Grape Solar 540-Watt Off-Grid Kit

(GS-540-KIT)

Installation Guide

IMPORTANT: Please read the Panel User Guide, charge controller and inverter manuals

before connecting the kit components

TOOLS REQUIRED: phillips head screwdriver, wrench or lug set for battery connections

www.grapesolar.com Tel. 1-877-264-1014 (toll free), 1-541-349-9000, Fax: 1-541-343-9000 1

©Copyright 2018, Grape Solar, Inc. All Rights Reserved

GS-540-KIT PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENER-ATION SYSTEM QUICK CONNECT GUIDE Rev. 180601

Valid from June 2018

Exclusion for Documentation

UNLESS SPECIFICALLY AGREED TO IN WRITING, SELLER

MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, SUFFICIENCY, OR SUITABILITY OF ANY TECHNICAL OR OTHER INFOR-

MATION PROVIDED IN ITS MANUALS OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION;

ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSSES, DAMAGES, COSTS OR EXPENSES, WHETHER SPECIAL, INDI-

RECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIDENTAL, WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION. THE USE

OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION WILL BE ENTIRELY AT THE USER’S RISK; AND

REMINDS YOU THAT IF THIS MANUAL IS IN ANY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, ALTHOUGH STEPS HAVE BEEN

TAKEN TO MAINTAIN THE ACCURACY OF THE TRANSLATION, THE ACCURACY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. APPROVED

CONTENT IS CONTAINED WITH THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION WHICH IS POSTED AT WWW.GRAPESOLAR.COM/

MANUALS.HTML

Important: Installations of this kind must be certified/approved as “code-compliant” to the national and local building and

electrical codes. Installers should have adequate knowledge of national and local code to ensure the installation passes in-

spection by the local electric authority.

Important: Proper fuses or breakers should be used to comply with all local and national codes. Contact Grape Solar for spe-

cific recommendations.

Important: All batteries used for this system should be identical. Do not mix battery types or sizes. Do not mix old batteries

with new batteries. Performance and charging anomalies can occur if types, sizes, or age of batteries are not identical. Ensure

that battery inrush current is sufficient to handle maximum controller output.

www.grapesolar.com Tel. 1-877-264-1014 (toll free), 1-541-349-9000, Fax: 1-541-343-9000

2 Valid from June 2018

Basic Wiring Diagram

GS-540-KIT PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENER-ATION SYSTEM QUICK CONNECT GUIDE Rev. 180601

Quick Start Setup

Step 1: Verify that you have each kit component, and that your shipment is complete. Check for the following items.

3 180-watt solar panels

3 15 amp inline fuses

2 pairs of male/female solar branch connectors (joined together, separate before using)

a pair of 15ft solar connector extension cables(10AWG)

a red/black 6” solar-connector-to-bare cable pair (10AWG)

a 5-foot red/black bare-wire-to-ring-lug cable pair (charge-controller-to-battery 10AWG)

a 5-foot red/black cable pair (battery-to-inverter 4AWG)

a Grape Solar PurePower 1800 inverter

a Grape Solar GS-PWM-COMET-40 charge controller.

www.grapesolar.com Tel. 1-877-264-1014 (toll free), 1-541-349-9000, Fax: 1-541-343-9000

3

Step 2: For optimum output, place the panels so they are fac-ing due south at approximately the same angle as your latitude, in full sun. If you are connecting the system dur-ing daylight, cover the panel with cardboard, cloth, or a similar option so that it does not output power. Place the panel so it is facing due south at approximately the same angle as your latitude, in full sun.

GS-540-KIT PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENER-ATION SYSTEM QUICK CONNECT GUIDE Rev. 180601

Valid from June 2018

Step 3: Mount the controller if desired (note that it must be in a NEMA-4 rated enclosure if it is outdoors). Open up the input/output terminals by turning the top screws counter-clockwise.

Step 4: Attach the lug end of the red cable to the positive termi-nal on the battery and the bare end to the Battery + input on the charge controller. Attach the lug end of the black cable to the negative terminal on the battery and the bare end to the Battery - input on the charge controller.

If your battery has sufficient charge (11.5 volts or more), you should see the LCD display activate. This means the controller has power (controllers are powered by the battery, not the pan-els).

Step 5: Connect the positive panel leads to the inline fuses, and then connect the positive and negative outputs of the panel to the appropriate T-branch connectors, as seen below. Panels 2 and 3 connect to the 1st pair, and the out-puts of that 1st pair along with Panel 1’s outputs connect to the second pair.

www.grapesolar.com Tel. 1-877-264-1014 (toll free), 1-541-349-9000, Fax: 1-541-343-9000

4

GS-540-KIT PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENER-ATION SYSTEM QUICK CONNECT GUIDE Rev. 180601

Valid from June 2018

Step 5: Continued from last page.

3-panel T-branch connection

Step 6: Connect the solar connector outputs of the T-branch connect-ors to the solar connectors of the 15-foot extension cables (note: fuses not shown below).

Step 7: Then connect the solar connector outputs of the 15-foot cables to the 6” solar connector-to-bare wire pair as shown below:

MC4 to bare connection

Step 8: Connect the bare wire end of the red cable to the “PV Posi-tive” input of the controller, and the black cable end to the “PV Negative” input .

Step 9: Connect the red (positive) and black (negative) 4

awg 5-foot cable from battery to inverter Step 10: Uncover the panels. As the day progresses, you should

see the battery capacity percentage increase until the charge controller is in float mode. At this point the battery can be used to provide power (turn the inverter on and plug your AC devices into it for power).

For additional information, see

www.grapesolar.com/manuals.html

Or email support@grapesolar.com