Best DIY Solar Ground Mount | Complete Assembly
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- Опубліковано 11 чер 2024
- EG4 Ground Mount - signaturesolar.com/eg4-bright...
Calculate Solar Panel Cost For Your Home - www.solarreviews.com/solar-es...
I needed to step up my solar panel ground mount situation. I am working on an off-grid detached garage and need a reasonably priced ground mount that can hold a minimum of 4 large panels. EG4 makes this BrignMount and it seem like a perfect fit. I will walk you through the complete assembly and also provide my impressions on the build quality and value of the ground mount so you can decide if this is right for your DIY solar project
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
EG4 Ground Mount - signaturesolar.com/eg4-brightmount-solar-panel-ground-mount-rack-kit-4-panel-ground-mount-adjustable-angle/?ref=tWl8ELLgfBNOCr
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
I really like the way you talk, and explain things - I will continue to watch your very informative videos, as I am a lifelong DIY-er! Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback!
Really good job
Very cool video
I'd probably use quick release pins for the angle adjustment to make it easier to change the angle 2x/year based on the season. You could also anchor that temp system to the beams with ground screws...
I mounted 4x bluesun 460w bifacial on the eg4 brightmount on a 8' 6" post concreted 3' in the ground. I used a top mount post for a 2" pipe 14' long using u bolts to mount the brightmount to the 2" pipe so my array is completely adjustable. I love it and will duplicate it for every system I build for friends and family in the future
Nice, thanks for the feedback on your setup 🙌
Nice idea. How exactly did you attach the u bolts and pole to the mount. They would need to attach to a verticle piece in the center of the mount, correct?
Nice explanation. I’d use threaded rods welded to plate in the sonatube instead of anchor bolts.
Nice setup looks well....
Thanks!
Thank you
Thinking about one of these mounts for `24 @ camp. Your 4x4 base also gives me an idea as due to the amount of snow I get the bottom of the panels needs to be at least 3' off the ground. Thanks. 👍
It looks simple and quite strong. But it seems to me that at the junction of two bars, no matter how massive they are, metal corners should be screwed on both sides with self-tapping screws. Because 4 panels + a strong gusty wind will be able to tear or weaken even this place.
thanks for the video!
You bet!
This is great. But probably not great in snow country where I live. It needs to be about 3 to 4 feet above the ground to prevent snow from piling up and blocking the surface of the panels
Nah, just 18" off the ground. We get plenty of snow too, not a problema
One could have holes deep enough for frost line, say 36" deep. Then use Sonatubes at maybe 48" long. Raise the Sonatube up to your desired height above ground, secure and fill with concrete.
@bobcole3852 well most winters where I live we get 3 feet of snow on the ground. So I guess it just depends on your location as to how far above the ground you need to go. That idea of making concrete posts out of sonatubes is great. That's probably what I'll end up doing.
well explained, thanks.
I see that all the brackets are (tight n hold) meaning if the bolt get lose for some reason (strong wind age, expansion and contraction...)the panel (tilted 35+ deg) will slip down. should there be (L) bracket/rail at the bottom edge of the panels to hold it? scratching my head how to do it.
Grate video thanks for sharing. Subbed. God Bless.
Thanks man! Welcome to the channel 👍
Nice!
Nice.
Do you think it would be possible to build what you have there (with the 4x4s) but add large caster wheels? I'd like to be able to roll it out from my garage onto my driveway and back in garage.
great post? Any chance we could get a link to those panels?
Great video and a really good product from EG4. Personally, I just couldn't see spending the money companies want for dedicated solar mounts. I built my ground mount array using cyclone fence posts and the hangers used for commercial plumbing projects. It was a fraction of the cost and, if anything, is even stronger than most commercial solar mounting products. It's also easily adjustable for angle, if that's something you need.
Nice, sounds like that would make for a good video in the future 👍
@@everydaysolar - If you'd like some pictures showing how it goes together and a rough estimate on cost, let me know.
@@jasonbroom7147 I'd love to see the details!
@@ssoffshore5111 - I used 1-5/8ths cyclone fence posts, spaced 8' apart, with 1-3/8ths poles between each post. I then used #2 pipe hangers, which fit perfectly around the 1-3/8ths poles. That's what I bolted each panel to. The smaller poles fit inside the larger ones, so you can use them to set the height/angle of your panels on one side or both.
@@jasonbroom7147 I would love to see some pictures. Would you be open to sharing?
If you know - what is the steepest angle you can get given the mount is only off the ground by two 4x4's (7") instead of the recommended 15"?.
How wide are your panels ? What is the angle measuring app you refer to in the video ?
