Then there was the discussion elsewhere on whether it was ok to install the inverter on chipboard backing board.
From what I recall, the SMA manual says to install it on a non-flammable surface. I think the heat sink is on the back and can get quite hot when its sunny. Most installers seem to specify inverters to be overloaded at PV peak output (something like installing 1.3kWp of PV on a 1.1kW inverter), coz they reckon the PV so rarely puts out the peak power. But when it does, the inverter bounces off its current limiter and gets very hot.
The switchgear could be just mounted on chipboard, but the inverter should have been mounted on some fireboard on top of the chipboard.
I wonder how they screwed the inverter on the wall as well... Do the screws from the inverter mounts go through the chipboard and into the wall proper or just into the chipboard? The inverter weighs about 20kg and there's only one screw holding the top of the chipboard in the wall above the inverter.
I also thought the twin & earth had to run in a conduit to meet the regs, but maybe as it's in the loft and not a public area it's not an issue. The main thing is that it should be immobilised so that the solid cores don't degrade from flexing. They used trunking downstairs in the utility cupboard, so why not up in the loft too...
The AC cable looks like it goes down through the floor in a narrow crack between the backing board and the floor. Did they leave enough clearance around the cable so that it won't get crushed if the floor expands or moves a bit? What's the rest of the routing of the cable like from the floor to the consumer unit?
Getting picky now, I know
