By:
On:
In: Education, Opinion
With: 1 Comment

It has been 8 months since I installed my solar photovoltaic (PV) system, and I couldn’t be happier. Low electric bills and the pride of producing my own energy makes all of the hard work worthwhile. I climbed up to check out the system, making sure that everything is still tight and unaffected by the heavy rain season. Of course, like any installation with excellent workmanship, everything checked out fine. PV Systems are so trouble-free and maintenance-free, but even though I know that, I was still compelled to break out my ladder and head up to the roof to take a look. It got meRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, Fafco Solar, News
With: 0 Comments

The heat of summer is still upon us, but fall has arrived and solar pool heating season is right around the corner! October 15th traditionally starts the solar pool heating season, but it seems to be getting earlier and earlier every year. The phone starts ringing off the hook as seasonal residents flock back to Southwest Florida and year-round residents find pool temperatures dropping. People like their warm pools — getting and keeping them warm is what we do! Shorter days and cooler nights result in significantly lower pool temperatures, especially for uncovered pools that lose lots of heat to the evening sky. Warm daytime temperatures andRead More →

By:
On:
In: Fafco Solar, Projects
With: 0 Comments

While all of our installers do great work, I can often tell which installer did a job by the plumbing. Sometimes it’s the valve manifold at the pool equipment pad and sometimes it’s the roof work. While he likely trained the person doing the actual work on the roof, I’d call this a “Danny job,” recently installed in Cape Coral, FL. Because two lengths of solar pool heating panel were combined in this system, it required that a “common high” be installed. This entails making sure that the water leaving the shorter panels reaches the common high point in the system, which equalizes pressure andRead More →

By:
On:
In: Fafco Solar, Projects
With: 2 Comments

Unlike the southern tip, the northern end of North Captiva, FL, not accessible by land vehicles, actually has utility electric power available. Just like any mainland homeowner, this one wanted to offset increasing utility bills with solar energy. Working on an island is obviously a challenge, but our amazing crew pulled off this 4.6kW SunPower solar photovoltaic system in two days. This system is comprised of fourteen SunPower 327W modules, among the most efficient modules commercially available. Paired with a SunPower branded SMA SB-5000US inverter, this system is expected to cover the majority of this homeowner’s electrical consumption. The system was installed to meet theRead More →

Terrible Solar Pool Heating Manifold

By:
On:
In: Education, Opinion
With: 0 Comments

My company does service for all brands of solar pool heating systems, so naturally we get to see some things that are funny, dangerous, wrong, and downright terrible. Yesterday I was sent a picture of a solar pool heating manifold (system of valves) that was pretty funny, if not a little dangerous (left, below). One thing is certain – it’s absolutely hideous! The strange thing is that this was installed by one of our major competitors, not an inexperienced dealer or fly-by-night handyman. They do a lot of business, routinely beating our price (surprise, surprise). A neat and tidy solar pool heating bypass and isolationRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, Opinion, Products
With: 94 Comments

Variable speed pool pumps are all the rage. Fantastic energy savings an whisper quiet operation are the two most cited reasons for interest in the product. Comparing variable speed pumps is important because there are a wide range of prices and installation service levels available. All will save you money, but the features and capabilities vary widely. Selecting the right pump for your pool is critical. While not a solar product, per se, variable speed pool pumps compliment solar pool heaters and become an integral part of a solar pool heating system. It’s critical to understand the comparisons to ensure a variable speed pump willRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 1 Comment

The solar industry is relatively young and many new contractors entered the market in the last several years. It’s not uncommon to find the wrong parts used in a solar electric installation. I get to see plenty of solar energy systems installed by other contractors after they are long gone. Some mistakes are understandable (and common). Others are comical (from my point of view). Some are downright dangerous. There are a number of reason this occurs: Inexperienced solar contractors simply do not know what parts exist, so they use a common incompatible part. Electrical contractors may not be highly experienced with DC electrical components. SpecializedRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, News
With: 1 Comment

