Residential electrical issue with installing solar

Wheeler said:
I may have missed it in the thread above. If so my apologies.
If the solar system they were proposing would tie in to the existing electrical system with the ability to co-generate with the utility grid, a generator creates an issue. The co-gen system requires that the sine waves from the solar system be synchronized with those of the incoming utility power. That usually happens at the meter. A generator is a separately derived source and those sine waves are completely different. I can understand their reluctance to tie in to such a system.
If you're running off of solar then the generator can't run. If you're running off the generator the solar can't be used in the house. It would require another phase sequencer that is separate.
Generators do funny things to power. They usually have a floating neutral unless properly grounded. They also don't create stable sine waves unless the power is filtered. That's not relevant to most homes but can create all sorts of issues when trying to match another power source.
Some of the new generators have inverters and are designed to be synched together. I'd suspect those don't apply to your particular situation as you already have a whole hose genset.
Batteries are a big deal if you're looking for complete grid independence. Most municipalities and power companies don't want them if you're installing a flexible solar panels system. They are extremely dangerous if there is a structure fire, as there is a chance they can explode. Li-Ion batteries create fluoride gas which is toxic. I'm not recommending against them, just something to be aware of.
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I recently had a solar installation at my home. Immediately afterward, a GFCI outlet in my garage stopped working, had no power, and could not be reset. At the same time, my two outdoor outlets stopped working. I first checked the new breaker box the solar installers put. However, no breaker was tripped and this was confirmed by turning off and on each breaker to see if the GFCI would get re-powered. At this point, I contacted the solar installers. They brought in some maintenance people who tried replacing the GFCI outlet, testing the breakers again, checking the new breaker box wiring, and resetting other GFCI outlets around my home. They could not find the problem. Additionally, they stated they could also find no fault from the installers and told us we would have to hire our own electrician. They told me if the electrician finds fault with solar installers then they will consider reimbursement after looking at the electrician's review. Now I feel I have two options. Option 1: Try to fix it on my own and if so, does anyone here have some advice on how to fix the problem? Option 2: Hire the electrician on my own and if so, any advice on hiring an electrician and how to explain my situation to them? Also, is this fair on the part of the solar installers to identify the problem, not fix it, and determine they are not at fault?
 
Smtwnwygrl said:
I recently had a solar installation at my home. Immediately afterward, a GFCI outlet in my garage stopped working, had no power, and could not be reset. At the same time, my two outdoor outlets stopped working. I first checked the new breaker box the solar installers put. However, no breaker was tripped and this was confirmed by turning off and on each breaker to see if the GFCI would get re-powered. At this point, I contacted the solar installers. They brought in some maintenance people who tried replacing the GFCI outlet, testing the breakers again, checking the new breaker box wiring, and resetting other GFCI outlets around my home. They could not find the problem. Additionally, they stated they could also find no fault from the installers and told us we would have to hire our own electrician. They told me if the electrician finds fault with solar installers then they will consider reimbursement after looking at the electrician's review. Now I feel I have two options. Option 1: Try to fix it on my own and if so, does anyone here have some advice on how to fix the problem? Option 2: Hire the electrician on my own and if so, any advice on hiring an electrician and how to explain my situation to them? Also, is this fair on the part of the solar installers to identify the problem, not fix it, and determine they are not at fault?
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Is there voltage on the incoming power wire to the receptacles, sounds like to me there is a back feed on the neutral.
 
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I would look for a neutral and ground switched somewhere.

Could also have gotten a new bad GFCI.

Could be totally unrelated to solar install so don't gat too hooked on the solar install being the cause.

Have you had substantial rain lately? Are the outdoor outlets protected by the GFCI that won't reset? If so, wetness or corrosion in the outdoor boxes could be causing the GFCI trip.

a GFCI device basically compares the current on the hot side with the current on the neutral side. If they differ by some number of milliamps, it trips. The assumption is that if the hot/neutral currents are not equal, you're leaking current to ground someplace. Can be cause by defective devices, moisture where it doesn't belong, etc.

Does it still happen if you disconnect the solar from the rest of the system?
 
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