Come to VT... No inspection needed for residential solar installations at all (in the majority of the state). Having done hundreds of inspections for NYS, I can tell you that quality and code compliance race for the bottom dollar the majority of the time.Having been called upon to troubleshoot or expand others systems, it is the wild west.-GlennSent from my 'smart'phone, so please excuse typos and spelling errors.------ Original message------From: William MillerDate: Wed, Mar 31, 2021 1:37 PMTo: RE-wrenches;Cc: Subject:[RE-wrenches] Odd inspection procedureFriends: We just finished a grid-tied project that included a pretty complicated service upgrade. The project is in Monterey County, California. The site is pretty remote on the south end of the Big Sur coastline and Highway 1 is closed (as is not uncommon) to the north with a washout. This makes it time consuming for an inspector to reach the site, but even without the washout the travel time is measured in hours. Days in advance we scheduled the final inspection on the building department web-site as is SOP and were awarded a slot for yesterday. Yesterday morning an inspector called at 7:30 AM to announce they were too busy to make the appointment. Instead I was directed to take a series of photographs to verify the validity of our installation work. Below is the list they provided. Note how vague the requirements are, particularly the fifth one. I was told that this process will be standard operation procedure for the County of Monterey in the near future for solar installs. This seems wrong to me. I can’t believe that any collection of photographs can accurately portray if even the most simple photovoltaic system, let alone one with a 300 amp CT service and 400 amp transfer switch, is installed correctly. I know in the 1980s the solar water heating industry had acquired a collective black-eye due to shoddy installation procedures and I fear this is where the PV industry may be headed. I submitted a handful of photos and was granted a final approval. I have very mixed feelings about this “success.” I feel like I cheated on a test. I am curious if any of you have had a similar experience to this. As always I am informed and sometimes amused by what I learn on this forum. List of requested photographs: ☐ PV module model number, quantity, and location according to the approved plan. ☐ Roof penetrations flashed/sealed according to the approved plan. ☐ Array exposed cables are properly secured, supported, and routed to prevent physical damage. ☐ Grounding/bonding of rack and modules according to the manufacturer’s installation instructions. ☐ Equipment installed, listed and labeled according to the approved plan (e.g., PV modules, dc/dc converters, combiners, inverters, rapid shutdown equipment). ☐ Overcurrent devices are the type and size according to the approved plan. ☐ Disconnects according to the approved plan and prop erly located as required by the NEC. ☐ PV system markings, labels and signs according to the approved plan. ☐ Connection of the PV system to the grounding electrode system according to the approved plan. ☐ Access and working space for operation and maintenance of PV equipment such as inverters, disconnecting means and panelboards (not required for PV modules) [NEC 110.26]. ☐ The rapid shutdown system is installed and operational according to the approved plan [NEC 690.12]. William Miller Miller Solar17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422805-438-5600www.millersolar.comCA Lic. 773985
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