Common Mounting Questions

Can I use your rails/equipment to mount this to my roof, windmill, etc.?

We cannot recommend doing custom modifications of the mounting kit as it’s specifically designed and tested the way that it’s described in the manual. However, we do understand that our customers are filled with the DIY spirit which we encourage; we just cannot recommend any modifications ourselves. 

What's the deal with the Top-of-Pole mounting kit post?

Our Top-of-Pole mounting kit does not come with the pole needed to put the mount on. The main reason for this is due to it being challenging and pricey to ship, so we made the decision to have our customers source that locally. If you have a 2 panel mount, it requires a 2” Schedule 40 steel pipe (2 ⅜” Outer Diameter). The 4 and 8 panel kits require a Schedule 40 steel pipe 8’ to 12’ in length, 4” inner diameter / 4.5” outer diameter. Sometimes these posts can be hard to find locally; we suggest checking out agricultural supply stores, construction supply, or plumbing supply stores. 

How do I mount these panels to the mounting rails?

We provide two different types of clamps with the mount kits: the mid clamps and the ends clamps. The mid clamps go between the panels and the end clamps, as the name suggests, go on the ends of the panels. Both types consist of the clamp, a bolt, and a T-nut. These can be loosely assembled, and the nuts can be inserted into the channel lengthwise of the Panel Rails from the ends or in the middle. The T-nut locks in place perpendicularly to the channel as tightened. Start with setting one panel on the rails and using two END clamps and secure the first panel near the end of the rails by tightening the bolts with a hex wrench. Add the second panel and secure it with the first panel using a MID clamp. Continue adding one panel at a time until all panels are secured. Finish by adding the last two END clamps. Tighten all bolts.

Spec: 4 ft-lbs of torque required to hold the panels securely.

What angle do I set the Top-of-Pole mount to?

It depends on where you are and what time of year it is! Reference the below photo to find your panel angle for your location and time of year- you can always choose the fixed angle position of the left side for one set angle for the whole year, but to optimize solar collection, we recommend changing your mount twice a year at the spring and fall equinox to the summer and winter angles respectively. 

How much concrete do we use to set the post in the hole?

We recommend at least 2 bags of concrete (standard size is 50 or 60 pound bags) to ensure that the post is properly set in the ground. Additional concrete may be needed if you live in a high wind area.

I’m having trouble finding the steel post for my mount. Is there an alternative that you recommend?

We very strongly recommend only using the steel post as that is what has been engineered for the post structural strength for wind and snow loads. However, if finding the post is impossible or if it is cost prohibitive, we do have a short term alternative. Please contact the support engineers to obtain this alternative. 

How do I orient my panels on top of the mount? 

The panels are designed to fit horizontally, not vertically. 

What’s all included in the mount kits?

We recommend referring back to your manual included with the kit for a list of the parts.

I don’t have access to my manual, how do I put it together?

We generally recommend referring to your manual, but if you do not have it, we have several youtube videos for the mount installations and we are always happy to email you a copy of the manual.

I have a pump kit with panels from a few years ago and recently ordered a mount kit and these panels are too big for it. What should I do?

While this did not affect the majority of our customers, we did swap our mount kits to a better design with slightly shorter rails than previous kits. If this is the case for you, please reach out to our customer support team and we’ll be happy to send you some longer rails for those panels.

What is the difference between all the different VC#-HR#?

The naming convention of the ground mounts has to do with the number of vertical columns and horizontal rows each kit provides. The VC# typically is one to five while the HR# are always 4 or 8.

What is the difference between a VC2-HR4 vs a VC2-HR8?

In short, not a whole lot is different between these two kits. Most of the parts in the kit are identical, the key difference is the overall size of the system and the included clamps. The rails, connectors, tee caps, and even number of post holes is the same between these two kits. The HR4 kits are designed for larger 300w+ panels and thus come with larger clamps. The HR8 kits are designed for smaller 100w panels and come with smaller clamps. 

How many max panels does each VC#-HR# hold? What kit should be picked when sizing?

Keeping in mind that HR4 kits are for large panels and HR8 are for small panels we can find out the max panel count for any kit by multiplying the VC# with the HR#. For example a VC3-HR4 (3x4=12) can hold a max of 12 big solar panels. While a VC2-HR8 (2x8=16) can hold a max of 16. With this we can pick out a matching ground mount for our pump kits depending on how many and what type of panels the pump kit comes with. A Pro 1000D normally comes with 12, 100w panels so a VC2-HR8 would be able to house those 12 panels with room to grow and add up to an extra 4 panels. Meanwhile the Pro 2000D normally comes with 8, 370w panels so a VC2-HR4 would be able to exactly house 8 panels. 

How do the rails connect and how many rails should be connected together?

All kits come with a number of 58’’ rails that are joined together using the L plate connectors in conjunction with nuts and bolts. A single VC rail is made by combining 3, 58’’ rails to make a 174’’ rail. Each single VC takes 2, 174’’ rails to hold the panels. 

How do you calculate the length of the cross pipes for each kit?

A general idea of the overall ground mount size can be found in the manual but we can calculate a much more precise length for the cross pipes. While the pipes that hold up the ground mount are dependent on the desired tilt angle for the panels, the cross pipe lengths are dependent on the size of panels and number of VCs. To calculate the ideal cross pipe length you take the horizontal measurement of a single panel and multiply that valve by the number of VCs. The cross pipe length should always be at least a foot greater than the total length of the previous mentioned total. For example a VC2-HR4 uses large panels that each measure 69.1’’ in horizontal length. The VC2-HR4 has 2 vertical columns so with the panel size in mind we get 69.1’’x 2 = 138.2’’. Our cross pipe must be longer than 138.2’’ to accommodate the small amount of space in between VCs and have some extra pipe length on each side of the ground mount. With 138.2’’ being about 11.5’ a minimum cross pipe length of 12.5’ would be needed. You could also round up to even 13’ or even 15’. 

How far should each post be from each other? 

In general we recommend that each post be 80’’ from each other on all sides. So long as the values are the same to keep the entire structure square the 80’’ is flexible. Doing 75’’ or 85’’ apart on each side would work too. Just keep in mind the overall size of the ground mount as you do not want to scale too small overall with the posts.