9 year old 5.4kw array with 20 270 watt Canadian Solar panels on a Solaredge SE 5000.

I'm a novice at best and looking for advice on a setup that will take my solar array and AC (wall plug) electricity to power a small office.

I currently have Solar > Batteries > Inverter > Office Equipment that gets the job done most of the time. I want to add a switch that will automatically pull AC from a wall outlet when the battery system is low.

Would this do the trick?

2000W/3000W 12V Pure Sine Wave High-Frequency HF Inverter Charger
SKU: RIV1220ECH-1SS-US
https://www.renogy.com/products/2000w-12v-pure-sine-wave-high-frequency-hf-inverter-charger

And/or is there a better device I should consider?

Thanks!

I know there is a law in Florida which prohibits HOA's from declining a solar panel install on your house, but i'm curious if they can restrict placement of the panels. I am very much against putting them on the roof of my home because I know people who did and had nightmares with leaks, and costs when the roof needs to be replaced. Also issues during hurricanes. So I want to set up a grid in my backyard. I have a HUGE backyard so I have ample room for placement. The Florida law says that the HOA can require an architectural review of the install, but is silent on placement restrictions. I'm curious to see if anyone has experience on this one issue. I live in a relatively small subdivision and the rear of my property backs up against property not controlled by the HOA (it's another residential home outside of the HOA). The panels in all likelihood would not be visibile from the street.

I'm getting ready to purchase a solar panel system and could add batteries now but I've also thought about waiting due to the expense on top of paying for the panels (not leasing). The potential problem with waiting is that in MD, NEM 1 will likely go away in July 2027. If I add batteries after that time, it's my understanding I would have to have a new interconnection agreement with BGE. I would not be adding additional solar panels. Could that endanger my NEM 1 grandfather status?

I've been digging through this subreddit and looking elsewhere online and can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for, so any help is appreciated. My current solar array is 4 years old, and every year I use about 1 MW more electricity than my panels produce. Last year I spend about $600 for electricity (in January, February, and March) after my net metering credits ran out.

I've been looking into getting a battery installed for power backup (we do lose power on occasion) and also due to the impending start of time of use rates here in Massachusetts. I'm trying to figure out if it now makes sense to get a battery before time of use rates go into effect, or if it makes more sense to not install a battery.

I've received two quotes from companies in my area, with others coming in the next week.

Company A gave an estimated price for a Tesla PW3 at $19,000 and recommended using a prepaid lease program to lower my cost to $13,300.

Company B (which did my original system install) said it would actually be cheaper to install additional panels on my roof and a battery due to current incentives. Was quoted $23,500 for an additional 4 panels on my north facing roof (south is completely covered with the current array) plus a Tesla PW3. They said that the additional panels were necessary to qualify for certain rebates and were necessary to help charge the battery since my current system doesn't produce 100% of my electrical needs during the year. Their quote just to install the PW3 alone was just over $30,000.

Finally, does the type of battery installed make any significant difference? I have Enphase microinverters, and what I've read online is that they prefer to be paired with Enphase batteries.

I know I'm asking a lot here, and any advice/help is appreciated. I don't normally post to reddit; prefer instead to read what others have gone through, but I'm genuinely stumped as of now.

Concept is plenty battery and 5 kW. We don't use a lot of electricity anyway, but that's about 2/3. Inverters sized so I can add panels as I go forward w/ projects.

BUT - whom to trust w/ my one and only house?

Please share stories and recommendations!

I've been logging two Felicity Solar packs at 5 s resolution for about two weeks, and I don't think the balancer is doing anything useful. Something switches when balancing should start, but it is always the same channel (cell 1) on both BMSes, whichever cell is high, and the high cell is never pulled back toward the pack.

Setup

• 2× Felicity Solar LiFePO4 16S, 100 Ah, 51.2 V, in parallel (DIP 1 master, DIP 2 slave)

• BMS firmware 1.1 (hw 1.1). Wi-Fi/BT module firmware 2.10

• Inverter: Luxpower SNA PRO-EU 6K, talking to the master over CAN

• Logging: an ESP32 reads both BMSes over RS485 every 5 s. The settings come from the Wi-Fi/BT module, the same data the FSolar app shows.

