Wire nuts in DC? was (Re: Fried Combinor Box) [RE-wrenches]

Travis Creswell, Ozark Solar ozsolar at ipa.net
Sun Apr 1 13:33:38 PDT 2001


Todd and others on this string,

Can you define > In any low voltage high current applications"?
Are you talking about even a few amps @ 12 volts?

I try to avoid using wire nuts in DC but I have never had any trouble when I
did.  Nothing more than the occasional sub-array wire ending up to short or
when wiring up a Trimetric in a spot to tight to get a crimping tool into
( Trace DC 250).   I had heard that you weren't supposed to use wire nuts in
DC because DC wasn't self cleaning and AC was self cleaning.  That self
cleaning bit seemed to make some sense but  now as I look at it in writing
it sounds kinda shaky.  Any body else heard that?

In my own shop I have ran a 30 amp 12 volt battery charger with wire nuts on
# 6 THHN for a year or longer with no problems.  I use it to charge various
batteries sitting (on concrete none the less) around the shop all the time.
I am regularly undoing and redoing the wire nut connection and have seen no
deterioration.

How is a split bolt any different than a wire nut?  I can see where the
split bolt would make a difference if you were already on the edge of the
amps a wire could handle but you should have already oversized everything by
a very large margin any way.

Can anyone comment on DC carrying its energy on the entire cross section of
the wire and AC only using the surface?  If that it true why don't DC charts
allow you to use smaller wire for the same amps than AC?

Travis Creswell
Ozark Solar
Neosho, MO


----- Original Message -----
From: "Todd Cory, Bald Mtn. Solar" <toddcory at jps.net>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2001 2:59 PM
Subject: Re: Fried Combinor Box [RE-wrenches]


> People are using wire nuts for low voltage DC??? Wire nuts should only
> be used for higher voltage low current applications where minimal
> amounts of additional resistance don't matter.
>
> In any low voltage high current applications wire nuts are a BIG
> no-no... too much resistance. Solder or use split bolts.
>
> Todd
>
> Jerry Caldwell wrote:
>
> > I've never heard the bit about wire nuts not being
> > appropriate for DC.  What are the reasons for this?
>
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