Flexible Cables: Important Safety Issue [RE-wrenches]

[Phil Undercuffler]

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on 8/27/04 8:47 AM, Bob Ellison at ellison at gisco.net wrote:

> I think this whole thing is just to raise cain and get us to stop using the
> flexible cable altogether. He told me in person the only legal cable to use
> on batteries is THHN,

> Bob
> 
> RE. Ellison

I do remember a training many years ago where John stated that only building
rated wires were appropriate for PV systems.  He then made a joke about the
difficulty of bending 4/0 19 strand, and strongly suggested finding the
flexible cables and using listed lugs and listed crimpers.

He also stated in his inspector checklist:
"€  Cables should be building-wire type cables [Chapter 3].  Welding cables
and auto battery cables don't meet NEC.  Flexible USE, RHW, or THW cables
are available.  Article 400 cables are OK for cell connections, but not in
conduit or through walls [690-74, 400-8]."

I personally find the Hypalon jacketed cable far easier to work with
compared to Cobra, as the strands are not so frog-hair fine.  I do not know
the strand count.  My gripe with barrel lugs was never the tightening
torque, but the many loose strands that would glomm out from home-done
installations.

I do find it interesting that Xantrex has just released their new DC and AC
disconnects to work with dual SW+ inverters, and they have moved away from
using the barrel lugs to a flag terminal.  Outback has been using post
terminals on all their breakers from day one.  Perhaps they saw some writing
on the wall regarding this issue.  How about it, Chris F:  willing to share
the pertinent portions of UL 486 A-B?  I know Dan Rice is too much of a
peanut butter and jelly kinda guy to pony up the $330! ;-)

Have a great weekend, folks.  I'm going home to try out my new (old)
tractor-- Yehaaawww!!

Phil Undercuffler
Dankoff Solar Products


on 8/27/04 12:21 PM, Ray Walters at ray at solarray.com wrote:

> Just to get this excellent topic back into the tech only realm, Let's talk
> strand count. I posted previously that I was using a 133 strand at 2/0
> battery cable that is SAE rated.
> I see from my sources that welding cable has 1323 strands at 2/0.  Thats
> way too fine IMHO.
> Some THHN 2/0 I just counted my self has only 19 strands. Obviously that is
> way too stiff.
> What is the Cobra 2/0 strand count?
> BTW, that THHN was just pulled out of an otherwise first class install
> because its resistance at the crimp connector was so high it was dropping
> 10 volts on a 24 volt system. Other symptoms included bent battery
> terminals, batteries pushed out of alignment, and cracked insulation. This
> was a complete system failure (no usable power in or out) and THHN in the
> battery compartment was the culprit.
> I'm sticking to the 133 strand stuff. I use a UL listed standard lug from
> DC wire that is identical to the Trace inverter cable lugs. I have 4
> different crimpers, but my current favorite is a handle style that was
> designed exclusively for the standard lugs (part#990065). I have pull
> tested this crimp (hitched it to my pickup, I was born in Oklahoma), and
> the cable itself starts pulling apart first.
> 
> 
> Ray Walters
> ray at solarray.com
> President, SolarRay, Inc.
> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer
> BS Mechanical Engineering, UT Austin 88
> Returned US Peace Corps Volunteer 

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