DC plugs and outlets [RE-wrenches]

[Ray Walters]

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Why not use another weird plug combo for the 24 v? I've got all sorts of 
three phase 15 amp receptacles, etc, that would do the same thing and let 
you know at a glance which voltage was there. Unless you wanted to plug 
different voltage appliances into the same receptacle, (sounds too tricky 
for my book). The ground pin always looked like it would carry rated 
current, it just sounds wrong. I wear a whole different mindset when wiring 
a house vs. wiring an EV for instance. Imagine running 300 amps on a #6 
cable. Sounds scary for house wiring, but we do it all the time on EVs. I'd 
stick closer to code on a house. I've been embarrassed before by not 
sticking closer to standard wiring practice. You don't need the liability 
or the bad talk.
You're right about the cigarette lighter plugs. I wouldn't run those for 
any extended service, at 5 amps the tip can get hot enough to melt the 
whole connector into a smoking blob and never trip a 15 amp breaker. Total 
crap.

Ray



>Greetings all,
>
>I do primarily off-grid systems that are rarely inspected.  Many of my
>systems have some DC stuff, perhaps a light or two for if the inverter
>is down, maybe a stereo and perhaps a ceiling fan.
>
>The cigarette lighter socket is a very poor design and is (un)suitable
>for 12 volt DC only.  I usually use 240V 15 A outlets and plugs.  I have
>also done a number of houses that have both 24 and 12 VDC in the home.
>
>QUESTION -- Is the ground of such outlets capable of carrying rated
>current??  It seems like it should be.  I'd like to start using the 240,
>15 A, outlet for both 12 and 24 volt outlets, using the ground as the
>negative and one of the horizontal plugs for 24 volt and the other for
>12.  I'd maybe even pull 10/3 Romex to these outlets and wire them for
>both voltages at the get-go (most homes I do only have two or three DC
>outlets).
>
>Thoughts appreciated -- Kurt Nelson
>
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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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