Considering adding another battery - inverter options

ed110220

Does anyone have any experience of finding an electrician to fit an inverter that you've sourced yourself? It seems there are bargains to be had online but maybe something many electricians might be snotty about?

QrizB

ed110220 said:

Does anyone have any experience of finding an electrician to fit an inverter that you've sourced yourself? It seems there are bargains to be had online but maybe something many electricians might be snotty about?

As I see it, in broad terms there are three options:

• A fully-MCS-certified installer. I would expect any of these to turn up their noses at a customer-provided option and insist on supplying their own.
• A jobbing electrician without MCS certification. They should be happy to fit for you (it wil depend on the spaarky) but obviously you won't get a MCS certificate.
• DIY. If you're replacing an exidsting inverter it's unlikely to be notifiable (in England, at least) and shouldn't be much more complicated than wiring a plug or replacing a socket outlet. You hopefully know your own limits!

Which one are you thinking of?

ed110220

QrizB said:

ed110220 said:

Does anyone have any experience of finding an electrician to fit an inverter that you've sourced yourself? It seems there are bargains to be had online but maybe something many electricians might be snotty about?

As I see it, in broad terms there are three options:

• A fully-MCS-certified installer. I would expect any of these to turn up their noses at a customer-provided option and insist on supplying their own.
• A jobbing electrician without MCS certification. They should be happy to fit for you (it wil depend on the spaarky) but obviously you won't get a MCS certificate.
• DIY. If you're replacing an exidsting inverter it's unlikely to be notifiable (in England, at least) and shouldn't be much more complicated than wiring a plug or replacing a socket outlet. You hopefully know your own limits!

Which one are you thinking of?

I was thinking of 2 but half considering 3. Am I right in thinking that export tariffs don't require MCS? How about the G99 process? To give an idea of how I'd rate my abilities, I've been happy replacing/adding socket outlets (extending a ring main, adding a spur etc) and built and connected the Seplos battery kit to my existing inverter, but got a spark in to replace our consumer unit.

QrizB

MCS is a grey area ...

If you've already got an MCS certificate for your current system and have an export MPAN, your supplier isn't going to know you've changed it.

Whoever does the work, you'll need to comply with Part P and the IEEE wiring regs. If you employ an electrician they should give you a certificate, but if you DIY it'll only become an issue if you want to sell or if eg. your house burns down ...

ed110220

QrizB said:

MCS is a grey area ...

If you've already got an MCS certificate for your current system and have an export MPAN, your supplier isn't going to know you've changed it.

Whoever does the work, you'll need to comply with Part P and the IEEE wiring regs. If you employ an electrician they should give you a certificate, but if you DIY it'll only become an issue if you want to sell or if eg. your house burns down ...

Thanks, a larger inverter would definitely need a bigger cross section cable, so would need a new connection and circuit breaker in the consumer unit which I'm reluctant to DIY. I'm pretty sure the AC cable to my existing inverter has been skimped on, which I'm not surprised at given the poor quality of the install (to give an idea, they ripped up some of the loft boards I'd carefully installed over insulation to use as a mounting board for the inverter).

Qyburn

ed110220 said:

How about the G99 process? 

In what sense, is the to be a modification to an existing installation under G.99, and if so are you increasing either the total size or the export power?

Or is it a new installation, for which you have a G.99 offer?

ed110220

Qyburn said:

ed110220 said:

How about the G99 process? 

In what sense, is the to be a modification to an existing installation under G.99, and if so are you increasing either the total size or the export power?

Or is it a new installation, for which you have a G.99 offer?

I have a G99 for the existing inverter (5 kW) but have been told by the DNO I can have up to 17 kW. Thinking of replacing the current inverter with an 8 kW replacement.

Qyburn

Posting anonymously on the Internet, I'd just do it. You'll want a 40A breaker and nowadays they're supposed to switch N as well as L, and if it's an RCBO it needs to be bidirectional. Cable size depends on installation method it's likely 6mm2 would suffice.

Are you happy with any programming or configuration needed for the new inverter?

ed110220

Qyburn said:

Posting anonymously on the Internet, I'd just do it. You'll want a 40A breaker and nowadays they're supposed to switch N as well as L, and if it's an RCBO it needs to be bidirectional. Cable size depends on installation method it's likely 6mm2 would suffice.

Are you happy with any programming or configuration needed for the new inverter?

Thanks, I'll have to look into the programming and configuration, as long as there are instructions on the internet I think if be ok with that.

ed110220

I also need to move the inverter and battery from the loft to the utility room.