On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 6:58:23 PM UTC-4, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
On Tue 15 Aug 2017 02:49:41p, micky told us...

Someone in a townhouse not far from here got solar panels, for
free. The electric meter is in the front and that's why they ran
1.5 or 2" conduit up the front of the house to the roof, and put
in a 3" long junction box where the conduit had to bend almost 90^
to go on the roof.

I think it's uggggly.

What should they have done differently, even if the homeowner had
to pay?

Can conduit be painted and how long would it stay approximately
the same color? Is there any conduit or useable alternative
that is already colored? White? Brown? Mariner turquoise?

Even that wouldn't be very good but it's the easiest most obvious.


How is it properly done when put on a roof?

Down through the stack to the basement, I presume, and the
electric connections and the solar control box (2 or 3 times the
size of the meter) are put in the basement????


In two instances I have used gutter downspouts to conceal (contain)
220 volt cable that was then buried to feed our hot tub. I also used
it to contain (conceal) the replacement freon lines running between
the compressor and the condensor (the original had been buried in the
poured concrete slab of the house). The downspouts were then painted
the same color as the house and barely noticieable. Besides,
downspouts look normal on a house wall, not like an ugly cable.

Since this insallation is already in place, painting the meter and
control box could also be painted.

I'm sure there could have been better alternatives, but it's too late
now.


Plus the bigger problem is solar panels themselves are ugly.
Put on the front of the house, where you can see them, they look
terrible. Elon Musk has some new ones just coming out that look
like shingles, but they are a lot more expensive so far.

You can paint PVC conduit, but it would certainly have been easier
before it was put up.