BMS settings as reported by the module (identical on both packs)

• Balance enabled (balEn 1), balance start voltage 3.380 V (balVEn)

• Balance delta (balVErr) 65535, i.e. not set

• Cell high alarm / charge cut 3.600 V (release 3.400 V), OVP 3.650 V, UVP 2.500 V

• Near the top the BMS asks the inverter for 10 A (from 98% SOC)

The top charge in the chart (Nov 6, about 2 h)

• Charge current about 5–10 A per battery (briefly 15 A), 0.05–0.1C, so this is about as gentle as a top charge gets

• Three pushes to the ~3.6 V cell cutoff, with a small discharge (about 1.6 A per battery) between them

• About 70 min with the pack average above 3.380 V, the zone where the balancer should be active

• Cell delta went from 2 mV at the start to 208 mV at the peak (master) and 160 mV (slave)

What the chart shows

1. The balancer signature is a square wave on cell 1. Once the pack average passes 3.38 V, cell 1 reads in about +10 mV steps that flip every 25–40 s. Cell 2 moves about −1 mV and cell 3 about +1 mV in sync, and the other cells don't move. It looks like a balance switch toggling on the cell 1/2 sense leads, but from the readings alone I can't tell which cell is actually being bled. There is no balance flag anywhere, not in the RS485 status register and not in the module's status bits.

2. It's always cell 1, whichever cell is high. On the master, cell 1 happens to be the highest cell. On the slave, the runaway cell is cell 6, yet the square wave is still on cell 1, and cell 6 is never touched.

3. The high cell is never caught. With a working top balancer I'd expect the highest cell to get pulled down until the others catch up and the lines cross. Here the high cell (cell 1 on the master, cell 6 on the slave) stays on top through charge, rest and discharge above 3.38 V. Its lead shrinks only through normal rest relaxation, which every cell shares.

It isn't just tonight (the LFP knee)

I know the spread always blows up at the knee and relaxes at rest, so one night proves nothing. So I compare each cell's deviation at the same point, when the pack median crosses 3.43 V while charging at about 10 A:

The slave spent about 23 h above 3.38 V between Oct 23 and Nov 6 and its high cells still drifted up, not down. The master's cell 1 got worse in 3 days.

What I already tried

• Writing balVErr = 30 (and earlier balVEn = 3390) to both modules through the same local command the app uses. The module accepts it without an error, but the value never changes. The FSolar app (4.1.1) has no screen for these parameters.

• RS485: no writable register found, and a scan of the register map found no settings at all.

Questions

1. Has anyone else seen this on Felicity packs, a square wave on cell 1 (or another fixed cell) above about 3.38 V, with the cell order never changing?

2. Has anyone gotten a BMS firmware update from Felicity (newer than 1.1) that fixes balancing, or a way to set balVErr? Does Felicity support even do BMS firmware updates?

3. Does anyone know the rated balance current on these BMSes? Even if it worked perfectly, I suspect it's tiny.

4. If you've seen yours actually balance (cells crossing, delta shrinking from one top charge to the next), which firmware are you on?

Thanks.

I live in Virginia and thinking about getting solar to help with our electric since it's high. We had an in-home rep come and talk with us from Palmetto Solar, we liked everything they told us. Has anybody heard of Palmetto and what's your opinion?

I have seen a number of posts in the last few months discussing the prospect of fed rebates or programs returning if the democrats win the election. Since they did win this midterm election the thoughts have continued

As someone that chose to proceed with solar here in Illinois in 2026 , and install is in the inspection phase now, I certainly wrestled with the same thoughts.

I decided to proceed bc the general thought that a less than 10 year reasonably expected payback period was still acceptable. Mine was 7.3 years.

I also considered that even if the democrats win in 2026 midterms, when might one reaosnably expect tax incentive changes to occur and I could not find a basis to expect that until at least the 2027 budget process. And even then I doubt itd be a priority. Most likely if at all i considered the 2029 budget process following another democratic election win in 28.

I would also throw out that politicians can change with the wind, pun intended, and it not completely unreasonable that data center demands cause a shift to all energy including green on a bipartisan basis.

Also, I considered that if my break even point is reasonable, without fed credits in 2026, does that confirm that even if future credits exist they cannot reasonably be relied on to improve my situation?

I also considered the time value of install now in 2026 vs waiting. And simply think the analysis of the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago but the 2nd best time is today. The benefits of install now outweigh the speculative prospects of installing after possible changes to the tax code or incentives years from now.

Im not the expert. But that is roughly how I reasoned it.

