then complete the job satisfactorily.
That's why I rely on Steve from The Powerforumstore. He will not recommend a dodgy installer, because he sees the recommendation as a direct reflection of the service provided by The Powerforumstore. He knows exactly which installers give issues and which do not, because he gets the comebacks and complaints. He also knows which installers are familiar with the capabilities of the equipment and the site quirks like roofing type, and which are not.
My advice would be to actually contact and physically visit reference sites, satisfy yourself that the installer knows what he is doing. Better still, attend an installation on-site, live, not only once all the trunking covers are replaced. How does the site look? How are installers treating the equipment and the client's home / business premises? Are they grovelling on the floor in building rubble and wire cutoffs, or is it neat and clean, like a operating theatre? Are they treating their tools with respect, or are they simply thrown around and misused (for example using a pliers as an impact tool)? Fortunately a good quality installation is actually quite easy to spot vs a bad one.
 
Just make sure it's an established company that's been in the game for a while, long before this gold rush.

As mentioned you don't want a guy who does garage motors to also do your solar install. They need to do solar install.

Any reputable company will have an installer that comes as a team. That team will comprise of the guys who install the inverter, batteries and panels, and a dedicated electrician who works on the DB and issues the COC. If it's just one guy who does everything, then question everything. He will at the very least have to be a master electrician since he's going to be touching your DB...
 
I want to be somewhat informed about most things solar and inverter related before I start to get quotes.

We currently use about 650 - 800kwh a month.
I have pool motor that I run about 4 hours a day and a geyser.
I will change the electric hob to a has hob.
I will keep the electric oven
My Wife uses a hair dryer every day, mostly in the early mornings

What I guessing based on my needs is a 5kw inverter, a 5kw battery and 8 x 420w+ panels? I would be mostly off grid?
I can later add, another inverter, batteries solar panels as I need to go completely off grid?

I imagine everything will be running through the inverter and I will have to setup my geyser and pool with timers to be active during the most sunlight.

Budget at the moment is R100-R120k
 
Grubscrew said:
I want to be somewhat informed about most things solar and inverter related before I start to get quotes.

We currently use about 650 - 800kwh a month.
I have pool motor that I run about 4 hours a day and a geyser.
I will change the electric hob to a has hob.
I will keep the electric oven
My Wife uses a hair dryer every day, mostly in the early mornings

What I guessing based on my needs is a 5kw inverter, a 5kw battery and 8 x 420w+ panels? I would be mostly off grid?
I can later add, another inverter, batteries solar panels as I need to go completely off grid?

I imagine everything will be running through the inverter and I will have to setup my geyser and pool with timers to be active during the most sunlight.

Budget at the moment is R100-R120k
Click to expand...
ive done lots of COC on installs ,and then 6 months later you go back because the 5kw has now evolved into an 8 kw .most are now fitting 12 panels especially for winter .me i would go 8+8 and as many panels as you can then throw in and add more later .geyser is a bugger on a battery .
 
Grubscrew said:
I want to be somewhat informed about most things solar and inverter related before I start to get quotes.

We currently use about 650 - 800kwh a month.
I have pool motor that I run about 4 hours a day and a geyser.
I will change the electric hob to a has hob.
I will keep the electric oven
My Wife uses a hair dryer every day, mostly in the early mornings

What I guessing based on my needs is a 5kw inverter, a 5kw battery and 8 x 420w+ panels? I would be mostly off grid?
I can later add, another inverter, batteries solar panels as I need to go completely off grid?

I imagine everything will be running through the inverter and I will have to setup my geyser and pool with timers to be active during the most sunlight.

Budget at the moment is R100-R120k
Click to expand...
Go with the higher inverter upfront, you won't have to worry about high loads and can start reaping the benefits immediately with one less thing to worry about upgrading.

With one battery it's going to be a struggle to get mostly off grid, but at least you can get through load shedding. Each 5 kWh of storage gives you about 120 kWh a month. So at 800 kWh total, you'd need at least 3 to get minimal Eskom dependence. With one battery you can also only do a load of 2.5 kW at 0.5C. With 3 you can do a load of 7.5 kW. Just keep this in mind to manage your expectations better.

I'd go with 8 kW inverter, 1 x 5 kWh battery and 8 x 455W panels to start. Then add more panels and another battery as the next upgrade, then 1 or 2 more batteries as the final upgrade...
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Go with the higher inverter upfront, you won't have to worry about high loads and can start reaping the benefits immediately with one less thing to worry about upgrading.

With one battery it's going to be a struggle to get mostly off grid, but at least you can get through load shedding. Each 5 kWh of storage gives you about 120 kWh a month. So at 800 kWh total, you'd need at least 3 to get minimal Eskom dependence. With one battery you can also only do a load of 2.5 kW at 0.5C. With 3 you can do a load of 7.5 kW. Just keep this in mind to manage your expectations better.

I'd go with 8 kW inverter, 1 x 5 kWh battery and 8 x 455W panels to start. Then add more panels and another battery as the next upgrade, then 1 or 2 more batteries as the final upgrade...
Click to expand...
I was sort of thinking get a 5Kw inverter to start off with. Then later upgrade and add another 5Kw inverter, that way you have a failover when one dies?
 
I just want to add this.
" He will at the very least have to be a master electrician since he's going to be touching your DB..."
I'm old school. Master Electrician is not a normal electrician. Meaning he has done is trade test as electrician.
He needs to be registered with the department. He has to buy a book he needs to fill in to write you a COC.
A normal electrician that works in a factory will not be able to a COC.
He needs to do a wireman licence and pass his exam, then once he has done this, he will become registered.
He gets a number from the department which he needs to include with a COC.

Coming back to master electrician, he also needs to pass exam. Once passed he becomes a master electrician.
My understanding difference between electrician or master electrician.
Master electrician can sign of factories which utilize 3-Phase power. Normal electrician can't do this.

The same can be said for a technician. A technician needs to have some tertiary education. Technical college or Technikon. Currently every call themself as technicians. No qualification what so ever.

This is wrong with our current system.
 
schuits said:
I was sort of thinking get a 5Kw inverter to start off with. Then later upgrade and add another 5Kw inverter, that way you have a failover when one dies?
Click to expand...
II have both 5kW and 8kW inverters installed. House and flat.
With 5kW you need to discipline yourself. When to use power and when.
You can't run over 5kW power usage. Inverter will trip.
I did it once boil kettle use toaster and microwave at the same time.
Did not trip the inverter, but supplemented power from municipality to make up the diffrence.
 
A recommended installer from a large solar supplier fitted 375 watt panels and claimed they were 575 watt

I measured the voltage output from 4 in series and it came to 142 VDC. It should have been nearly double that in sunshine. The installer said I was "just stupid" and "did not know what I was doing" but the battery would only charge to 66% SOC

The owner got someone else to take off one panel, photographed the label and sent it to this installer

No response for 3 weeks. A complaint to the supplier resulted him coming around, wanting to "f--- up" the person spreading the story

A letter from a lawyer caused him to remove the inadequate panels and replace them with 575 watt panels. In doing so his staff cracked 7 tiles on the roof, which then leaked, ruining the bathroom ceiling

The insurance co paid for the repair and are trying to recover the cost from this installer
 
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