Tesla Powerwall 2, Gateway 2, Wall Connector Gen 3, and Solar Install

[ebschor]

You can view the video of my install here:

An in-depth video showing the custom install of four Tesla Founder's Series Red Powerwall 2, a Tesla Gateway 2, a Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3, and eighteen Hanwha Q CELLS 340 Watt Panels (Q.PEAK DUO-G6+ 340) solar panels with IQ7-60-2-US [240V] microinverters totaling 6.12kW. I was able to acquire the Founder's Series Powerwalls (each came with a Gateway 2) from referral winners advertising their Powerwalls for sale. With patience and persistence, you can find these for sale. Turns out a Powerwall, in its box, fits nicely in the back of a Model X.

This video also shows the moving of the Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3. The wiring of this is very important to note as it allows for what we believe will be future functionality of the Gen 3 charger, notably the ability for the Gateway to use the Model X battery in the event of a home power outage when plugged in to the charger.

The solar install takes into account the possibility of extending the array to thirty six panels. All wiring and equipment was done at this install with the expansion in mind. This will make expanding the system that much easier (and less expensive) in the future since all wiring and equipment is ready to accept the additional panels.

 

[SMAlset]

Congrats on the install. Nice system. You might want to add a door stop anchored into your concrete floor to prevent your one door from opening into your Powerwall. Kind of surprised they installed within opening range of the door.

After we scheduled our install date we were called asking if we wanted to subsitute the white case version for the red but we passed. My thoughts were they were running short of PWs at that time and wanting to get people hooked up and not delayed so were reaching out to some people offering them.

 

[jboy210]

Wow! Never seen Powerwalls stacked like that. In fact, for our install, Tesla said they would not install them stacked.

 

[BrettS]

Wow! Never seen Powerwalls stacked like that. In fact, for our install, Tesla said they would not install them stacked.

The reason you haven’t seen an install like that is because it’s prohibited by Tesla. In the Powerwall 2 install manual it says that a Powerwall can be installed no more than 39.5” from the ground to the bottom of the unit. Since the Powerwalls themselves are more than 39.5” tall that means you can’t install them like that. Now, whether that will ever come back to bite the OP, I don’t know, but it is worth knowing that the install is not ‘legal’ according to Tesla. I would think the only time it might be an issue would be if warranty work needed to be done by Tesla.

The manual is available here:
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default..._2_AC_BU_NA-EN_Installation_Manual.pdf#page34

And the limitation is here:

 

[BrettS]

And just to be clear on my warranty comment... I don’t think Tesla would walk in and look up at that and say “Oh, your Powerwall was mounted too high. Your warranty is void”. But rather, I think the potential issue is that Tesla uses a funky hand truck/lifting device to install the Powerwalls. If they need to get the Powerwall down to replace or repair it, but their device is unable to reach that high then I think it’s quite likely that they would refuse to service it because they aren’t able to access it safely with their tools.

 

[holeydonut]

Looks good - those founder PW2s look nice.

QQ though, why didn't you get Enphase IQ7+? Your DC/AC ratio is a tad bit high. It seems you're already going big-budget on most of the gear so I'm not sure why the slight cut on the inverters.

 

[garrett5688]

Is there a reason you only did partial backup even with 4 Powerwalls?

 

[BrettS]

Is there a reason you only did partial backup even with 4 Powerwalls?

I suspect it was because of his two 150A panels. The gateway can only support up to 200A, so unless all of his circuits could legally fit (power draw wise) in a 200A panel then his only other option would be to use two gateways and then split the powerwalls so that each panel was supported by two powerwalls. That can also get tricky if there are big loads that might not be able to be supported by two powerwalls.

 

[jboy210]

And just to be clear on my warranty comment... I don’t think Tesla would walk in and look up at that and say “Oh, your Powerwall was mounted too high. Your warranty is void”. But rather, I think the potential issue is that Tesla uses a funky hand truck/lifting device to install the Powerwalls. If they need to get the Powerwall down to replace or repair it, but their device is unable to reach that high then I think it’s quite likely that they would refuse to service it because they aren’t able to access it safely with their tools.

