How Do You Set Up a Garden Ground Mount?
With two people and an afternoon, you can have a ground mount kit standing in the sun and plugged in. This guide is for ground use only: walls, flat roofs and raised spots need a professional assessment first.
What will you need?
- The kit, and the maker's quick guide that comes with it
- A helper: panels weigh 25.5kg to 34kg each
- Dense concrete blocks of at least 18kg each for a ground-mount kit, or the maker's figure for the hybrid stand
- A spirit level, plus the tools the quick guide lists
- A weatherproof outdoor socket (IP55 or better) within 4m, with modern RCD protection
- Your phone, to register at myplugin.solar and set up the app
1 frame · 2 blocks · 3 lead · 4 outdoor socket
Step by step, from lawn to socket
- 1Pick the spotLevel, sunny and within 4m of the outdoor socket. Keep it off paths, out of the football zone and away from a wall that forms the boundary with next door.
- 2Build the frameFollow the maker's quick guide, and check the frame is level both ways before the panels go on.
- 3Fit the panelsLift each panel on together, fix it as the guide shows, and connect the panels to the microinverter.
- 4Add the ballastGround kits: 18kg blocks on the lower plates on both sides, 2 for gusts over 40mph, 5 over 60mph and 10 over 80mph. Hybrid stand: the maker's figure for your spot. The lead goes over the blocks, never under.
- 5RegisterRegister free at myplugin.solar before you switch on. That lets National Grid Electricity Distribution know it's there.
- 6Plug inStraight into the outdoor socket, no extension lead or adaptor. Then open the app and watch the first watts come in.
How do you get the angle right?
The ground-mount kits come on a fixed stand at the angle the maker sets, so there's nothing to work out. The hybrid stand adjusts: use the settings in the maker's guide.
Face the panels south if you can. South-east and south-west are good too.
What if your garden slopes?
The frame needs level ground. On a gentle slope, find the flattest part of the lawn, or use a level patio or terrace instead.
A slope that faces south gives you a head start, because the whole garden already leans towards the sun. Just don't prop the frame up on bricks or wedges: level the patch properly, or pick another one.
Afternoon job
Then let the sun get on with it
Once it's plugged in there's not much to do. The microinverter has a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth app, so you can see what the panels are making from the kitchen. Give the glass a hose down now and then, and check the frame's still level after a very wet or very dry spell.
Set-up questions
Do I have to fix it into the lawn?
No. Ground-mount kits are held down by concrete blocks on the frame's lower plates. Nothing is dug in or drilled.
Can I move it later?
Yes. Lift the blocks off and two of you can carry it to a new spot. If the new spot's further from the socket, remember the 4m lead.
Does it need an electrician to plug in?
No, if you already have a weatherproof outdoor socket within 4m and modern RCD protection. If you don't, an electrician can fit and check those first.