Thank you! Great solution! Is the end of the frame strong enough to use a handle to drag the aray around a little bit?
You wouldn’t want to do that much as with the base, rack, and panels it is actually pretty heavy.
Would be great to see a review of a similar budget mount, but for a roof
Thanks for the feedback and I will be doing that for sure in the next month or so.
@@everydaysolar that’s awesome! I hope you’ll cover the mounts used to attach brackets to the roof. Curious about your opinion on QuickBolt QB2 if you’ve tried them.
I did not hear anything mentioning UL or other certs? If not, every metal piece needs a individual bonding conductor, not just the ground clamp described because none of the assembly fasteners are rated for grounding.
How did you come up with a 14' 4x4? I don't see a splice in it and I don't see where I can buy one longer than 12'. Thanks for all your videos.
Home Depot and Lowe’s in my area don’t carry 14’ but Menards (Midwest store) does 👍
Man I really wish I could fit 5 of my 44" wide 405W panels on this thing... maybe I can buy 2 of them and make an extension..
They sell a extension kit for it
where did you get the 14ft wood piece from. I have this same set, but I used 2 parking lot bumpers instead
Local lumber yard (Menards). My Home Depot and Lowe's only stock 12' 4x4 pressure treated.
What are the dimensions of your panels trying to figure out how many of these I need
Can you install this permanently into a 4x4?
I would have bolted the frame base to the lower 4 by 4s. I would make the lower 4by4s 16 inches longer to the front. And find a bunch of used cement blocks for ballast.
I just liked the idea of the bottom mounting plates being secured to 1 long member avoiding movement at each leg. Thanks for the feedback.
@@everydaysolarwhat app are you using to see the tilt angle?
@@hillybilliescrypto.4965 just the standard Measure App on an iPhone. You can switch it over to a bubble level to get the angle. I think Android has a similar App native to the phone.
Do the end clamps and mid clamps come with the EG Brightmount?
Sure did 👍
What were the measurements of these panels? I am going to be testing a few of these mounts, and was wondering if I will be able to fit four of my 44.5" SEG 405 panels on each one... Might be too tight though.
I'm in the same boat. The mount maxes out at 44" panels. However if you don't use the mid or end clips they give you and instead use T bolts I believe you can scoot the panels closer together and make it work. That's my plan anyway. Or bolt the panels to the rails from below and put the panels touching side by side. Max length on the horizontal rails is 179.5".
So if I wanted a row of eight panels, could two of these be chained together? I'm looking at this from the perspective of digging holes and pouring concrete, could I save myself digging one less hole and concrete column?
Just think of them like batteries where you can combine them in series or parallel to get the voltage and amps you want for your system.
Is it possible to mount wheels on this? I need to support 3 400W panels that will be on my back deck & need to roll to slightly different locations per season from roof shading on the deck due to sun’s angle.
Yep, that is doable and would probably make the legs just a bit wider if I were to place casters under the legs.
I have 6 of the 400watt panels.
Would i be able to buy 2 eg4 kits and just use half of the second one for a 6 panel ground mount?
Yep, that should work but if you would like to bring all 4 pieces of rail together for the top and the 4 together for the bottom you would need 1 additional bracket/splice kit. Also you might want to confirm the dimensions on your panels just to make they will fit. I think most 400 Watt panels are good but some of the jumbo 500+ Watt panels would be pushing it.
what app do you have that has the angle finder? I looked on my play store and there are a ton of measurement apps. Thanks
I was just using the standard measurement App that comes on iPhone. I image most of the free versions would have the bubble level option.
You should only have to ground one rail, as the panels themselves tie the two rails together. I installed solar on my roof and I was only required to ground one of the two rails.
Yep, you are right if you install all the grounding clips you would only have to have a grounding lugs on one of the rails.
That depends entirely on the UL listing for the bonding of the clamps or other rail-to-module-to-rail bonding method. Not all products are the same, nor do they qualify.
I have watched several videos for this ground mount. However, one video said you would have to buy the solar panel mounts, for me a 35 mm mount, separately. However, it looks like the mid-clamp does what a solar panel mount or bracket would do. Anyone know? The other video is about a year older. Did the design and included equipment possibly change?
Well a quick call and look at the manual answered the question. The old mount did not have the solar mounts as the new mount has 30/35/40 mm end and mid clamp mounts. Nothing else needed to buy.
Thanks for circling back and letting us know 👍
Could I make 2 kits of 2 panels each with this 1 EG4? I have greenhouses that would be just fine with 400 watts of panels each. I just don't know if a single EG4 kit can be broken into 2 separate mounts each holding (fitting) 2 panels. Can someone recommend a 200 or 300 watt panel that would fit my needs?
