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  1. D

    Aftermarket trunk lid

    Thank you, great idea to get through the seats. I can also have someone with a hose spray the car and see if I can spot any leaks.
  2. D

    Aftermarket trunk lid

    Thank you for the information! I took the car to a Tesla service center, where a very unhelpful employee looked it at and said that he can’t help me. They didn’t tell me that all of them have two holes, or that there is an adapter available.
  3. D

    Aftermarket trunk lid

    I recently had a trunk lid replaced. The new trunk lid came with 2 holes for the license plate, spaced 8 inches apart. The typical U.S. license plate has 4 whole, spaced 7 inches apart. I had to buy an adapter to install the license plate. Why is the new trunk lid different? Was it from a...
  4. D

    Battery and Solar during an ice storm

    Also, on a cold sunny day, the peak production can really exceed the peak production (it would be limited only by the inverter size).
  5. D

    Partial vs. Whole Home Backup?

    I suggest trying to get a compressor with a lower LRA rating (variable speed). They are also more energy efficient and better dehimidifiers. The thing is that they can't count on the homeowner to do load balancing. What if you are not home? What if you sell the house? The system has to work...
  6. D

    Solar financial payback

    Presumably, the solar system + PW increases the value of the house. So if someone moves in 7 years, all or a portion of that cost can be recouped by increasing the selling price of the house.
  7. D

    Solar financial payback

    If I offered you an investment that pays 5%, would it be correct to calculate the return on that investment using 1.5% (since you currently have the money invested at 3.5%)? I don't think so. 3.5% is one investment, and 5% is another investment. PV is also another investment, and its returns...
  8. D

    Solar financial payback

    Everything you buy has an opportunity cost. If you pay $30000 for a car in cash, are you going to add the 3.5% that you could have earned on that $30000 to the cost of the car? No. If you use your approach of only taking into account the lost income vs. savings, than your breakeven period is...
  9. D

    Solar financial payback

    Ok, first of all, you are not supposed to take into account the 3.5% that your investment can yield. That's called opportunity cost (the income from other investments that you forgo to make this investment). There is always a higher yielding investment, so you can't take it into account in...
  10. D

    Powerwall 2 + UPS Connundrum - and solution

    The delay in solar power production is 5 minutes (300 seconds) by default. That doesn't depend on the Powerwall, but depends on the inverter settings. It can be changed, but the settings depend also on how your system is designed and local electrical regulations.
  11. D

    Heating/Cooling Temp Issue (Hotter rear vents)

    For me, it happens whether it is on automatic or manual. It happens when the ambient temperature is close to the temperature set in the climate system. For example, 71 outside, and 72 on the climate control will blow cool air in the front and hot air in the back.
  12. D

    Rear vent heating

    I noticed on several occasions that the rear air vent (for rear passenger) was blowing warm air, while the front driver went was blowing apparently cool AC air. This morning it happened when it was 72 degrees outside, and the AC was set to auto at 72 degrees. Questions: 1. Are there separate...
  13. D

    Misleading Capabilities of Backup Mode?

    Yes, Enphase was having supply issues in early 2019.
  14. D

    Misleading Capabilities of Backup Mode?

    I think your have to choices to make your system work better. 1. Try what gpez is suggesting. I don't know if your microinverters support this function. If your system was installed recently, maybe your installed will agree to swap them out for Enphase? 2. The other option is to take one of...
  15. D

    Tesla says I have to purchase a second PW or they won't give me my referral Powerwall.

    It is possible to connect one inverter to the "inside" side of the PW Gateway, and connect the other to the "outside."
  16. D

    Enphase envoy

    I don't have any problems, but I think Gateway is communicating with the Powerwall via a data cable. There is definitely a data cable that runs from the PWs to the Gateway.
  17. D

    Cloud cover and orientation

    PvWatts does know that the pitch is negative. Aesthetics can be improved by all black panels.
  18. D

    Fed tax credit for roof replacement required for solar install?

