Finally installed our PowerWall 2 at home... (US-California AC Install)

[AEdennis]

However, I've just finished the background information article with the PW2 Installation article owing...

So, if you want the background to our PW2 installation, please enjoy the article I just freshly published on my blog. (Finally installed our PowerWalls Part 1… The build-up to the actual installation…)

This article will give you a general timeframe of order to start of install.

I will publish a link to the installation article when I complete that here as well...

 

[AEdennis]

I would like some code specialist to clarify if that concrete pad has to be 36" depth; my guess is that you could saw off the part protruding into the walkway. By "saw" I mean, precisely:

1. Mark over 2" back from the walkway.
2. Get a concrete saw. That's expensive, dirty, and ... well, you rent them, and you hire someone to come out and cut it off if you're not a construction worker.
3. Concrete drill bits to drill some concrete screws into the old pad.
4. Mesh screwed into old concrete. No part of mesh to be within 1" of surface of eventual concrete on any side. (So, a narrow strip essentially.)
5. Form wood. 2 stakes and 3 short 2x6's (nailed or screwed) ought to do it.
6. Put in concrete with proper concreting placement. You'd have to wack the form wood with a sledge hammer to make it settle and look good (a vibrator wouldn't even fit.). It's best to use the same type of concrete originally used to match color.
   
7. Take off that formwood when it has set and before it has cured. Go ahead and finish-match it to the prior work.
8. If the original had cure coat sprayed on it, do equal.

Yup, this is work that a concrete worker could do. I wonder how much they'd charge.

An alternative would be to just saw it flush with the walkway and the metal rebar that is now within 1" of surface just corrodes and ends the life of the pad prematurely -- probably near the lifetime of the PowerWalls themselves, requiring a new pad to replace the old one rather than reusing the existing pad when you upgrade to the Tesla Energy Jupiter 6E Home Pack Mid Size 300 or whatever they're going to call it then.

Anyway, the purpose would be to re-expand that walkway back to its original width.

From my understanding, electrical installations need three feet of clear workman area, in front of the device, and some amount on the sides. That 36" seems like an odd number picked out of thin air; the PowerWalls (3x) aren't that thick, and the three feet of working area still protrudes into the walkway; using the walkway as the workman area is really ideal, and usually how most electrical installations are done.

You'll see how much space is left over in Part 2 of the article. They first said 48x48 inch. I'm assuming he thought we were working with a Power Pack for THAT spec. Between work and family, I didn't commit to Part 2 date for a reason...