Is moving a solar inverter about 2ft to the right a DIY job?
Discussion
I have a Solax inverter currently installed in the garage but due to the need to fit a new garage door it needs to be move around 2ft to the right (the sectional garage door rails extend much further back than the original rails do).
Looking at the work it appears to be fairly easy - the black cables leading u to the inverter will simply loop the other way to the other side of the black isolators, and I can install a wood base onto the garage wall to take the new position of the inverter.
However, the white cable wil need replacing and I have no idea what it is in terms of amps, cores etc .
Can these be bought ready made up so I can simply buy one, switch everything off, remove the white cable move the inverter, and plug in the new cable and switch on, or is it definitely a qualified electrician job because a new cable has to be made up?
I am competent with house stuff like spurs and that type of thing so not a complete novice, but I am new to solar stuff.
Thanks in advance.
Looking at the work it appears to be fairly easy - the black cables leading u to the inverter will simply loop the other way to the other side of the black isolators, and I can install a wood base onto the garage wall to take the new position of the inverter.
However, the white cable wil need replacing and I have no idea what it is in terms of amps, cores etc .
Can these be bought ready made up so I can simply buy one, switch everything off, remove the white cable move the inverter, and plug in the new cable and switch on, or is it definitely a qualified electrician job because a new cable has to be made up?
I am competent with house stuff like spurs and that type of thing so not a complete novice, but I am new to solar stuff.
Thanks in advance.
Hoofy said:
Can you speak to the people who installed the system? Or another solar installer? I know it's small fry compared to them being called out to install a full system but if they have spare capacity they might be happy for the extra work.
Cheers, I did speak to them but apparently they are inundated with work and can’t even look at it until well into September. However, I might go back to them and ask if they can supply that white cables but longer to allow the move.They actually suggested trying a local electrician but not much joy in that direction.
Look really closely on the cable, it should have some details imprinted into it, this will allow you to replace easily. It looks like 2.5mm flex from here.
You could move all of that easily without disconnecting the black cables from the inverter if you just open up the lid on the trucking and slide it to the right.
You could move all of that easily without disconnecting the black cables from the inverter if you just open up the lid on the trucking and slide it to the right.
steveatesh said:
Hoofy said:
Can you speak to the people who installed the system? Or another solar installer? I know it's small fry compared to them being called out to install a full system but if they have spare capacity they might be happy for the extra work.
Cheers, I did speak to them but apparently they are inundated with work and can t even look at it until well into September. However, I might go back to them and ask if they can supply that white cables but longer to allow the move.They actually suggested trying a local electrician but not much joy in that direction.
Flat6er said:
Is replacing with different doors an option?
If I understood you correctly, the issue is the rollers come back to far.
We had electric rolling doors on our last place, and the mechanism fitted neatly within a foot of the door.
Sadly not, rollers won’t fit due to a large RJB across the top of the garage, has to be the sectional style which comes back much fipurtyer than the one originally fitted. If I understood you correctly, the issue is the rollers come back to far.
We had electric rolling doors on our last place, and the mechanism fitted neatly within a foot of the door.
Edited by Flat6er on Saturday 5th July 08:12
Hoofy said:
Could post on your local FB group. Might get the attention of an electrician directly or someone might tag them and it should appear in their notifications so they can respond.
Cheers, I ve put something on a find a trade type thing this morning, I ll see how that goes .Also asked the original installers if they can supply a suitable cable .
md_ph said:
Look really closely on the cable, it should have some details imprinted into it, this will allow you to replace easily. It looks like 2.5mm flex from here.
You could move all of that easily without disconnecting the black cables from the inverter if you just open up the lid on the trucking and slide it to the right.
Yes it's best to avoid disconnecting the MC4 connectors if at all possible. One problem is that the inverter is probably hanging on a metal bracket, so the inverter will need propping up on a ladder or something while the bracket is moved over. I'd snip the cable ties first so that they can reorganise themselves.You could move all of that easily without disconnecting the black cables from the inverter if you just open up the lid on the trucking and slide it to the right.
It should then be easier to get an electrician to replace the supply cable if you just say "I need this replacing with a longer one", although as mentioned it is a pretty straightforward task, not much trickier than wiring a plug.
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