    Not every question has an answer. The answer to your question might be - there is no guidance on this, or the law is not specific enough to address your issue.
  19. D

    Future owner. Charging question.

    I drive around 20-25 miles per day. I only plug it in when it gets down to 30%. It's just a matter of convenience for me, I don't want to have to plug it in daily. Warm vs Cold - it is unlikely to make a difference for you. I think the limitation on charging kicks it when you are...
  20. D

    Cloud cover and orientation

    North orientation should be a pretty significant difference. It depends on the pitch of the roof. But even a 3/12 pitch should result in at least 30% decline of annual production. For example, in Miami, on a 15% roof slope, 10kw of panels facing south will produce 15500 kwh, and the same 10kw...
  21. D

    How do I stop feeding the grid?

    If your PV is producing 3KW, the house is consuming 1KW, but the Does your electric utility provide information regarding your net energy usage? Can you check if it matches when the PW app is reporting?
  22. D

    Two Back-up only PW2's

    I have the same question, and I don't really have an answer for you. I hope that 100% (actually 97-99%) is actually not 100% but is set at a lower voltage level that doesn't cause premature degradation.
  23. D

    How do I stop feeding the grid?

    AC to AC power loss (which is what you care about) is about 10%. That's how much you lose by storing power in the PW for later use. I don't know why it keeps feeding the grid while the PWs are not full. Typically, each Powerwall is limited to 5KW charging rate. I've seen some people complain...
  24. D

    Cloud cover and orientation

    I think you are talking about 1-2% difference. In most cases, people don't have a choice and have to put it on their rooftop. Another reason why east is slightly better, is because temperature is lower in the AM. On other hand, in cases with TOU electric rates, afternoon power is more...
  25. D

    Good question from building inspector.

    In my case, there are two circuit breakers outside that disconnect and turn off the powerwalls.
  26. D

    Powerwall Location Options

    I think both of those locations are fine. I would probably chose #2. Is there a way to insulate the bunker so it doesn't get as cold?
  27. D

    Solar Roof layout

    It seems like this is the best you can do with your roof, which is not ideal. If you want to have full-house backup, you need at least 2 PWs. If you want just to shift loads between peak and off-peak, you can probably just get one PW.
  28. D

    My grid outage frequency issue is resolved!

    I hope not. I think the PW should store a local grid profile, and it should not get overwritten during firmware upgrades. But I haven't had any firmware upgrades yet to test it.
  29. D

    Please check my solar/powerwall calculations

    There are some easy things you can do to improve the economics a little, even without a powerwall. 1. Panels facing west will generate more power during the afternoon, including from 4-6pm. you can go to PVWatts Calculator and do an hourly calculation to see the difference. 2. What's using...
  30. D

    Panasonic vs. Hanwha?

    Ok, a couple of points: 1. The price of $2.3 per watt is pretty good (if it is before the tax credit). 2. Hanwha panels are fine. There is no significant difference (that you will notice). I believe all that the Panasonic warranty promises, is that they will pay you for the pro-rated value...
  31. D

    Best use of Powerwall in south Florida

    Yes, I use it for backup only. IN the future, if my power usage exceeds solar generation, I might switch to a TOU plan and use it more.
  32. D

    Tampa Area Solar Install

    IF you have any problems, let me know. I am a lawyer and can write them a letter.
  33. D

    To replace or not replace shingles prior to install???

