🏡 Better Homes OffshoreDrilling's (mostly) DIY Solar install extravaganza.
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Why Solar?
Economics of Solar
All in.
I have to run out for some parts to re route the bathroom exhausts, one was collapsed and just venting into the attic. Put the ductwork back together and we are done. Guessing another 3ish hours
This shit is NOT fun. My back and sides are shredded up from shimmying across conduit in all the rafter and joist bays. Be glad when it’s over. There’s no way to do this other than to grit it out or pay a fortune to hire someone
Just solidifies my decision to put mine on the ground 
I was expecting to be putting panels on today lol. Got as far as mounting the feet for the first row of panels. Something not cool, I have to leave one panel off of the first row. Furnace flue is in the least optimal place and leaves my shy by about 6”.
Nah. There’s really nowhere else to go with it. It’s soffited in the wall going up two floors and against an exterior wall. Also serves the water heater.
I’ll eventually totally remove it when basement HVAC System and water heater get replaced.
Also, original panels they system was supposed to come with are about 2” shorter in length and they would have fit. Out of stock though.
Progress. MIL and FIL were over today to help
with the baby so I was able to spend a solid 8
Hours on the roof.
I started putting up the rack mounting feet last weekend but didn’t get very far along. Managed to get all of them installed today, rails mounted on the roof, ground wire installed, microinverters mounted and wired, cut a hole through the roof for a junction box and spent a good 90mins zip tying all the wire up.
with the baby so I was able to spend a solid 8
Hours on the roof.
I started putting up the rack mounting feet last weekend but didn’t get very far along. Managed to get all of them installed today, rails mounted on the roof, ground wire installed, microinverters mounted and wired, cut a hole through the roof for a junction box and spent a good 90mins zip tying all the wire up.
Next up is mounting the panels. I need a second person to handle that though. They’re just a little too awkward to handle alone getting on/off the ladder at the roof. 69”x41” and 50lbs each.
You do know
Jon01 would have been done already, smoked some ribs, did a coolant flush, and installed a trans.
He doesn’t have a newborn either!
I forgot, he would have impregnated his Wife as well lol
Y'all mf crazy, ain't got time to spend 8 hours smokin no ribs. ?You do know
Took the day off today to get some more done. Started around noon and BIL showed up at 4ish.
I knocked out three panels at the roof edge before he showed up and five more with his help. We had a few hiccups along the way and needed to move one of the rows of rails to shift panels up 3”.
I made this little piece of strut with three spring clamps to position panels when working by myself. Tie it off to the rails on the rows above and I was able to manage not dropping them off the roof.
I knocked out three panels at the roof edge before he showed up and five more with his help. We had a few hiccups along the way and needed to move one of the rows of rails to shift panels up 3”.
I made this little piece of strut with three spring clamps to position panels when working by myself. Tie it off to the rails on the rows above and I was able to manage not dropping them off the roof.
Fucking A, gotta get shit done solo sometimes so you do what you need to to make it work.
It’s kind of hard working with someone because I’m new to this too. Kind of hard to give instructions as I’m figuring it out. Having a gopher to fetch parts and tools is useful enough though
Managed to get 4 more panels up after work last night. If I can get away from baby duties for a couple hours today, I plant to get back up there. 5 panels left to mount, then onto all the electrical.
All the panels are up and rails cut to final length. AMEN.
Still lots of work to do but this is all the cool looking stuff. I have to get conduit from the garage attic, up through the master bedroom wall into the 2nd floor attic then down two floors to the total opposite end of the house. No sweat right?
Still lots of work to do but this is all the cool looking stuff. I have to get conduit from the garage attic, up through the master bedroom wall into the 2nd floor attic then down two floors to the total opposite end of the house. No sweat right?
The panels end in just the perfect spot that I can still put up a ladder on the master balcony and access the roof. That was one of my only concerns. I didn’t want to need to go out and buy a 26’ extension ladder.
Minor update and no pics.
I was graced with 4hrs of time to start on electrical work this past Sunday. I didn’t get much done other than figuring out how the fuck I’m getting conduit from point A to point B to point C.
Tore down the drywall next to my master balcony slider where the garage attaches to the house. Started with an exploratory and 1.125” hole through the bottom plate of the wall framing to figure out where I’d land below that. Perfectly placed just inside the garage attic.
Next was another hole then notch into the double top plate of the same wall into the attic. I bent up one piece of conduit poked through the hole and secured in the attic before I had to stop and clean up my mess to get back to dad duties.
This should be straightforward from here on out. The big mystery was conduit routing from garage attic to house attic that are on two different levels.
Wire is going to route from house attic to garage attic, down through garage wall and through band joist of basement where it’s a a straight shot along the ceiling to my breaker panel. I need to punch a hole through foundation and the rest is gravy.
I took Friday off of work this week to have time to slave away at the project again. I should be able to get all the conduit done in 4-5hrs. *crosses fingers*
I was graced with 4hrs of time to start on electrical work this past Sunday. I didn’t get much done other than figuring out how the fuck I’m getting conduit from point A to point B to point C.
Tore down the drywall next to my master balcony slider where the garage attaches to the house. Started with an exploratory and 1.125” hole through the bottom plate of the wall framing to figure out where I’d land below that. Perfectly placed just inside the garage attic.
Next was another hole then notch into the double top plate of the same wall into the attic. I bent up one piece of conduit poked through the hole and secured in the attic before I had to stop and clean up my mess to get back to dad duties.
This should be straightforward from here on out. The big mystery was conduit routing from garage attic to house attic that are on two different levels.
Wire is going to route from house attic to garage attic, down through garage wall and through band joist of basement where it’s a a straight shot along the ceiling to my breaker panel. I need to punch a hole through foundation and the rest is gravy.
I took Friday off of work this week to have time to slave away at the project again. I should be able to get all the conduit done in 4-5hrs. *crosses fingers*
It honestly doesn’t get better until maybe 4-5 years old IMO. Trying to do anything with them glued to your hip is very trying. New born is probably easier just cause they aren’t following you. ???
I feels you hard with this though.
And the wife would have popped out a full grown electrical engineer and probably would have done this on a second house as well. ?
Seriously once they start walking it’s literally this every time you try to do work around the house.
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