Torque is a commonly used term in Solar PV system inspection, which refers to the act of tightening a mechanical fastener. The fastener can cover a wide array of details, not limited to attaching structural members, electrical connection and weather tight seals on conduit and enclosures.
Why is This Important for Owners and Financiers?
Under torqued fasteners are a common root cause for catastrophic electrical and mechanical failures and are one of the easiest issues to prevent. Diligence during construction and O&M activities can eliminate this issue entirely.
How Hardware Fails
There are two failure categories for torqueing:
Over torque – where the recorded tightening exceeds the specification, this can lead to:
Under torque – where the recorded tightening falls below the specification, this can lead to:
How to Set Up for Success
A few key takeaways to note:
Step 1 – Documentation and Planning for Construction
Success starts with the documentation and tools during construction. We look for:
Step 2 – Maintain Diligence During Construction QC Inspections
Proper quality control methods are integral with the construction.
Step 3 – Long Term Inspection and Maintenance
The final step is confirming the long-term health of the system. What we look for:
What are the biggest critical to quality pitfalls related to torque?
Eliminate re-torque from the maintenance vocabulary for electrical connections. Torquing should be considered a one-time event. Better to use IR scans to identify under-torqued hardware that needs re-torquing.
Who Can Ensure Torquing is Done Correctly?
Pure Power has Field Engineers that specialize in QC inspections, commissioning, and construction monitoring. We will ensure your installer is using proper torquing practices.