    I wouldn't replace shingles, unless you are told that they are near the end of their live. You can ask a roofer to inspect them.
  34. D

    Off-Grid Test with fully charged PowerWalls

    If the PWs are fully charged, and panels are producing power, then you will have a situation that there is no place for that power to go. Your house may be consuming some of that power now, but the demand may drop, and you will have too much power. Therefore, solar panels have to be shut down...
  35. D

    Off-Grid Test with fully charged PowerWalls

    If you have access to Enlighten Manager, you can see what your grid profile looks like. Mine is like this. So the Enphase microinverters will ramp down between 60.2 and 61.8, and turn off at 61.8. The Tesla Powerwall people need to know these profile settings. I think they set the frequency...
  36. D

    I forgot I ordered Powerwalls

    I think 2 is enough if you don't have AC backed up. Frankly, even 1 might be enough, depending on your home's baseline usage. As for HPWC - yes, it is possible that if the power goes off while the car is charging, the PWs will be drained fast. How likely is that to happen? And if it does...
  37. D

    2xPowerwall whole house backup - HVAC sure start problem

    I have a feeling that you AC will start under the following conditions. PW state of charge below 92%, and daytime with good solar production. Once started, you can operate it all day (however, it if it is not variable speed, then you will freeze).
  38. D

    New solar install

    You can also join a solar co-op Co-ops – Solar United Neighbors
  39. D

    New solar install

    If aesthetics is not an issue, black panels are less efficient. I don't think solar panel warranty length is that important. First, they are things that are unlikely to fail in your system. Second, if a panel fails after 12 years, the panels themselves are not that expensive $200 now, and...
  40. D

    New solar install

    I think you are getting a very good deal. Do you have space for more panels? If so, put more panels. If not, then this is the best you can do. Hanwha have a good temperature coefficient. They are fine for heat. As far as running the 5-ton AC, that depends on what kind of AC it is. It may be...
  41. D

    solar production

    Your production seems normal for January. I am in Florida and my max is about 70-75% in January of the theoretical max. You can go to pvoutput.org and look for systems near you to compare.
  42. D

    New solar install

    There is nothing wrong with the panels or delta inverter. It is not the best available, but pretty good. Is there a way to fight those historic guidelines? 33k for 7.5 system and 2 PWs seems reasonable, even on the cheap side. Is that after the tax credit? Tesla estimate of solar...
  43. D

    Only getting solar when grid is up...this is a new one for me..... ???

    Then something is wrong with either PW settings, or your inverter settings (more likely).
  44. D

    5 Powerwalls not working as expected in Maryland

    1. The safety mechanism normally kicks when the PW state of charge is low. They shut down and try to restart in 30 minutes, I think. I don't know what caused your PW to shut down. Maybe they tried to shut down the solar inverters, and the inverters didn't turn off right away, so the PWs shut...
  45. D

    Only getting solar when grid is up...this is a new one for me..... ???

    If the PW state of charge is above 94%, it is normal for solar to be off. If it is below 94%, then solar should be working. There may be something wrong with your configuration. Were they (PW and solar) installed together, or was one of them installed after the other?
  46. D

    Solarglass powerwalls not for me

    The lenders are lending, as long as the house is insured. And the insurance becomes very high.
  47. D

    Solarglass powerwalls not for me

    Ok, a couple of problems with your math. First, Powerwalls are not required for the solar roof to operate. So when you calculate it, you should exclude 3 Powerwalls. Powerwalls are needed to replace a standby generator. If you don't have gas in your house, a stanby generator will cost you at...
  48. D

    Voice not working

    Same experience here. I found it too unreliable to use. Works less than 50% of the time, and most of the time gets stuck in the listening mode, and then suggests "Navigate to Palo Alto" command.
  49. D

    Need help on how to best configure PW to take advantage of TOU in Florida ?

    Here is what I tried. The on-peak is from 6pm until 10pm. The shoulder period is from 10pm until 6am. And the off-peak is from 10am until 6pm. This works well for the 6pm - 10pm, and the powerwall charges fine between 10am and 6pm. However, the problem is that it often wants to keep...
  50. D

    Camera Keeps Recording

    I don't have the car in Sentry Mode. But I noticed that when I leave the car parked, the cameras keep recording and overwriting everything that is in the TeslaCam/RecentClips folder. It contains the last 1 hour of the footage, and it is usually just the footage of the car being parked in a...