Protecting string connector cable from squirrels [RE-wrenches]

[Bill Brooks]

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Paul,

I know you brought this up some time back, and I appreciate you doing this.
Just yesterday I was working with a crew assembling a test system at PVUSA
and found that rodents had gotten into the MC cables and had ruined all but
one of the prefab cables that came with the system kit. Last week I found a
piece of USE-2 cable with bite marks in it. This is the information I have
been looking for and it backs up your findings.

The tough thing about this is that I'm not sure that food on hands had
anything to do with it. These cables had been handled by the system
integrator, but it was clear that the MC plugs were the target. Each plug
had a bite taken out of it and they were ruined. The bite was taken out of
the very end of the connector where it is unlikely to be handled. The boys
at MC already don't like me very much, so I can't be the carrier of this
message, but it certainly appears that their boots do not have a rodent
repellent in them. If this is true, the vast majority of todays rooftop
systems are susceptable to the problem you experienced.

MC did develop a plug protector that snaps around the connection, but I
would doubt this plastic clamshell protector would have much stopping power
for a rodent without some type of repellent. I guess there are poisons out
there that you could dip the connectors into to slow rodents down, but
anything like that would wear out over time. I really think you are on to
something very signficant that will take some effort on MC and others to
resolve.

Bill.


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Lyons [mailto:Lyons at ZapotecEnergy.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 6:01 AM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Protecting string connector cable from squirrels [RE-wrenches]

Wrenches -

I have asked several of you for advice on this issue, but I owe it to my
customer to ask several more veteran installers:

How do you protect the MC (MultiConnect) string interconnection wires (RHW
AWG #12) from squirrels?

I had an expensive repair job in February on the roof of a residential
customer near Boston, MA.  There was no DC voltage at the DC disconnect, so
we went up on the roof and found that squirrels had gnawed on the MC cables
and quick-connects, and opened the circuit.  We replaced the home-run cables
and sent the customer the repair bill.  The work was not covered by the
3-year warranty we provide for these installations.

The customer sent me the amount due and asked, "Is there anything that could
be done to avoid this happening in the future?"

The suggestions I have so far include:

1)     Handle the MC cables with clean hands (no food residue) and
sweat-free hands (no salt), or wear "clean" gloves when installing the
exposed chewable items on the roof.
2)     Use UV-resistant cable ties to attach the MC cables as close to the
Unirac or metal module frames as possible, making it difficult to gnaw on an
MC cable that is close to metal.
3)     Enclose the MC cable in PVC conduit.

Any other suggestions?  Thank you in advance for your help.

Paul Lyons

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Paul Lyons, P.E.
Zapotec Energy
Cambridge, MA 02139-4708
Tel: 617-868-1964
Fax: 617-547-9140
Email: Lyons at ZapotecEnergy.com
Web: www.ZapotecEnergy.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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