How to add shade for the home battery?

Question

I have recently got a battery installed at home on external brick wall under the eaves. The installer recommended me to have a shade for it because sun hits the wall between 10:30 to 1pm . Other times it’s all ok. The fence and wall are almost a meter apart.

There is only 350mm between the inverter and eaves. The vendor recommends at least 300mm clearance on all sides of inverter .  I like to know what is the best shade I can install here.

Can I do something from the gutters or eaves to the fence; it’s only 800mm there. using a shade cloth as a sail or fixed awning would require them to be hooked to the wall where they’re will be a clearance issue.

thanks

EricL · Answer

Hello @Ahmads

Just a friendly reminder to speak to your battery provider to make sure that it is safe to place a cover in front of your battery. It would also be good to ask what the recommended distance is for your slat panel. I suggest looking at the Jack Screen Up system. These are relatively easy to assemble slot type fencing.

Here is a handy guide from Jack Screen Up- How To Build A Privacy Screen Up

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Ahmads · Answer

can you suggest a vertical slat panel type solution in from ting the battery and inverter  fixed to the ground with posts ; they might work better

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @Ahmads,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Although it is only a small distance to cover, a shade sail can exert a lot of force on its attachment points and the structures they are attached to. So, you couldn't attach anything to the gutter, because you would risk the gutter being pulled off, so the best alternative is to attach something like these Taskmaster 16mm 316 Stainless Steel Square Eye Plates through the fascia into the timber framing behind it, using 50mm timber screws. There are still risks if the timber is not stable, so I would suggest you speak with a carpenter or handyperson for assistance with this step.

The same applies on the fence side. The wind catching this shade sail will exert forces on the fence that it wasn't originally designed to take, so you may need to look at installing standalone posts to attach the sail to. You could concrete in a couple of 90x90mm posts, then use the same eye plates and screws as attachment points for your shade sail.

You would then just need to select a shade sail that is a suitable size for the space and attach it to the eye plates using Shade Sail Turnbuckles.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob