Will Tesla Photo voltaic transfer roof plumbing vents and improve panel to 200 amp earlier than photo voltaic set up?
I was told by Sunrun that vent pipes (aka stink holes) must be 6 inches above the roof level when there is no snow, but 12 inches when you are getting snow.
I sent them this link indicating that the 6 “can be reduced to 2” if solar panels are mounted over the smelly hole to prevent anything from entering the hole from above.
Code expert Glenn Mathewson describes common problems with non-electrical regulations for solar roofs. Find out more here.
www.finehomebuilding.com
They already mounted my panels on 6 inch standoffs instead of tile hooks, so I figured this meant they could cover the ever-living hell from my roof instead of working around the smelly holes.
But Sunrun’s design team said they weren’t going to investigate this stinkhole code thing on existing homes with Contra Costa County. And the county licensing authority never called me back after I left them a couple of voicemails. Sad.
Apparently it would break Sunrun’s policy to shorten stinkhole vent stacks and mount panels over them (with some air gap). Not that it matters anyway, PG&E wouldn’t let me get more panels because PG&E sucks.
Regarding the main panel upgrade … I had a lot of nonsense because my gas riser was within 36 inches of the main service panel. I think whether or not you have this gas pipeline problem it may actually be cheaper to split your project into two parts. You can find an electrician to show the permit and do all the work on the main junction box replacement with a solar-enabled 200A (with 225A busbar). That way, PG&E has no doubt that your work on this part of the project is for one main panel only.
Once you have your fancy new main panel, reach out to Tesla again and they will be like – cool. When I got bids; Tesla wanted to charge a lot more for this main panel work than a stand-alone electrician could have charged (that was before I learned my gas riser was too close to the MSP).