BLUF version: Inverters sent enough electricity to gutters to shock me while cleaning. Solved with firmware update?
Our solar roof was installed in May 2021 but inverters not turned on until Oct while awaiting PTO. Tesla did not remove or switch out the existing gutters during install.
At the end of October I was doing my end of leaf season gutter scleaning when I realized one of the gutter section would shock me every time I reached in. I then checked with a Klein non contact voltage tester (NCVT-2) and that gutter was causing it to start beeping 4 inches out. Then I noted all of my gutter downspouts at ground level also was causing the tester to activate 3-4 inches out. Then I noted that my son's bedroom window which is at roof height was setting off the tester from a 4 inch distance. Nothing around the inverters or 2 Powerwalls caused the tester to activate.
When the sun went down no voltage was detected at those spots. I was not smart/interested enough to just shut off the inverters during daylight to test whether there was detectable voltage.
After much scouring of TMC/Reddit/internet to see if there was any post mentioning something similar I gave up and put in a service request 11 Nov mainly to figure out if this was a dangerous or normal situation. Today (13 Dec) the Tesla electrician spent 4 hours at the house (mostly on tech support with the engineers) and ended up updating the firmware of the inverters. He said the voltage now should be at a level that is safe and he said he did not get shocked when he touched the gutters. There was no mention of miswiring.
The non contact voltage tester still goes off near the gutter downspouts at ground level. I will wear rubber gloves when I clean the gutters in the Spring after pollen/tree flowering season.
I figure we are all beta testers with the solar roof and wanted other users to know of this possibility.
Still confused how my NCVT-2 which is supposed to only detect alternating current is going off when the solar tiles should be just producing direct current.
Our solar roof was installed in May 2021 but inverters not turned on until Oct while awaiting PTO. Tesla did not remove or switch out the existing gutters during install.
At the end of October I was doing my end of leaf season gutter scleaning when I realized one of the gutter section would shock me every time I reached in. I then checked with a Klein non contact voltage tester (NCVT-2) and that gutter was causing it to start beeping 4 inches out. Then I noted all of my gutter downspouts at ground level also was causing the tester to activate 3-4 inches out. Then I noted that my son's bedroom window which is at roof height was setting off the tester from a 4 inch distance. Nothing around the inverters or 2 Powerwalls caused the tester to activate.
When the sun went down no voltage was detected at those spots. I was not smart/interested enough to just shut off the inverters during daylight to test whether there was detectable voltage.
After much scouring of TMC/Reddit/internet to see if there was any post mentioning something similar I gave up and put in a service request 11 Nov mainly to figure out if this was a dangerous or normal situation. Today (13 Dec) the Tesla electrician spent 4 hours at the house (mostly on tech support with the engineers) and ended up updating the firmware of the inverters. He said the voltage now should be at a level that is safe and he said he did not get shocked when he touched the gutters. There was no mention of miswiring.
The non contact voltage tester still goes off near the gutter downspouts at ground level. I will wear rubber gloves when I clean the gutters in the Spring after pollen/tree flowering season.
I figure we are all beta testers with the solar roof and wanted other users to know of this possibility.
Still confused how my NCVT-2 which is supposed to only detect alternating current is going off when the solar tiles should be just producing direct current.