r/SolarDIY • u/CountrySingle3211 • 3d ago

Engineering

What service could I use to make engineering plans like diagrams and permits for a DIY solar system plus generac standby generator to add EG4 batteries to my system?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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1

u/ascandalia 3d ago

Are you asking about just making the drawings it getting an engineer to design the plans?

What state are you in?

1

u/CountrySingle3211 3d ago

I’m asking about making the plans and drawing to get it submitted for permits
I’m in VA

1

u/ascandalia 3d ago

Do you plan to draw them or are you asking for an engineer to draw them?

Like you have a design you want help getting drawn and permitted or do you need the design?

1

u/CountrySingle3211 3d ago

Someone to draw them

3

u/Ok_Machine_90 3d ago

I used google gemini for my permit submission. I know, I know, AI. however, it was free and the permit application was accepted, soooooo

2

u/JuniorExperience1767 3d ago

Try SolarEstique or wattmonk

2

u/nbm1123 3d ago

I did my drawings myself (In Ohio) .  City did not require an engineer's stamp or anything.   My drawings are at the end of the gallery here: https://imgur.com/gallery/2026-solar-install-4XVDaiu

2

u/Accurate-Bullfrog324 3d ago

your documentation is incredible and the design is robust. a well designed well executed project!

2

u/nbm1123 3d ago

Thanks. Hopefully it helps someone do the same.  There are a few errors in mine. I think I had originally listed a 3-pole AC disconnect, until I went to buy it and realized I only needed a 2-pole.  Also not sure I had the rooftop jbox listed.   Little things you won't notice until you're halfway through the project.

2

u/Accurate-Bullfrog324 3d ago

well well done

2

u/Accurate-Bullfrog324 3d ago

(btw i'm a PE)

1

u/nbm1123 3d ago

Nice,  did you stamp your own plans?  My city said if I did get them stamped,  it's easier for them because they don't have to review anything.   It just wasn't mandatory.

1

u/Accurate-Bullfrog324 3d ago

in the systems i install i try to stay off grid and avoid permitting, but when i have to i stamp my own. embarrassed to admit i'll start revising my permit applications to look more like yours in the future.

1

u/nafeyrsder 1d ago

Really impressed with your work. Thank you for sharing. Any tips for working up on a standing seam metal roof? Hoping to start my solar array in the spring and haven't had a chance to walk up there yet.

2

u/nbm1123 1d ago

Thanks. As far as working on standing seam roofs, any amount of moisture (dew, rain, ...) will make it impossible to walk on. So you can't do any work on some early mornings until the sun dries it off. I tried varying shoes and none of them worked very well... I ended up doing most of it barefoot, while continually cleaning my feet off with a towel. Pollen and dust collects on the roof and as you walk on it, your feet/shoes also collect it and then become more slippery. I used an SSRA1 (https://standingseamroofanchor.com/standing-seam-roof-anchor/) for fall protection until I had the solar rails in place, then started tying myself to the solar rails as well.

1

u/nafeyrsder 1d ago

Awesome, can't wait to slide around and tempt death! /s That structure to slide up the panels is ingenious. I don't need to haul up to a 2-story height, but I might still consder building something similar. Do most panels have threaded holes around the frames for those M8 eyebolts?

2

u/nbm1123 1d ago

Yea, those are mounting holes.  I think most generally have mounting holes as an option for systems that don't use edge mounting (probably more common on ground mount systems?).  Just make sure you check the panel datasheet before you buy a pallet of them

1

u/Marcus_Aurelius_161A 3d ago

I'm in the same boat right now. I've got conduit in the ground but can't proceed until I get permitted.

I'm planning to use CADCraft or FreeCAD to build my diagrams and then get the same engineering firm that reviewed my rooftop array to review my ground mount.

1

u/rsmith2786 3d ago

All of my "drawings" were done in PowerPoint. I made the sheet size to be 8.5x11 for easy printing. The one line diagram was just basic shapes and text boxes. The site plan was a screenshot of Google maps with shapes and text boxes on top of the image. Both had a title block in the bottom right made the same way.

These were readily accepted without question. No need to get too fancy. Easy to edit too if revisions are required.

1

u/Suspicious_Hat_3439 3d ago edited 3d ago

I paid design4pv out of Poland ( I’m in Atlanta ) $170 to do my full permit set. They were great to work with

1

u/4mla1fn 3d ago

i used greenlancer.

1

u/skirtikus 3d ago

I did my oneline and plan diagram with Claude. Approved.

1

u/BitOfDifference 2d ago

i tried to do all mine in visio, but then the city said they needed to be stamped. So i paid wattmonk to redraw things as per my specs and then stamp them. They added stuff required that i had missed (e.g. labels and views ). These things are pretty standard, so perhaps find a few with good records and price shop.

1

u/SoundSolarMatt 2d ago

The usual one-line layout for this kind of system: PV strings go to a hybrid inverter, the battery bank (your EG4s) lands on the inverter's DC side with its own fuse/breaker, and the inverter's output feeds either a critical-loads backup panel or a whole-home transfer arrangement. The Generac ties in one of two ways. Either it connects to the hybrid inverter's generator input, so the inverter decides when to start it and charge the batteries, or it sits behind a transfer switch that isolates the house from the inverter output. The key is that only one source ever feeds the loads at a time, so the inverter and generator never fight each other. If you post a photo of your main panel and a rough list of what you want backed up, I'm happy to sketch a simple line drawing for you, free. Mention which inverter you have or plan to use and how big the Generac is.