Good point. The hand truck lift thing they used on ours was close to it height limits getting our Powerwalls 2+ feet off the floor. Also, that is a lot of weight to put on the wall support structure.

 

[hurjio]

What's a fair price for 2nd market Powerwalls? Also, I read some people say referral PWs were somehow tied to winner's accounts, thus preventing re-selling... Is that fake news? What's the parts/labor cost for a referral PW install?

 

[Akikiki]

@hurjio, when PWs were first awarded there was restrictions like you mentioned. But over time, they changed and now they can be passed to another. Some people obtain (buy) the award and its delivered in their addressee. They don't even need drive to another city to pick them up. Its some what like cashing in the award where ever you are.

 

[ebschor]

Congrats on the install. Nice system. You might want to add a door stop anchored into your concrete floor to prevent your one door from opening into your Powerwall. Kind of surprised they installed within opening range of the door.

After we scheduled our install date we were called asking if we wanted to subsitute the white case version for the red but we passed. My thoughts were they were running short of PWs at that time and wanting to get people hooked up and not delayed so were reaching out to some people offering them.

You may not be able to see it, but I have two hinge-based stops on the door. One on the top hinge, one on the bottom hinge.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VDP7SPK/

 

[ebschor]

Is there a reason you only did partial backup even with 4 Powerwalls?

I would have needed to split the batteries and run two Gateways. One for each panel. It was possible since I had the Gateways for free, but in my case, many items in my house do not need to be backed up and four batteries to backup necessary items was better than two batteries for everything. Also, monitoring flow would have required two screens, one for each gateway.

 

[ebschor]

Good point. The hand truck lift thing they used on ours was close to it height limits getting our Powerwalls 2+ feet off the floor. Also, that is a lot of weight to put on the wall support structure.

I sent pictures of the install to Tesla. My guess is that mounting height has to do with two issues: 1) the "hand truck lift" cannot raise the powerwall any higher. We used a lot of ingenuity and manpower, and 2) the location of the on/off switch for the higher ones require a chair to reach.

 

[ebschor]

What's a fair price for 2nd market Powerwalls? Also, I read some people say referral PWs were somehow tied to winner's accounts, thus preventing re-selling... Is that fake news? What's the parts/labor cost for a referral PW install?

Great questions. I learned a TON trying to acquire Powerwalls on the secondary market. I found one Powerwall four miles from my house. I was willing to pay more for this one, since I could see it before buying it. Also, it was my first one. I paid $6,500 for it (remember, every Powerwall I bought also came with a Gateway 2. Side note: what Gateway comes with an award powerwall depends on Tesla inventory at time of shipping, so a Powerwall 2 winner could have a Gateway 1). It fit in the back of my Model X. It was a bitch to get out when I got home, as I had to do it myself. I found two in Chicago that I had shipped. One was $5,000 that cost me $500 to ship (I used uship.com), and one was $5,250 that cost me $475 to ship via a freight company that the seller had a connection at. Unfortunately, I found them two days apart and the first one on uship had already left, otherwise, I would have saved $475. The last one I found the seller still hadn't taken delivery from Tesla. So, the seller transferred the award to me. I paid $5,500 for that one. I had to work with Tesla to demonstrate that I was going to install it, that the installer was Tesla approved, etc.

There are actually THREE boxes you should get if you buy a secondary-market Powerwall. 1) The Powerwall. 2) The Gateway. 3) A Gateway panel, and Powerwall connectivity items.

Also, the $1,000 install credit DOES NOT TRANSFER.

Finally, the tax liability falls to the award winner (may seem obvious, but it is worth stating here). The tax liability is NOT transferable (obviously you cannot transfer a tax liability to someone else). Tesla will file the award with the IRS and send paperwork to the award winner.