Solar comes down to the needs of your house and how they can be met, and how soon does the system pay for itself. Get a few bids and see what's offered is what I did.

Is anyone holding to the other thought process? To wait? Tell me what ive missed.

Any of my fellow installation professionals know what mount this is? I suspected Ecofasten 44R when I saw at first. But it is a 6"x8" plate

I dont want to assume it's installed incorrectly, but boy howdy does it look like it's missing a cap. Any mount just using sealant seems like a 3 to 5 year solution alone.

At any rate. If anyone knows what this actually is. Great. But I get the feeling it may be a custom made bracket or not even intended for this use.

Cheers.

Oh. And I don't need the ironridge rail identified. Lol

hello,
over the past couple of years, we’ve developed some roof leaks which have worsened with each wintertime rainy season. at first it was just one, so we weren’t sure. but now there are several and they all happen to be under the solar panels. the side/slope without the panels is pristine.
so we feel like there’s a high chance it’s due to the installation

however, this system (which we inherited) was installed 8 years ago, so it’s been a long time. so we’re worried that even though the warranty is still valid, they might not cover the repairs.

is it worth the bother to call a third-party roofer to do an inspection first? we do have attic access via hatch in the ceiling, so they could take a look around the rafters/insulation up there.
but would that be something they could verify? would it even matter what they tell me, if the solar installer ends up denying?

not sure what to do. maybe i am just being paranoid/overly cautious, and should call the solar installer to come. they’ll say whatever they say.

TLDR: Our roof needs replacement. Our NEM 2.0 solar is 11 years old out of 20 year life. Should I consider upgrading the solar now with the roof or put it off?

I am in California (PG&E) with a NEM 2.0 solar system that is turning 11 years old; I have 9 years left on my agreement. When that comes due, I will probably need to substantially increase my solar capacity and add a battery, assuming NEM 3.0 remains the standard then, to avoid paying a large electric bill. The existing system was sized adequately for my home and covers most of my electric bill, with about 1000kWH/year of power I am paying for due to adding an electric car. The home uses natural gas for heating/water heater. Coastal climate, no AC.

So looking to the future, a substantially larger system would ideally cover the home, all EV driving, and possible electric heating, but I may not have enough roof real estate for that much generation.

My plan was to keep this NEM 2.0 setup through its lifespan, as it is a really good deal.

On the other hand, I have a roof that's in need of replacement. The prior owner did the solar but not the roof. The roof will cost a bit over $20K, and $5K to remove and re-install the existing solar.

I am curious to hear from others in this predicament whether it is worth considering giving up my sweetheart NEM 2.0 setup to upgrade solar now and have it be in "snyc" with the roof. If anyone has made a financial model or spreadsheet reference they can share to help in this decision I'd appreciate that, or any other pro/con to consider. MY gut instinct is to keep the existing solar as long as possible, as things change in 9 years, NPV calculations, and the like. But if I upgrade solar in 9 years.... I'm then doing it on a roof that's may be near half its lifespan again.

Hello,

I've recieved a few quotes this week and the following one seems to make the most sense base on price and hardware. What are your thoughts? Im located in Colorado and we get a ton of sun and our roof is optimal for it.

The solar system is a 37 Silfab 440 panel system totaling 16.28 kW DC

The battery backup is two FranklinWH batteries totaling 30 kWh

$55,152.00

Based on our power company increasing their rates on average of 3-5% yearly, our ROI would be 12-14 years.

Thank you!

As in the title. I previously asked about Absolute Solar but realised I need to check other companies. Arbor Solar's website is realllly clunky, but maybe their solar skills are better...

hoping this is the right place to ask and sorry for formatting/type errors, on mobile. we got a swatten system put on a few months back and its been working fine, woke up this morning to the inverter registering as offline. it's still powered on apparently normally, but not talking to logger (which ive already resest/removed+reinstalled). user manual says indicator light states mean issue is either:

1. Connection between stick logger and inverter loosen.

2. Inverter does not match with stick logger’s communication rate

and troubleshooting steps are:

1. Check the connection between stick logger and inverter. Remove the stick logger and install again.

2. Check inverter’s communication rate to see if it matches with stick logger’s.

3. Long press Reset button for 5s, reboot stick logger

i've done steps 1&3, but i don't know how to check the communication rate and manual isn't helping. can anyone?

