Madek

Hey Guys so its that time of the year again and we have a whole Host of Giveaways lined up some to watch out for would be the New Solis S6 6KW Advanced Hybrid (Beast) we are busy with a long term review in real world conditions with the Solis S6 the Unit we are giving away has already gone through a preliminary review but we may give more of this brand away in the future. 
Magneto has given us some wonderful product to review and give away MAGNETO Lithium-LiFePo4 Rack Mount 48V 5.1 KWh also note the great prices on those units  and a  Magneto Thermo Tank also promise of more nice items to give away in the future. 
Then we Have the Revo Inverter and battery Combo (not listed on our online store yet but soon) there will be some terms and conditions on this giveaway however an exciting product squarely aimed at Sunsynk and Deye.
We are also receiving a very nice Battery from Halo Energy to give away the 113AH HALO Eclipse WM-5 48V 1C however this will only be in about 5 Weeks time but still a very nice compact battery.  
Power2SA is giving us one of their VTC Vxl5100W 5.1kWh LifePo4 battery 51V/100Ah Rack Mount to review and test this is also a very nice rack mount battery with Bluetooth and WIFI features decent cycle count compatibility and scalability and we will give this away to a lucky forum member. 

Not quite as you would require to do an earth resistance test but the result required is not published, anything around 12ohms is good but to get that you may have to drive a 59meter rod... 
From what I have been reading and learning with other sparks and documents is that if you use an earth spike you need to still bond it with the installation earth, so with that just run the earth cable to the earth of the DB. So if you want run a spike but also a cable to the DB. 
 
The honest answer is there is no answer and it is what ever that spark is happy to sign. 
 
Thing is bonding is done to 2ohm, and minimum of 2.5mm cable, lighting protection is 16mm and 6mm depending. 
At the end of the day ask the spark who is going to do the CoC.
 
The honest truth is any installation done DIY should not get a CoC at all as it was not done under the general controll of a wireman... Only if property is sold would a CoC then be conducted.
There are loop holes galore and no public knowledge and the industry as a whole is confused and it's the wild west. 
 
So do what ever the spark wants who will sign it off for you. Insurance also don't care and just want the paper as a tick box. 

Ensure proper COC  and test reports attached to COC. Also make sure proper lightning protection. Some installers take short cuts. Not enough lightning protection or  correct earthing. Depending on hoe big is your system. They will most properly hve to split your board. Make sure it's an installation electrician that works on your board with correct qualification. Too many installers are not qualified I E electricians. 

I totally agree on the COC issue. My husband is A MIE master electrician and very clued up with the regulations. Not one of the solar inspections he recently did was compliant and safe as per safety standards 
. I have pictures. COC being issued left right and center without proper test reports. No proper lightning protection. Ac and DC wires mixed. And then it's big solar companies. I see disaster coming and many people is going to loose money. In a MIE meeting my husband attended. They mentioned 3house burnt down due to incorrect installations. DOL is not doing what they suppose to do. We have reported all the fraulent COC  's to DOL and ECA. and nothing happened to the installers. In 1 case the AiA was called for inspection. 180 pages of faults reported to DOL nothing happened client spend R300 000 in legal fees nothing happened. The industry is in shambles everything goes