"Wiring for the future" AGB Electic to the Rescue!!!!

Yesterday the building inspector signed off on my Solar installation with a check mark in the Satisfactory column. YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It never would have happened if I didn't run into Tony; Anthony J. Beaulieu, President of AGB Electric based in Windham, NH.

Within minutes of his arrival on October 7, 2009 he said; "we're going to make this happen today". He used the word TODAY, I kept repeating that word; "today", in my head, and I was grinning from ear to ear...WOW!!! And...he meant every word of it Tony came through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He DID make it happen!!! His business card reads;

"Wiring for the future."

That is an understatement...Tony's company IS the future, he is da' man!!!

Let me back track.
Up until I met Tony I kept failing with the building inspector. He'd make a trip out...and say no. I'd bring bags of stuff to his office..and I'd strike out.
For the past year I have been trying, without success, to find an open minded, out of the box electrician who would work with me to "make this happen". All the phone calls were in vain. As soon as I'd mention "solar" the comments were; "we only do commercial"...other electricians, over a half dozen, wouldn't even call me back. Even the electrician who did lots of work at my house last year, upgrading us to 200 amp service, doing the electrical work for our instant on demand hot water, putting in the energy saving lighting in the kitchen, living room, bathroom and hall dropped me like a hot potato, no calls back to me, no emails returned. I was at the end of my rope, after numerous trips to the building inspectors office and failed inspections I felt defeated and lost. NEC codes are like a foreign language.

I was incredibly lucky to run into Tony. Within an hour or so of running into him at my local Home Depot in the electrical isle he showed up at my house. His apprentice, Nick soon followed. Within minutes they were flying!!!!!!!! He had Nick hopping out at the combiner box fitting all the proper NEC code bushings, PVC pipes, refitting the grounding lugs I had put in backwards on the solar panels. Tony worked downstairs in the DC Electrical Load Center Box, re-drilling a hole through the sill and re-snaking wires making them neat and into a junction box that I needed. I think it was called "liquid tight" but he used it as a conduit from the load center box to the Solar Controller and from the Junction box to the DC Load Center box, it looked great and all in code!!! Take a look at the "after pics"!!!! (And my before pics on the previous blog posts for a before and after.)

WOW...how cool is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nick did a great job wiring up the combiner box...he's going to have a great future.

There were times when Tony had to come up with creative solutions, and, with a little innovation, he designed and created fittings I needed...wow!! Companies like this are what this country need, tackling new technology head on. Nick is a very lucky apprentice he's with a company that has an innovator and forward thinker at it's helm. Stick in there Nick you are the future too.

Solar is here but not for the regular residential homeowner, but with electricians like Tony out there and an attitude of "we're going to make this happen today"...it's all possible!!

We love our little "off grid" system. So far it's been in full operation for a full week and we have run all our electronics, cleaning robots, led lighting for my indoor herb garden. If we have another 9 day ice storm we'll have power for some lighting and extras.

Our next idea is for a grid tie and we'll be calling Tony and Nick but for now I'm looking forward to making cakes and pies in my wood cookstove and yes, I'll be a new doggie mom in a few more weeks. We are adopting a little Border Terrier puppy.

Thanks Tony and Nick for making this possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robbie and Dave Thank you both!!!!!!

Thanks Robbie and Dave from the Alt-E forum!!!!!

http://www.altestore.com/forums/Renewable-Energy/Technical/Showing-voltage-over-disconnect-breaker-/index.php/topic,2097.0.html


You have lifted my spirits and have both been a collective voice that has helped me to continue with my dream. I appreciate your support so much, at a time when I needed it the most!!!! I'm back on the project with determination in my heart thanks to both of you!!!

This morning I flipped the 70 amp breaker to the battery bank and I have juice to the Outback Flexmaxx 60 Solar Controller...it sees the battery bank, it's voltage, and the fact that I don't have the solar panels snapped into the combiner box yet. I have "lift off", Houston we don't have a problem yet, "Godspeed John Glenn" !!!!


Info on my wiring of breakers and photos of the box below:

DC Quick Disconnect Breaker 250 Amp rating:

• The 250 amp breaker is wired with the Positive Inverter Cable is on top and the Battery Positive Cable on the bottom of the breaker. There is also a connection between the bottom of the 250 amp breaker and the bottom of the 70 amp breaker for the PV output disconnect.

PV Output Disconnect 70 Amp breaker:

• The top part of the 70 amp breaker runs to the Battery positive in the Solar Controller. Bottom of the breaker runs to the hook up with the positive Battery Bank wire on the bottom of the 250 breaker.
  

PV + Input Disconnect 60 Amp breaker:

• The 60amp breaker (top) runs to the DC Ground Fault Breaker top. The bottom part of the breaker holds the PV Positive in connection coming directly from the array from outside.
  

Ground Fault Breaker:

• The Ground fault breaker I have a negative wire coming out of the .5amp section (bottom of the breaker) and a ground (running from the top) I also have a connection from the GFI top 60 amp breaker running to the other 60 amp breaker top. The bottom part of the GFI runs to the PV positive that goes directly to the Solar Controller.

• The back of the DC box show the Negative battery connection running to the inside of the post at the DC negative bus and the Negative Battery lead from the Solar Controller is running to the second post on the DC Negative Bus along with the negative wire from the bottom of the .5amp ground fault breaker.

• I also have the ground wire that runs from the array with the PV positive and PV negative wires, attached to a 8' ground rod and tied into the box at the ground bus. The solar controller, the dc box itself and the inverter all have a copper ground that ties into the system.

• I've also included a photo with the cover on.

I used the breaker instructions for wiring the box using the MNDC Installation Instructions since I wasn't too happy with the clarity of the Flexware 500 guide. The User guide might be great for a master electrician but I am not one nor do I play one on TV.

Here are some shots of my battery bank.

4 105 amp hour batteries wired in parallel and the inverter.
I'm not happy with the inverter connection I had to use a jumper cable battery (2 gauge) and try to tin the wires with a small butane torch.

Inside the Solar controller box...that seemed to be pretty straight forward with wiring.

And last is the And last, is the Combiner Box, this seemed fairly easy to wire also..slots for PV Positive and Negative, ground and the lightning arrestor wired in.