jaggedben
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern California
- Occupation
- Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Johnnie, after I watched the video, the whole situation went from fuzzy to clear. This system is not properly grounded. Not at all.
The proper way to ground this system is to put a lug on each of the vertical rails and run a copper wire to each vertical rail. Not only that, but were there to be any structural splices in those rails, then the wire would need to bond each separate piece, or at least there would need to be bonding jumpers across structural splices, using listed lugs. I think most installers will agree that this is standard practice for code compliance, whether using WEEBs or not.
I agree completely that unless they can show that the racking connections are listed for bonding, then those connections are not a bond. Thus, since the vertical rails are not grounded, the WEEBs are doing nothing and thus the panel frames are not grounded, and that is a clear violation.
Whether the code requires the horizontal rails and lower supports to be grounded is a fuzzier and more interesting question. But I would tend to agree with ggunn. Suppose a wire breaks and makes contact with any of that metal: that metal needs to be well grounded to trip the GDFI in the inverter.
The proper way to ground this system is to put a lug on each of the vertical rails and run a copper wire to each vertical rail. Not only that, but were there to be any structural splices in those rails, then the wire would need to bond each separate piece, or at least there would need to be bonding jumpers across structural splices, using listed lugs. I think most installers will agree that this is standard practice for code compliance, whether using WEEBs or not.
I agree completely that unless they can show that the racking connections are listed for bonding, then those connections are not a bond. Thus, since the vertical rails are not grounded, the WEEBs are doing nothing and thus the panel frames are not grounded, and that is a clear violation.
Whether the code requires the horizontal rails and lower supports to be grounded is a fuzzier and more interesting question. But I would tend to agree with ggunn. Suppose a wire breaks and makes contact with any of that metal: that metal needs to be well grounded to trip the GDFI in the inverter.