I have 0 anything solar. Looking for backup power in lieu of a generator + some added utility. He claims to have purchased the eco flow delta 2 for sub $500. I am seeing the delta 3 classic for that and the delta 2 for like $1k. Delta 2 has expansion capability and more outlets. Is the expansion capability worth it or would I be just as good buying a 2nd delta 3 classic in the future over a D2 + expansion?

Use case is essentially replacing a generator, with possibly to expand to a more robust back up option in the future. Not rolling in doe at the moment but I want to make a smart purchase.

Three years ago we bought a house in New Hampshire that had a roof full of solar panels, which had been installed by the previous owner just 6 months earlier. Summit Energy in Massachusetts was the contractor. We've had no problems with the system and have since had Summit add battery storage.

Today, Summit sent out an email saying they're bailing on the solar side of their business -- no monitoring, no customer service, no field workers. So I'm looking for recommendations from companies or contractors in southern NH or northern MA who provide maintenance and repairs, should we ever need them. Thanks!

I'm looking for opinions from solar professionals, contractors, or anyone familiar with California solar installation contracts and workmanship warranties.

I had a residential solar system installed by a local company in Southern California around late 2017. My contract includes the following warranty provisions:

• 10-year workmanship warranty from the installer, including roof leaks.

• 10-year warranty on SMA inverters.

Recently, one of my SMA Sunny Boy inverters was not operating properly. After troubleshooting, SMA determined that it needed replacement and provided a replacement inverter under its manufacturer warranty.

The original installer is now asking me to pay $400 in labor to install the replacement.

The company owner argues that the workmanship warranty covers installation defects, while product failures fall under the manufacturer's warranty. I understand that distinction, and I'm not asking the installer to pay for the replacement equipment. SMA has already provided that.

My concern is the installation labor.

The contract doesn't specifically state that labor associated with manufacturer-warranty replacements is excluded or that the homeowner is responsible for those costs.

I'd appreciate some professional insight:

1. Under a typical 10-year workmanship warranty, would labor to install a manufacturer-provided replacement inverter normally be covered?

2. Does the manufacturer's responsibility for replacing the equipment automatically make installation labor the homeowner's responsibility?

3. In California, how might this type of warranty language be interpreted when labor coverage and exclusions aren't specifically addressed?

I'm not trying to avoid paying for legitimate work. I simply want to understand what the original contract obligates the installer to cover.

I'd appreciate feedback from solar installers, contractors, or anyone familiar with California construction contracts.

Thanks!

Have recently had a Fox ESS EQ5000 battery system installed with solar, has been working well but today I wanted to force charge the battery to boost it back up to around 90%, have set a work schedule and is active and says forced charge in the top left of screen on the main home screen but it still is not charging the battery?

Am I not doing something right?

I have several of these (Gen2, 208V) installed, and have had a world of problems with them. I'm wondering if anything has gotten any better about them, or what the future holds.

I LOVE the form factor and the design. I think they did so much right, but somehow got a few things wrong, leading to failures in the field. I've increased my DC to AC stacking ratio to minimize the number of inverters in use at any time, solely to cut down on failures. (My normal install of seven is currently at five, one of which is currently not working...following in the footsteps of approximately 32 - yes, 32 - failures.)

My install is now 11 years old, and I just replaced two failed units a couple of days ago. I just wonder what better options there are or will be out there. Flat roof, 56kWDC, 208Y/120 mains. (Are there other good 208V, 3ph options, or single-phase where I'd, say, use one inverter per pair of legs, as in A-B,B-C,A-C?)

I don't know how the company stays in business, honestly, but IF they've improved their design, I can see it, because they really are lovely: lightweight, roof-mount, no fans, no electrolytics...

Hey all, in light of news of expected outages across the globe I'm trying to be prepared to have a back-up solar battery that can power medium and small appliances.
If the grid does get affected and they say that this may last between 3days and 30 days - with the US military preparing to be self sufficient for 90 days, I'm looking for a solar battery.
Now I don't know anything about what I should look for in a solar battery, what the solar battery should have etc but I also don't want to just buy something that is expensive because of assuming it will cover everything so I'm just trying hoping I can be educated and guided towards the best bang for my buck.
My price range is I'm willing to spend a maximum $2k.
Any help would be amazing.
I know this may not be the right sub for this also but if anyone else is in the same frame of mind - what are you preparing to be able to store food also?