Also, many may ask "what will you do with three extra Gateway 2s?". Luckily, my installer needed them and we are working out a deal to give them to him in exchange for offsetting some of the cost of install. Win-win.

 

[SMAlset]

I sent pictures of the install to Tesla. My guess is that mounting height has to do with two issues: 1) the "hand truck lift" cannot raise the powerwall any higher. We used a lot of ingenuity and manpower, and 2) the location of the on/off switch for the higher ones require a chair to reach.

i know when they were building our house our builder was in our garage explaining to me about tie downs on one of our garage walls and how load had to be calculated so the roof didn’t blow away in high winds and the wall didn’t buckle. I’m sure the PWs were anchored to studs but the total weight on that wall might be an issue.

The on/off switch location I definitely see as a likely code violation at least where I live. I’ve heard others on here explain their installer couldn’t double mount to a wall due to it. Did the utility and city come out yet to approve the job? If a code issue and there’s a fire/hurricane, it could mean loss of coverage.

I do like the clean look of the install. We ended up going for exposed conduit and while they are doing a nice job, the decision is something that will always bug me a little.

 

[jjrandorin]

i know when they were building our house our builder was in our garage explaining to me about tie downs on one of our garage walls and how load had to be calculated so the roof didn’t blow away in high winds and the wall didn’t buckle. I’m sure the PWs were anchored to studs but the total weight on that wall might be an issue.

The on/off switch location I definitely see as a likely code violation at least where I live. I’ve heard others on here explain their installer couldn’t double mount to a wall due to it. Did the utility and city come out yet to approve the job? If a code issue and there’s a fire/hurricane, it could mean loss of coverage.

I do like the clean look of the install. We ended up going for exposed conduit and while they are doing a nice job, the decision is something that will always bug me a little.

That install almost certainly wouldnt pass in California, but different states have different rules, so maybe its fine in Georgia. It does look nice, but for me personally, I would be worried about the amount of weight on those studs, over time. I am not a structural engineer though, so maybe OP is, or already investigated that.

 

[jboy210]

i know when they were building our house our builder was in our garage explaining to me about tie downs on one of our garage walls and how load had to be calculated so the roof didn’t blow away in high winds and the wall didn’t buckle. I’m sure the PWs were anchored to studs but the total weight on that wall might be an issue.

The on/off switch location I definitely see as a likely code violation at least where I live. I’ve heard others on here explain their installer couldn’t double mount to a wall due to it. Did the utility and city come out yet to approve the job? If a code issue and there’s a fire/hurricane, it could mean loss of coverage.

I do like the clean look of the install. We ended up going for exposed conduit and while they are doing a nice job, the decision is something that will always bug me a little.

The thought of having exposed conduit did bother us. When they were installing my wife pointed over to our on-demand heater with it's exposed plumbing as something she did not want to see.

So there buried as much of the wiring they could into flex conduit in the walls. They did need to expose the interconnection between the powerwalls and eventually to the TEG on the outside wall. But they to align that conduit so it was mostly hidden behind the garage door track. Here is the final result. Note, we plan on painting this conduit to match the walls.

 

[BrettS]

But they to align that conduit so it was mostly hidden behind the garage door track. Here is the final result. Note, we plan on painting this conduit to match the walls.

That definitely seems pretty minimal. Honestly I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the conduit up there if you didn’t point it out. And it will be even less visible once it’s painted.

On a side note, you still need to remove the protective plastic from your powerwalls. I dunno why, but it bothers me every time I see them like that

 

[jboy210]

That definitely seems pretty minimal. Honestly I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the conduit up there if you didn’t point it out. And it will be even less visible once it’s painted.

On a side note, you still need to remove the protective plastic from your powerwalls. I dunno why, but it bothers me every time I see them like that

Yep. I need to get the shot of wife and daughter peeling off wraps on the Powerwalls. Maybe the smoke will be down enough to do it this weekend, when it is supposed to be 105! Ummmh, maybe not this weekend