Installation Advice

[rhumbliner]

Tesla is installing my Founder Series Powerwall tomorrow after years (yes, years) of answering questions, filling out forms, and sending in pictures. Now I wonder what I should be watching for during the install or after the install. Any advice?

TIA

 

[jjrandorin]

Tesla is installing my Founder Series Powerwall tomorrow after years (yes, years) of answering questions, filling out forms, and sending in pictures. Now I wonder what I should be watching for during the install or after the install. Any advice?

TIA

Beside deciding where you want it and what circuits you expect to be backed up (verifying that on the plans)? You say "powerwall" and not "powerwalls" so you likely are getting (1) powerwall, which almost ensures that you are backing up only critical loads.

You wont have anything that pulls more than 30 amps in that backup panel (hopefully you are aware of all this already but just mentioning it).

If you can get an ethernet connection to your powerwall location to plug the gateway in via ethernet, thats preferable, but not required. Ensure the installer activates all of the networking connections you can use. If you dont have ethernet there, they should activate wireless, and cellular. If they dont ask you to login to wifi on their tablet, or ask you for your wifi password so they can input it for you, they arent activating wifi. I would make sure they activate wifi, and cellular.

Do you already have solar? If so, you will want to ensure that the power flows in the app show correctly before the installer leaves, if at all possible.

My experience with tesla installers was extremely positive, and so has most of the other people who posted here about tesla installers. I wouldnt stress about it too much.

 

[jboy210]

Make sure you have options on where you want the PW installed. They may get in there and find out there are structural or electrical issues that prevent your first option from working.

On the internet connection, I would say if you can at all make Ethernet work, do it. These forums are full of complaints about Wifi connection to the Energy gateway. You here very few complaints from people that have Ethernet. Mine has been rock solid since Day 1.

 

[wjgjr]

On the internet connection, I would say if you can at all make Ethernet work, do it. These forums are full of complaints about Wifi connection to the Energy gateway. You here very few complaints from people that have Ethernet. Mine has been rock solid since Day 1.

Definitely a good point, and depending on the work being done, it might be an opportune time to run some cables where walls or ceilings are being opened up anyway. We ended up running more internal ethernet cables and re-locating our main router to the basement utility room where our energy and solar gateways sit in part for this (and it is actually where the line comes into the house,) and so far, no issues with Tesla connectivity.

If you can get an ethernet connection to your powerwall location to plug the gateway in via ethernet, thats preferable, but not required. Ensure the installer activates all of the networking connections you can use. If you dont have ethernet there, they should activate wireless, and cellular. If they dont ask you to login to wifi on their tablet, or ask you for your wifi password so they can input it for you, they arent activating wifi. I would make sure they activate wifi, and cellular.

I know our Tesla installer activated all 3, even though he knew our plan was to use ethernet as primary. Also, it is very easy to update the WiFi after the gateway is configured, which I note because we turned on our guest network for them to use for setup so we did not need to share our WiFi password.