Height of working space

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Shawn pavich

Member
Location
Fresno ca
We are doing a ground mount PV installation,it's a 20 degree tilt.front post are at 2.5 feet tall back post are at 5.5. We usually mount the equipment on back post with strut,I won't have my 6 1/2 feet height of working space in front of equipment,is there any exception to the 6 1/2 feet
 

Shawn pavich

Member
Location
Fresno ca
Yes you can turn off inverter its solar edge inverter, when you turn off the AC power to inverter it drops down the DC voltage to 1 volt for every optimizer ,so I will only have 40 volts at inverter thanks
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
We are doing a ground mount PV installation,it's a 20 degree tilt.front post are at 2.5 feet tall back post are at 5.5. We usually mount the equipment on back post with strut,I won't have my 6 1/2 feet height of working space in front of equipment,is there any exception to the 6 1/2 feet
I ran into this in one AHJ. They had us build a tandem rack far enough back from the back poles so that the overhead space over the inverters met code. It wasn't a SolarEdge system, though; I don't know if that would have made a difference.
 

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
You should consult the AHJ. I have never asked for an exception for Solaredge and wouldn't expect to get one. I deal with one AHJ that requires a separate DC disconnect next to the inverter even on Solaredge.
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
You should consult the AHJ. I have never asked for an exception for Solaredge and wouldn't expect to get one. I deal with one AHJ that requires a separate DC disconnect next to the inverter even on Solaredge.
True dat. SolarEdge also says they don't need string fuses even when combining three strings, but my local AHJ is not going for it.
 

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
...6 1/2 feet height of working space in front of equipment,is there any exception to the 6 1/2 feet?

What is that Article ? Your saying your under your own equipment? Haven't you ever built a standoff rack?
Your disconnect is lower than 6'- 6"? They added an inch one code cycle ago, BTW!

Isn't everything underground anyways till you get to a pole?

Here's the way I see it,(working space in front of equipment)the shaded area of ownership is reflective of about the area of
the size of a refrigerator, three or four feet in depth(depending on voltage), basically to the size in-front of a panel/disconnect
up to the it's top of elevation.
Then you have and own the total square area of the top of panel/disconnect! Since your outside to infinity
inside goes to the ceiling.
 

Shawn pavich

Member
Location
Fresno ca
110.26 A3 the height of working space in front of equipment must not be less then 6 1/2 from grade.the last row of the modules over hangs the back poles 30 inchesif.if I mount my equipment on my back poles the height would be less then 6 1/2 in front of equipment do to the over hang of mods
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
110.26 A3 the height of working space in front of equipment must not be less then 6 1/2 from grade.the last row of the modules over hangs the back poles 30 inchesif.if I mount my equipment on my back poles the height would be less then 6 1/2 in front of equipment do to the over hang of mods
That's the same thing I encountered. See post #4.
 

Shawn pavich

Member
Location
Fresno ca
I wish I could build something to bring the equipment out from under the mods,were the back poles are at there is a fence 3 feet away I would be cutting into my 3 foot clearance I have been looking in the NEC and can't find anything that says if I can de energize equipment then I don't need working space, if you look at comment number two is that what he was saying can you tell me were it says that in the NEC thanks
 

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
It's in the working space requirement section, which applies to "equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized".

Much as I'd like to see the requirements relaxed to make some jobs easier, as someone who has to do all those things with inverters I can't really support the notion that I will do all of them with the equipment de-energized. For example, what if a Solaredge has gone kaput and I need to test whether it's getting AC voltage in order to determine if it's the inverter or the AC connection? I will be examining it while energized, and I have to, and I won't even know for sure if it's energized until I examine it.
 

AdamS

Member
Location
So.Cal
The modules extending into the 6 1/2' workspace clearance height isn't a violation itself. The fact that they'll overhang more than 6" beyond the front of the equipment is what will make it a violation.
 

Zee

Senior Member
Location
CA
Hey Shawn, can you span between two posts with the strut and then dig away 1 ft of dirt beneath the inverter, 30" x 36" ?

:D;)
that does sound better and better given alternatives. :p
or mount on one of the two ends , at the sides, of the array....instead of the backside of the array?
or remove the pv panel over the inverter?
 

Shawn pavich

Member
Location
Fresno ca
Removing module

Removing module

would it be code compliant to just remove the module when I have to service the equipment,at that point I would have infinity working space height.
 
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