I've seen a couple of homemade pole mounts that were really good, but
most are not properly designed. Fabrication experience is good, but the
problems I've seen were design issues, not bad welding. (this goes for
commercial racks too) Ground mounts are less prone to errors, but pole
mounts are actually relatively complicated designs. One gusset missing,
and the whole thing could twist off the pole in a storm.
On the steel vs aluminum issue, it depends on the how wet it is. In dry
climates I've seen painted steel last for decades. In Hawaii, I've seen
painted steel completely gone in 5 years.
R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760
On 5/28/2015 8:21 PM, RM You wrote:
Hi Wrenches, I have had a couple of customers want to fabricate their own PV
pole mounts and racks out of iron. Aside from the galvanic corrosion and weight
issues is there anything else I should caution these guys about? Any stories
about failures etc? My druthers are to stay with the engineered aluminum pole
mounts but when you’re dealing with someone with fabrication experience and the
cost for pre-fab is high then the obvious outcome occurs. If the unit is
properly treated/painted I imagine it could last many years. Is there a way to
attach an anode to such a rack or would simple non conductive insulation
between panels and rack be the best answer?
Ron Young
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