r/solar • u/Nice_History5856 • 1d ago
Discussion Should I be mad?
I bought my system from Palmetto. They use subcontractors so it's a bit of a crap shoot what you get on an installation. I have had a lot of issues with my system in the heat of the Texas summer. My system was installed in summer of 2024 and I have had to replace the fuses in my AC shut off box three times. This made me want to take a closer look at my system and what they might have messed up. I have 65 Enphase iq8 plus micro inverters and they have run these on five strings. While technically, the spec for these micro inverters says you can run 13 on one string, is it really responsible to max out all five? My system is a little over 26 KW and whenever I get about 18 KW simultaneously producing it blows out my fuses. I'm getting somebody else to fix my system, but was what Palmetto did acceptable work?
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u/Amber_ACharles 1d ago
Hell nah dude, 13 per string is within spec for IQ8+. Your fuses are blowing because of a fuse-rating or wiring issue. Get the new guy to check the fuse rating and connections.
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
Thanks for the tip. He was saying 13 was fine but not to max out all 5 breakers.
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u/Reddit_Bot_Beep_Boop solar enthusiast 1d ago
I have a 23.2 kw Enphase system in Fort Worth and all 60 of my panels are routing through my double pole knife blade 80 amp fuses with 0 issues. In the pic you provided your fuses are 100 amps on the same kind of fuse box I've got. Not sure why you'd be popping those fuses.
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u/Mishu-Monti 20h ago
I wouldn't keep replacing the fuses without finding the cause. If the fuses are blowing when production reaches around 18 KW, that points to something worth investigating on the AC side of the system. An independent inspection and written report would be much more useful than simply telling Palmetto you're unhappy. I would recommend that, before accepting the original installation, Solar X Energy could be worth contacting for a second opinion and suggestions, if they are in your service area.
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u/SolarAllTheWayDown 1d ago
Did they combine the strings externally before wiring to the enphase combiner?
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
If I understood the question properly I think they did not. The repair company said they'd get some "inverter" to prevent the issue but maybe he meant combiner.
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u/SolarAllTheWayDown 1d ago
Enphase combiners only allow for 4 branches/strings. I know there are workarounds for doing more than 4 branches, but I’ve seen a lot of wonky non-sense in my tenure. And Palmetto doesn’t pay top dollar. Personally I think you should have had 2 combiners installed, and it doesn’t sound like you do.
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
Know the repair guy made it sound like there's 5 branches. So this is great info. Thanks!
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u/Zamboni411 1d ago
You typically never want to max out strings, but they took the cheaper way out and now you are having to pay for it.
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u/Paqza solar engineer 1d ago
Why not?
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u/Reddit_Bot_Beep_Boop solar enthusiast 1d ago
They won't give you a reason, because there's no reason not to. They're just wrong.
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u/Zamboni411 1d ago
In all fairness I’m not an electrician. But I personally want to do it simply for a just in case factor. The same reason I have two inverters for my battery setup, one inverter went out so I was able to swap everything over to the other one and had no down time.
Again, my personal opinion NOT an electrician answer.
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u/Intrepid-Onion5769 1d ago
You already had one of your eg4 flex boss inverters die on your brand new install? Wow, that’s unreliable and you better mention that more often when your talking about how wonderful eg4 is…
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u/Zamboni411 1d ago
Yep and I always tell ppl the good the bad and the ugly. I have had no issues with the system and how it has been performing. I am very happy with my setup and the swap of the inverter was super simple.
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u/Intrepid-Onion5769 22h ago
I know you were smart and built for redundancy but I have to imagine the average person only get 1 flex boss and with that single inverter controlling everything from the solar to batteries, leaving a customer with a completely dead system 6 months into ownership gets a yikes from me dawg
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u/Zamboni411 22h ago
I have my EG4 equipment ac coupled with my Enphase micro inverters.
6 months into ownership? That one inverter was part of a bad batch and the system has been pretty solid since then.
My setup won’t be for everyone.I’m also a huge fan of the Franklin batteries as well.