Yeah, I think you could break this ground mount into 2 different kits. In order to recommend some panels it would be good to know what you are running those panels into for a portable power station or charge controller. That can help to get panels that will fit the voltage and current specs.
I was planning to use lazy susan bearing for a single solar panel in a small set up to change its position. Problems would be how can i make it survive windy condition. Sorry for my bad grammar
Consider using a scrap rear wheel bearing assembly taken from a car. Bad for the car, good for 1 rpm a day. free at repair garage.
I wonder if the lazy susan bearing would rust and not hold up to the elements since it is designed for indoor use. 🤔
@@everydaysolar will there be possible way to make it rust proof?
At 7:00 you talk about grounding. I went to buy the grounding wire and the guy asked "What size wire do you need?" That stumped me! So, anyone, what size wire should I use for grounding? Thanks for any help!
I use 6 gauge bare ground wire.
@@everydaysolar Thank you, another trip to Home Depot! FYI, I followed your board base very closely except I used a 2x8 for the long board. I now have four Talesun 400W Bifacial panels mounted, but it did take some "stretching" of the rails as they are 44.6" wide. My stretch section needs improvement but it's mounted for now. My EG4 6000XP inverter and two batteries arrive tomorrow, I hope to be generating my own solar power soon.
Is there a reason for the 51” spacing between the legs? Thanks
The 51"was straight off the installation instructions. I am sure you could adjust a couple inches left or right if needed.
Do you know of a vertical mount for bifacial panels that is near this same price?
I do not, I has seen a few guys do the vertical mounts but I think they were just making a custom setup from difference types of fence posts or 4x4 posts.
@@everydaysolarThanks!
what app did you use for the angle?
Just the standard measurement app that comes with iPhone and Android. There is a bubble level option.
Better install concrete footings or a ballasted system to secure your ground mount. A single wind gust is all its going to take to flip the entire assembly and destroy your modules. We've sold hundreds of ground mounts all across the country over the past 25 years and have lost count of how many customers that have damaged their modules by not securing the ground mount properly.
Would it hold by using 4 earth anchors at each foot alternating front and rear?
How long are those 4, 4x4’s?
I just cut 8' posts in half, so 4'each. If I did it again I think I would get some 10'or 12' posts. They are stable but wouldn't be bad to have a little longer legs.
I just downloaded the EG4 construction manual, you can't just sit these things on the ground. They require four footings per four modules. Their footings are 19.7" x 19.7" x 33.5" which comes out to 7.5 cu/ft. A bag of concrete mix is ~.6 cu/ft., that means 12.5 bags per footing. HD and Lowe's get $5.36 a bag, that's $269 + tax to put up four modules. You need that ballast to keep the modules upright in high winds or snow loads, that's why they spec so much footing.
I don't think these mounts are a great option.
What do you think is a better option. I also agree for a permanent installation I would be setting some sonotubes below the frost line and making a proper footing.
@@everydaysolar Thanks for the reply. I did some more math and at 12.5 bags of concrete each footing weighs ~1000 pounds and you need four of them! That's how they get away without sinking footings but I think it's a bad idea and a lot of people are not using enough footing for the racking.
I think it's a good idea to run 12" sonotubes down ~ 4 feet, which also depends on your frost line. What I do in our northern winter climate is stick a couple of pieces of rebar through the sonotube a few inches from the bottom but you can also raise the sonotube up a little to allow the concrete to form a bulb at the bottom but this uses more concrete. A four foot sonotube with a crowned top for water runoff. A four foot tube uses ~5 bags of 80 pound premixed concrete. You can use the expansion bolts that came with the racking you have but make sure the concrete is set for a few days before tightening the nuts.
Youi don't need to have one four foot sonotube for one panel, that's poor design by them but they have to because it's only 17" below ground plane. You can get away with 6 or 8 tubes for 12 panels just lag a string of treated wood to the tops of the footings and bolt their aluminum base to it, that should be adequate. Personally I'd do it with six footings for 12 panels.
Here's some basic math:
Most panels run ~40" wide placed vertically. 12 panels will equal ~40 feet, 6 footings will give you a span of ~ 6-2/3 feet. You can get away with 2x6 or 2x8 treated lumber on top of the footings with that span and weight without any problems. Each panel only weighs ~45 pounds so 2x6 is cheap and easy.
It's not vandal, theft, or weather proof.
almost no panels you would want will fit due to the 44" even limit. If they ever make one that fits modern panels might be worth taking a look, for now pretty much useless for even the panels that SS sells themselves.
I have 455 watt Solarever panels, each mount holds 4 easily