Imagine this... Hurricane central here and almost no jurisdictions get on the roof. Most do structural inspections by affidavit where the contractor signs their life away and accepts all liability. The structural inspection is a guy coming out and taking a picture of the affidavit (real efficient use of government resources - don't get me started).
The electrical inspections are decidedly more thorough, but a good reputation and clean work goes a very long way. Most of our inspections go something like, "wow, this is refreshing." The solar vultures down here end up with multiple failed inspections. based on some of the systems I have had to clean up, I'm not surprised and I'm pretty relieved. But the structural problems slip under the radar. Jason Szumlanski On Wed, Mar 31, 2021, 1:37 PM William Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > Friends: > > > > We just finished a grid-tied project > <https://millersolar.com/MillerSolar/Portfolio/Rework/BIG-SUR-SERVICE/Big_Sur_Service_Upgrade.html> > 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 properly 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 Solar > > 17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422 > > 805-438-5600 > > www.millersolar.com > > CA Lic. 773985 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > List Address: [email protected] > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the > other: > https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > http://www.members.re-wrenches.org > >
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