NBC-2 News reported that a smart car charger caused a fire in Estero, FL yesterday causing $200,000 to a home. From the story I gather that the homeowner installed the smart charger himself. While I can’t say if he was qualified or if the fire was caused by installation errors or product failure, it brings an important issue to the forefront – electric car charging is going to bring a whole host of problems for home electrical systems. The problem is that many homes already have fully loaded main distribution panels. Several tandem breakers may be installed to accommodate new circuits for things like lighting,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Education, Fafco Solar
With: 1 Comment

“I have a 2,500 square foot house. How much solar can you put on it?” It’s a question every solar professional has heard, and a question that is almost always answered starting with, “It depends on…” I wish the answer was easy. Unfortunately, it does depend on… a lot! What shape is your home? What is the roof pitch? How is the home oriented, and what side faces south? What obstructions are present? Is it a hip or gable roof, a combination, or a hybrid roof design? Are there any obstructions that could cause shade like trees, chimneys, power lines, neighboring buildings, etc? I’ll showRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, Fafco Solar, News
With: 0 Comments

Tropical Storm Isaac has passed Southwest Florida, and it appears that there was little to no impact on the area’s solar panels. The phones have been silent this morning. I would expect nothing less! Solar panels installations are engineered to withstand design wind speeds of 150-172 mph in Southwest Florida under the Florida Building Code 2010. Even systems installed 10-15 years ago used similar attachment methods, and would meet or nearly meet current building codes. There is more concern about windborne debris than the wind’s effect on the panels themselves. We had a few postponed installations last week due to the incoming storm, and thatRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education, Fafco Solar
With: 0 Comments

Commercial flat roofs in Southwest Florida come in many forms. Asphaltic/bituminous roofs are the most popular, with rolled roofing seen most commonly. TPO and EPDM membranes are becoming more popular. Using the right attachment method is key to a successful leak-free solar energy system. One product that is great for flat roofs comes from  EcoFasten Solar. In this flat rolled roof solar installation we used EcoFasten base plates with a through-bolt attachment method to achieve extraordinary wind uplift capability. After drilling holes for threaded rods we placed a healthy dollop of sealant between the base plate and existing roof material. Custom patches were cut fromRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 1 Comment

After years of seemingly nothing but tile roofs being installed in Southwest Florida, metal roofs are getting popular again. The longevity, durability, and energy efficiency of metal roofs are great selling points, and they look great, coming in many profiles and colors. The metal roof is known for protecting roofs against leaks, and minimizing penetrations is very important for roof warranties and customer peace of mind. There is an aluminum clamp called an S-5! that attaches solar panels to the standing seam of metal roofs without penetrating the metal. The strength of these clamps is amazing. Test results on many roof profiles indicate that theyRead More →

By:
On:
In: Fafco Solar, Projects
With: 0 Comments

A solar water heating project for the Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation is in Cape Coral at the Coconut Apartments. Each of the two multi-tenant buildings have four dwelling units with three 2’x8′ solar water heating collectors per unit. Installation of the solar panels just started, and here’s the day one picture of the first building. Like the Broadway Apartments project, the panels are mounted on rails attached to the standing seam metal roof with non-penetrating S-5 clamps. Can you spot anything wrong with this photo?

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 0 Comments

Skylight installation means cutting a hole in your roof. Sound scary? It’s not if you know how a solar tubular skylight is installed! The flashing for a tubular skylight dome is slipped under the shingles and the waterproofing layer on a typical shingle roof. Once the proper sized hole is cut in the shingles and roof sheathing, the shingles are further trimmed to go neatly over the top half of the wide flange around the housing. Sealant is used under the flange as a secondary barrier to water penetration. The lower half of the flashing sits atop the shingles and waterproofing. Water flowing around theRead More →

By:
On:
In: Projects
With: 1 Comment

Fafco Solar has completed the FGCU Naples Botanical Garden photovoltaic system installation. I am particularly proud of this system and the expert installers that did the heavy lifting. The system includes 164 SolarWorld 245 watt solar photovoltaic modules, 164 Enphase M215 microinverters, a Unirac SolarMount mounting system, and S-5! Clamp attachments. Because of the existing electrical system at the facility, the photovoltaic system is divided into two sub-arrays backfeeding power into two 208V 3-Phase electrical distribution panels. Commercial 3-Phase installations are always interesting from a design standpoint because typically we are dealing with various existing transformers and often generator backup systems. It was truly aRead More →