The worst install ever (maybe?)

[Earthstore]

I thought this post had concluded 6 weeks ago...
As to your question MEP, I can not answer I am afraid, but all I do know it is far better than it was.
:77:

 

[Eco Deal]

its is far better i agree

 

[moggy1968]

in the same way that syphilis is better than herpes?:wink5:

 

[Orffyreus]

Definitely a bad install, everyone knows you should use hard wood or at least pressure treated timber to hold panels in place.

Wonder if they included the shading in the PV benefit analysis?

 

[MorganPVI]

I think the trapezoid posted by Prince is a far worst install, this one has it's own comedy value, but princes post is wrong on so many levels it will take some beating.

 

[solarcat]

When I tought had seen it all...

This is what I saw on Sunday! Sorry, the pic is rather bad, but I didn't dare getting any closer...

 

[SolarCity]

I think we can safely say that that is a DIY install.

 

[solarcat]

Agree, I wouldn't trust this guy to change a light bulb..

 

[JD6400]

That has just got to be your own house , and you have just laid them on the hedge and what ever else you could find , just for the crack !?
Please tell me that is the case .:shocked:

 

[solarcat]

That has just got to be your own house , and you have just laid them on the hedge and what ever else you could find , just for the crack !?
Please tell me that is the case .:shocked:

Afraid not...mg_smile:

 

[whinmoor]

I presume they fell off the roof and landed like that?

 

[moggy1968]

what ground mount system is that, I like it!

 

[drew35]

I've been holding back comments on PV installs for a long time but I'm finally opening my mouth, and putting my tin hat on.
I am yet to see, in my area, what I would call a good install. And I don't mean I'm being picky over silly things, I mean downright poor installs.
I initially put it down to the "gold rush" of installs, then the rush to start a job and get it notified before the FIT rate dropped, but I'm still seeing them.

Just last week whilst carrying out an EICR, a fault that I've seen several times, the feed in MCB laying inside the consumer unit. I've never yet seen one fitted that's the same make as the CSU, but say a Crabtree board with plug in MCBS, then the standard MCB won't fit so just lay it in there and connect it with cable.

The feed in MCB is fitted on one of the RCD's with no labelling anywhere to say when the RCD's tripped the circuits will all still be live. No duel supply stickers anywhere.

And also last week when going to fit an extra socket for an old guy, I went to turn of the CSU which is in a shoe cupboard in the entrance hall. The cupboard is only about 2ft deep, and the inverter is fitted on the back wall, and to one side. There is a piece of tile batten wedged between the inverter and the door frame, when removing the tile batten (out of interest) the inverter cover falls off?

So many customers complaining about their PV installs, one woman has had a company back eight times, with eight different wireless displays, non of which work. The reason, the walls are 2ft of stone and the signal needs to get through three of them? Luckily I'd rewired that house so I managed to hard wire it without much of a problem, problem solved.

I think the PV thing was seen as a big money maker, and so the worst of the worst thought it was a license to print money. And that's why we're seeing these quality installs. I just know my heart sinks when I turn up at a property to carry out work and see panels on the roof.

Sorry.

 

[SRE]

It's always a mistake to tar everyone with the same brush :sad3: there are thousands of great installations out there as well as a significant number of poor ones. All we can hope to do through the forum is encourage customers to be very careful about their selection of installer. Price shouldn't ever be the only deciding factor.

 

[SolarCity]

I am yet to see, in my area, what I would call a good install.

I can only assume that you live in a very small area.

 

[moggy1968]

we don't work in Wales, maybe thats the reason?:smartass2:

 

[JD6400]

In fairness to Drew35 , I have to say that probably somewhere between 35-45% of installs i have seen ( All be it just driving by on a lot of them .) have had glaringly obvious faults with them and quite frankly have taken the shine of being able to call both myself and our company solar pv competent !
Along with the fact that i personally could not trust the government to stand by what had been agreed , so i intern i cold not then tell a client what could quite easily turn out to be a lie in the end , being one of the main reasons for dropping our MCS , it was also the staggeringly vast amounts of chancers and bare face lier's that were coming in to the market every day at one point that also made my mind up !
And if you take in the fact of that i live out around Skeggness and run our company from Buckinghamshire down as far to even the south coast , that is a fair foot print to go from .

 

[SolarCity]

In fairness to Drew35 , I have to say that probably somewhere between 35-45% of installs i have seen ( All be it just driving by on a lot of them .) have had glaringly obvious faults with them

I would say that that figure was a lot more like it from our experience. There IS a lot of rubbish out there but there are also plenty of decent installs.

 

[The Solar King]

What frustrates is seeing installs where I have advised a prospective customer against PV because sufficient panels cannot be fitted in a compliant manner and/or it is simply not viable. I have to conclude that these people have either been lied to by someone else or are just plain stupid.

I am certain that many competitors are not doing wind calcs, not using sufficient mounting brackets, and would not know a non-standard roof construction if it slapped them repeatedly in the face. Shading is something to be ignored or played down. Working to the DTi 3rd Edition that is due this month will make life even more interesting.

Of the the four installs nearest my house (none of which I had any involvement in) three are either non-compliant or completely bonkers. The customers may not know the full consequences until it is too late. They will either not get the FIT payments they were told systems would generate, or several storms down the line the whole lot will be in the garden. This is only the roof side that is visible. What is the electrical side like?

What makes this worse is that my MCS assessment this year is desktop only. This is unbelievable for the very reasons discussed in this thread. This is what is allowing the high level of non-compliant installs to continue. This is in no one's interest.

The only answer I can see to all of this is stiffer assessment with greater site inspection. This is all about outcomes.

I better go and do some work before I get too angry.

 

[SRE]

What do you mean desktop? No site visit at all just QMS? Got ours tomorrow and we've got to do a site visit.