First day of my 12.24 kW install!

[SoCal Dave]

and the installers are 20 minutes late (no communication at all yet) ...

Hopefully they actually show up today. If they do I'll provide photos of their progress.

I'm going to suggest changing the layout a bit. Below is what Tesla proposed:

This is my suggestion:

 

[SoCal Dave]

I spoke with scheduling and they said they can arrive anywhere from 7 AM - 9 AM. She asked that I call back if they haven't arrived by 9 AM.

 

[FlatSix911]

Let us know if they agree with a field change based on your drawing.

 

[bkp_duke]

Yeah, I've seen Tesla reschedule because of requested field changes. Depending on the team lead, it may be something they are not authorized to do without prior approval.

At least where I live, the solar panel placement actually has to be included in the permit with the city, and changes require a modification to the permit.

 

[SoCal Dave]

They arrived.

He said he would call in a change, but he would have to pull off the job while the design gets reworked. It really didn't matter much to me, so we left it.

I'm not really happy about how they are planning to run the conduit. However, there aren't a lot of good options and to make me really happy it would be a very long run to the back of the house first. I'll see how they do it and possibly rerun it myself if it really bothers me when they are done.

 

[SoCal Dave]

My biggest issue is getting conduit from the garage roof to the 2nd story roof. There is no good way to do it, so they are going to run it in a short section across the roof and then in the corner up against the trim. Hopefully it won't bug me too much, but we will see when they are done

 

[SoCal Dave]

One of the things the lead installer said is Tesla will have the installer come out ahead of time and walk the job with the homeowner if requested. I wish I had known that.

 

[BrettS]

Congrats. Post lots of pictures for us as the install progresses. As far as the conduit goes, tesla should paint it to match the house for you. If you have some of the trim paint they can use that, but if not I believe that they will try to match the color as best they can.

Also, when my install was happening I put out a cooler with a bunch of bottles of water, Gatorade, and soda for the installers. They seemed very appreciative and drank a lot of the water and Gatorade. They only took two or three cans of soda over the two days they were here, so if you get drinks for them, maybe just go with water and Gatorade. But I feel like it’s a small price to pay to get the installers on my good side and that way if I do have any small special requests then maybe they will be more likely to grant them.

 

[buckweet1980]

I had mine installed just over a week ago... I wanted them to run conduit through the attic, but they wanted 5K to do that.. LOL... So it didn't happen, I'll just fix it myself later if it bothers me too much.

 

[njhtran]

My biggest issue is getting conduit from the garage roof to the 2nd story roof. There is no good way to do it, so they are going to run it in a short section across the roof and then in the corner up against the trim. Hopefully it won't bug me too much, but we will see when they are done

View attachment 571938 View attachment 571941

Looks like same crew that did mine a couple weeks ago. Very polite, courteous professional and HARD WORKING bunch of guys. They worked down to the last minute (and showed up on time) on my big XL install and hammered through in ~90F both days.


I agree with you on the way the conduit is run isn't ideal but I'll live with it compared to the alternative which is rerouting underneath and popping out of the tiles which leads to additional potential for leak points.

 

[SoCal Dave]

He gave me a Solar Gateway to install with my router. I'm finished with my piece so why aren't they done with theirs

He gave me examples of the connectors they use if I end up rerunning any of the conduits myself. I assume these are commonly available, correct?

 

[buckweet1980]

He gave me a Solar Gateway to install with my router. I'm finished with my piece so why aren't they done with theirs

View attachment 571960
View attachment 571959

He gave me examples of the connectors they use if I end up rerunning any of the conduits myself. I assume these are commonly available, correct?
View attachment 571958

yes, that's the standard PV connector.

 

[buckweet1980]

yes, that's the standard PV connector.

Here's a starter PV connector kit:
https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Crimping-Stripper-Spanner-Connectors/dp/B00G78ACIY

Then more connectors:
https://www.amazon.com/Yarachel-25Pairs-50PCS-Solar-Connectors/dp/B077BSBCYG

 

[woferry]

It's called MC4, and you can get them lots of places online (including Amazon).

 

[SoCal Dave]

First panels already going up:

The lead said we could have had the roofers not do tile under where the panels were going, it would have given a flatter/cleaner install.

 

[njhtran]

First panels already going up:
The lead said we could have had the roofers not do tile under where the panels were going, it would have given a flatter/cleaner install.

From what I've read on here, the flatter installs have ventilation/overheating issues.

 

[SoCal Dave]

The install wrapped up for the day. They installed 28 of the 36 panels. The only conduit they ran was a short piece between the sections on the garage. I didn't want them running it over the ridge, but with how our house is laid out, you can't see it (I'm standing on a hillside to take the photo below).

Knowledgeable and hardworking crew. Two of them said they were with Solar City, prior to being bought by Tesla. They much prefer working for Tesla.

Overall, I'm happy so far.

I'll take some photos on the backside tomorrow. Need to get my extension ladder out as it is all 2 story.

 

[SoCal Dave]

From what I've read on here, the flatter installs have ventilation/overheating issues.

That makes me feel a bit better. But, it does speak to another item with the lack of communication from Tesla prior to the install.

 

[SoCal Dave]

Here's a starter PV connector kit:
https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Crimping-Stripper-Spanner-Connectors/dp/B00G78ACIY

Then more connectors:
https://www.amazon.com/Yarachel-25Pairs-50PCS-Solar-Connectors/dp/B077BSBCYG

Very helpful. Thank you!

 

[njhtran]

That makes me feel a bit better. But, it does speak to another item with the lack of communication from Tesla prior to the install.

You're welcome. Also something to note - I just had my city inspection today and it did not pass because the installers forgot to leave some sort of documentation that the city inspector required, I forgot the name of it. A "build card" or "system card" or something like that. Just make sure you ask them about that before they leave.