Solar Panel Lease - How to Relocate the Conduit Installed by Tesla

[NoThanks1]

Solar Panel Lease - How to Relocate the Conduit Installed by Tesla

The conduit/piping installed by Tesla is located directly above and across my electric panel, and now I want to get a bigger panel. Should I be responsible relocating the conduit or should Tesla, it being a leased product.

Thanks in advance,

Tommy

 

[CrazyRabbit]

you

 

[holeydonut]

Solar Panel Lease - How to Relocate the Conduit Installed by Tesla

The conduit/piping installed by Tesla is located directly above and across my electric panel, and now I want to get a bigger panel. Should I be responsible relocating the conduit or should Tesla, it being a leased product.

Thanks in advance,

Tommy

Is the cause of you needing a bigger panel the solar? Like did they miss something during the install and you had an inspector come back and tell you about an issue?

If not, then see what CrazyRabbit said.

 

[NoThanks1]

So the conduit they installed, it being right above and across the top of my panel, prevents me from installing a larger panel, unless the conduit is moved. The current panel, since Tesla did the solar installation, is now full, and according to an electrician, overloaded. He suggests getting a larger panel, but with the conduit in the way it makes it rather complicated.

Thanks CrazyRabbit and HoleyDonut!

 

[holeydonut]

If your electrician thinks Tesla (or whichever subcontractor Tesla used for your solar) overloaded the main panel in a manner that is not code compliant, I think it’s worth bringing this fact up with Tesla to see if they will pay for a remedy.

 

[tomuo]

So the conduit they installed, it being right above and across the top of my panel, prevents me from installing a larger panel, unless the conduit is moved. The current panel, since Tesla did the solar installation, is now full, and according to an electrician, overloaded. He suggests getting a larger panel, but with the conduit in the way it makes it rather complicated.

Thanks CrazyRabbit and HoleyDonut!

There are ways to stay code compliant while still pushing an existing panel to "wow, they added a lot of stuff in there", and if all steps were followed, Tesla's plans for your install would have been approved by your local city/district planning dept.

I was in a similar situation, Tesla put solar in my 100 amp original-to-the-house panel, leaving no breaker space or neutral screw unused.
Then last year I added more PV and a battery, I needed a panel upgrade, which was a lot of work.

So the work of moving any existing conduit to install your new panel should be included in that estimate, there's no retroactive "that should have been installed differently" if it was code compliant at the time.

But, moving conduit is actually not a big deal, it's a daily thing that electrical installers do.

 

[sorka]

Keep in mind inspectors miss stuff. I had a number of 20 amp loads that were extended with 15 amp conductors with 15 amp breakers. One of these was the kitchen GFIC which code requires it to be 20 amps. (all the plugs are also 20 amps). The inspector should have easily seen it was a white and not yellow romex even without looking at the breaker size which was now 15 even though that breaker was labeled "kitchen GFIC".