Solar Photovoltaic Disconnect
Inspector called me about a solar sytem he is looking at for final. It has the standard DC disconnect installed in the inverter, which is installed in the garage.
His fire department wants a disconnect outside. Solar company said no problem. But that only disconnects the DC conductors at the inverter. It leaves the DC conductors running inside the house from the roof to the garage inverter energized whether the disconnect is open or not.
The DC conductors run from the Array on the roof, penetrate the roof, then go into a 4 x 4 inch metal j-box mounted on the truss. They splice there. From there the go down inside the house in flexible metal conduit to the inverter in the garage. Fire also wants the DC conductors from the Array to the inverter in the garage to be disconnect from outside. Fire does not want any possible DC energized in the home once they open the disconnect on the outside of the home.
The inspector wanted to know if they made any type of product that could do this. I suggested a normally-closed relay at the existing 4x4 metal box in the attic that would open when the disconnect was opened.
After talking with the inspector, I got confused as to being able to use an AC relay to hold DC conductors closed. Is this possible? Any other possibliities?
Thanks in advance for any light you may be able to shed on this.
EDIT: for clarification.
Last edited by Energize; 05-18-08 at 12:19 AM.
Faith is like electricity. You can't see it, but you can see the light.
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