Doing things yourself is a really wonderful feeling and gives you a sense of adventure in learning the process. However I want to share that there are risks with electrical work, and perhaps you can learn from my past mistakes with electricity.
First, if you don’t feel like you are comfortable doing something with electricity don’t do it. Learning things is fine, but it’s also crucial to know when you are out of your depth. To me, there are certain signs that I am out of my depth doing something with electricity.
- The voltage is dangerous. People have been killed with as little as 42 volts. This means that I would not install any system that was higher than 24 volts. Home solar systems can be 48 Volts which obviously can kill you. I would strongly suggest that any non electrician get a professional for this type of system.
- It is for an RV/cabin and a relatively permanent installation. In this case, there are codes that need to be followed for safety and an informal person can’t know those types of safety codes. I would consult with the professional and say this is what I want to do, and this is the hardware that I want to use, and then see if it is possible to do that and follow safety guidelines.
- It is for outdoor use. You can make lots of electrical mistakes indoors, but when it comes to outdoors things need to be weather safe and up to code. I would ask for help with any outdoor activity.
Now there is still much you can do safely with electricity. As I said before 12/24Volt systems work very well and are very popular. Even if you have an RV/cabin you can make minor repairs to those types of systems safely. Once things like outdoor use are set up, you can maintain those systems yourself with what you are taught by a professional. Home systems are contained, so they don’t need to have work done on them to manage them. To me, this is a benefit.
Stay safe and don’t electrocute yourself like I have done in the past.