Semi DIY PV Installation. Comments Please

[smegal]

The AC installation is complete. I'm just waiting for the equipment to arrive. Looks like tomorrow should *hopefully!* be a busy day for deliveries. I'm happy with the cable run. It blends in nicely below the render. The tracking email I've just received suggests that my electrical balance of plant should arrive tomorrow. No word on the panels or unistrut yet.


Note the fire sealent hasn't been installed yet in this image.







The camera on my phone has done something interesting on this photo. While newbuild quality isn't up to much, the vent should be straighter than that.

[Fintray]

Neat looking job.

[smegal]

Light was fading, so not the clearest image. Unfortunately I've hit a stumbling block. I'm finding concrete in the holes at 300mm. Looks like I'm hiring a concrete breaker tomorrow and will keep digging.

[spread-tee]

You might be hitting the house foundation that close to the wall, they would normally project 15-20cm out from the face of the wall, but could be more.

Desp

[smegal]

You might be hitting the house foundation that close to the wall, they would normally project 15-20cm out from the face of the wall, but could be more.

Desp

I had considered that, but the garage is on a piled beam foundation like the house foundation shown below. The slab upstand that you see is more for levelling the ground as the drawings for the house has a 1:8 slope on the garden which would have been grim.



Here's an image of the garage.



I may thin twice about how much concrete I break out though. Hope the neighbour is at work tomorrow.

[Countrypaul]

Why break out any concrete if it is that large a lump, just fasten to it instead?

[Fintray]

Why break out any concrete if it is that large a lump, just fasten to it instead?

My thoughts exactly, drill into it to get an idea of thickness and if seems ok drill and use chemical anchors and attach the Unistrut to that.

[AE-NMidlands]

Why break out any concrete if it is that large a lump, just fasten to it instead?

My thoughts exactly, drill into it to get an idea of thickness and if seems ok drill and use chemical anchors and attach the Unistrut to that.

but how well earthed is the concrete? I could imagine a beam sitting on piles like the horizontals at Stonehenge... not a lot of electrical continuity there! And the beams not being in much contact with any made ground.
I thought earths had to be a spike down into damp soil. Luckily that is just what we have outside our front door/porch - as long as we avoid the gas pipe and the incoming electricity supply which are there too!
EDIT: it seems I am getting 2 threads mixed up. If the hole is for a foundatiion, then that is what you have got! Why did I assume this was to get a good earth?

[smegal]

The concrete breaker is doing its thing. The concrete protrudes about 500mm, so I'm breaking a hole into the concrete at 500mm then going to fill the hole with postcrete. Then the uprights will be bearing on the existing and new concrete. My wife isn't going to be happy as this'll sterilise 500mm of garden. I was trying to avoid this, but the concrete is too strong/thick.

In other news, the PV modules have arrived. Although I was greeted with the below image. My installer friend has informed me that this can cause unseen damage and accelerated degradation, so I'm not happy. He sent me this video which has got me worried.

[MoSTiE]

send them back