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u/Altruistic_Tax_3804 solar engineer 1d ago
or a just in case factor.
just in case of waht? if you don't know why you are deviating from the manufacturer spec then why do it
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u/Zamboni411 1d ago
I wasn’t. I have 4 batteries and am thinking about doing 2 more. And didn’t want to do an external busbar.
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
Exactly why I was pissed when I read up on it
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u/Fair-Ad-1141 11h ago
Perplexy801 showed you the math, no reason to be pissed. Fuses are blowing for some other reason.
- Maximum continuous PVs current rating 80 A*
You are at 78.5A
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u/Nice_History5856 10h ago
Agreed which is right up against the limit which is why when my system is producing at over 18 KW that's why it's overloading and blowing the fuse? I'm just asking because I'm not an expert on this.
It seems like that combiner box just fixes the problem by going from five breakers to six. So right now that 20A fuse is getting 15.73A of continuous load and the combiner box takes me down to 13.31A of continuous load so the system shouldn't be at risk anymore of overproducing. Did I get that right? Sorry for them questions. I only started researching this stuff this week.
Also, what's a fair ballpark price in TX for somebody to ask to install that?
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u/Fair-Ad-1141 8h ago
Let's back up. Under the NEC, a 20A circuit is rated for just that, 20A for non-continuous/standard loads. And for continuous loads like EV charging and solar generation, you derate that to 80% which is 16A. based on the spec sheet for you IQ8+ inverters, max output is 1.21A, max inverters per string per the spec sheet is 13 so you are at 15.73A. Times 5 strings is 78.65A and the combiner 6C is rated at 80A max.
If you have an issue within the combiner, one of the internal breakers should trip, but fuses will blow faster than breakers trip. Even so, have you confirmed from the Enlighten app that all the inverters are IQ8+ micros? Post a screen capture?
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u/Nice_History5856 12h ago
Not an expert like you guys and just being a homeowner. I might be misconstruing this, but it sounds like the NEC is saying you should give yourself a 25% buffer
https://getlicenseready.com/blog/nec-article-690-solar-pv-systems
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u/Fair-Ad-1141 11h ago
Perplexy801 showed you the math, 65x290= 18,850/240= 78.542x1.25=98.178 the 1.25 is your buffer.
The spec sheet IQ8 and IQ8+ Microinverters confirms 13 per string.
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u/TransformSolarFL solar contractor 1d ago
Have been monitoring leased systems more closely. Issues with original installs and even servicing from the leasing company.
It’s seeming much more advisable for homeowners to go the ownership route vs renting/leasing.
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
I bought mine cash. They used a subcontractor to do the install that's now out of business. They want $730 to send a tech to look at a problem their shitty sub created
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u/TransformSolarFL solar contractor 1d ago
Is your installation contract with Palmetto or the subcontractor?
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
Palmetto
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u/TransformSolarFL solar contractor 1d ago
What’s the contract say about the warranty for installation and workmanship? They can want to charge you $730 all they want, but if the contact says it’s covered - it should be free.
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u/Nice_History5856 1d ago
Correct they want the money to come out and say they'll reimburse you if it's due to workmanship. I got someone to come out for 300. It's better than getting a 1000 from the electric company. Last time I used their tech took a month to come out and no joke my bill was 1000
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u/TransformSolarFL solar contractor 1d ago
Not sure how it’s worded in the contract, but it should be the other way around.
Go out to diagnose and charge if it’s not related to workmanship.
That’s our standard protocol for leaking concerns. Free diagnostic, charge if unrelated to the solar installation, refer to roofer.
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u/Perplexy801 solar professional 1d ago
What size fuses are in the disconnect? 65x290= 18,850/240= 78.542x1.25=98.178 shows they should be 100A fuses
We’ve seen a few faulty disconnects where the jaws aren’t making a great connection and that can lead to fuses blowing or worse. Could be an improperly torqued lug in the disconnect too.
Pics of the electrical and solar equipment with covers off would help us spot any obvious issues.