I want to take some time today to make a video on the Iron Ridge ground mount

This is our go to solution

that we send for ground-mounted solar systems to customers nationwide

being that 98 percent of those customers are do-it-yourselfers,

It was really important for us to find a solution

that was not only high quality but fully engineered for permitting

and easy enough for the typical do-it-yourselfer to install without

using a contractor

I'm going to start by giving you a visual of all the various components in the system

then i'm going to take you behind the scenes on my ground mount right here and show you exactly

where these components are integrated into the structure

this is the Iron Ridge Top-gap this is the device that sits on top your vertical

pipe coming out of the ground

this supports the horizontal pipe running east and west

the U bolts that I'm holding in my hand right here

are going to bolt down on top of the horizontal pipe

is to be fitted for two-inch or three-inch galvanize

schedule 40 steel. You'll begin to notice on the back side of the top gap right here

there's two set screws

you just take these and torque them down to the appropriate values and now it's

going to hold the clamps

in place on the vertical pipe. The next thing I want to show you is the XR 1000 Rail

that I'm holding right here

also the rail connector bracket amounts to the side extrusion

This is a simple nut and bolt assembly

This can slide up and down the rail wherever you need it to be

Also comes with a two-inch

or three-inch galvanized U-bolt to attach to the horizontal pipe

here we have the mid clamp you'll see that this is a threaded T-bolt here

we've got a metal plate that goes in-between module frames

and we've got a note the top

this is the device that goes in between solar panels and secures them to the XR 1000 rail

you can see them lined up right here each mid clamp is securing two panels side by side

with a small quarter inch gap in between the module frames.

This is the end-clamp, this is the device that secures the outermost edges of your solar panels to the rail

so the bottom of the array and the top of the array. You can see we have a simple bracket here

with a nut and bolt that's going to secure the panel to the rail

you can see right now that the bottom edge of this array

You've got your end-clamps securing the modules to the rails

this is the Weeb DMC, this is the device that grounds the solar panel frame to the rail.

So you definitely want to make sure you get these on the mid clamps

you've got a hole right here in the center

so you can slide it onto the threaded T-bolt of your mid clamp

you notice the sharp circles here in each corner

when you torque down the mid clamps those are goning to bite into the solar panel frame as well as the rail

properly grounding the solar panel to the rail. Here we are looking at the under side of the solar panel frame

and the top of the XR1000 rail it's kinda hard to see

but right in between the rail and the module frames is the Weeb DMC we were looking at earlier

notice that this panel frame is sitting on this side of the Weeb and this panel frame

sitting on that side of the Weeb which crowns this module

and this module, meaning the next mid-clamps up

don't need the Weeb clamp because this module is already grounded

down here with this Weeb. We're gonna wait untill we get up here

for our last row of mid-clamps and use the Weebs again for

this module and this module. This will vary a little bit depending on if you have columns of three

columns of four or columns of five. The next thing I want to discuss is the grounding lug

you're gonna put one of these grounding lugs on a tip each XR1000 rail

you notice a channel here that is designed for a number six bare copper wire

that you can run through and sinch it down with this bolt here

and this is going to allow you to complete your equipment ground

for the system. Up above you'll notice a bare copper wire

spanning across each row. The ground line is secured in the top extrusion of each rail

and the channel on the lug holds the number six bare copper wire

you can put these along the top side of your array or along the bottom

it's totally up to you. The other thing when we have it up here is the end cap.

Pretty simple, keeps the end of the rail nice and clean and keeps the bugs out

I recommend using a rubber mallet; just give it a light tap and those things are going to lock right on there

now we've taken a look at the various components of the ground mount system

let's get up close and see exactly where they're located on the ground

alright so let's take a look we got the XR 1000 rail right here

real connector bracket, three-inch U-bolt,

horizontal three-inch pipe, vertical three-inch pipe

and ridge top cap right here two set screws in the back

two U-bolts right here securing the horrizontal pipe

you're going replicate this same thing on your northern peirs in the back

as you can see the peirs in the back are going to be much taller this is what sets your tilt angle

your technician at Wholesale Solar will design the system based on your location and your power requirements

we can adjust the tilt angle from the flush mount all the way up to 45 degrees

you'll see we just replicated the same thing that we did in the front

top caps, real connector brackets,

same thing on every peir going down. Just to the right of the rail connector bracket right here,

you'll see the 3-inch coupler I've used to connect two pieces of pipe

and allow me to keep extending right on out to the edge the array

where the horizontal stopped. The steel pipe that you're gonna put in the ground is something that you source locally.

We're going to send you a detailed project report that shows you exactly how many lineal feet

of pipe you're going to need for your installation. On the project report you're going to notice an AGL Length;

that stands for Above Grade Length and that's what sets the tilt angle of your system

for instance, our southern most piers are about two feet out of the ground

our northern peirs here

are a little over six feet out of the ground and have achieved right around a 25 degree tilt on this particular ground mount

something I want to point out real quick, if you ordered a system that uses DC optimizers or micro inverters

be sure to mount those to the top extrusion of the rail before placing the solar panels on them

thanks for joining me, I hope you found the video informative,

I hope you have a better understanding of how the Iron Ridge Ground Mount system works

if you have any questions at all give us a call at Wholesale Solar

we're happy to answer any questions you have and make sure you have everything you need for a successful ground mount installation!