Evolution of the Quick connect [RE-wrenches]

[Sky Sims]

William,

"Utility drops are not at ground 
level."  

Utility drops are often not in conduit and come in close to the ground.
Since this isn't the case in 100% of services we might as well stick
with the standard outlet and children sticking forks in them. You
completely ignored this issue. Many people are utility biased and don't
realize it.

"I'd much rather 
take my chances hanging from a rugged #1AWG utility drop held in place
by 
preforms than a #10 USE with 500 VDC on it terminated in a $2.00 crimp 
connector."

You're either a very brave man or very stupid. If I had my choice I'd
take my chances with the solar and the $2 crimp than a utility service.
It's the current that kills you not the volts.  500volts @ 5 amps or
120/240 volts @ 500amps(probably more), Anyone who can do math is going
to choose the solar every time. As most of us know the solar is off half
the time anyway and it would have to be a pretty nice day for a typical
string to be pumping even 350volts @ 5 amps under load. The only
limiting factor on the utility service is the transformers rating.  

"No one wants to price solar beyond the reach of any potential user,"

If that's true then stop pushing to have higher standards placed on the
solar industry than those placed on all other power sources. There must
be a balance between safety and affordability. That balance has already
been determined by existing industries. We shouldn't be slanting the
field further in their favor by placing higher burdens on solar than the
others face. We can't protect against stupidity. 

"but 
wiring is such a small part of the overall cost."

For rich and upper middle class I'd agree adding a few hundred more in
material costs and a few hundred more in labor costs is a small amount.
So what if it takes an extra year or 2 for the solar to pay for itself.
But for the average person every hundred dollars counts. 

"Why would we trade that 
small price against the life of a child?"

If you're going to pick up the safety banner and start waving it the
least you could do is pick a serious issue. Fix the fork in the outlet
problem or any of a thousand and one other issues that actually kill
people on a regular basis (war, famine, air quality, potential nuclear
fall out etc...). Then once you've fixed some serious problems, lets
talk about solar wire that carries a Service Entrance rating and will
hold up fine against everything but an active attempt to get hurt. 

"PS:  If you think high voltage DC is benign, you need a safety
meeting."

Compared to the current standard for all other polluting power sources
solar is safer than iced tea. And if you missed that fact then you need
a class on the hazards of mercury poisoning and radioactive waste.

Sky Sims
Ecological Systems
www.ecologicalsystems.biz
220 County Road 522
Manalapan, NJ 07726
ph)732-462-3858  fax)732-462-3962


-----Original Message-----
From: William Miller [mailto:wrmiller at charter.net] 
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 1:16 AM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: RE: Evolution of the Quick connect [RE-wrenches]


Sky:

I can not agree with your logic.  Utility drops are not at ground 
level.  Of course children occasionally make it onto roofs, but the
utility 
drops are very rugged and rarely have conductors exposed.  I'd much
rather 
take my chances hanging from a rugged #1AWG utility drop held in place
by 
preforms than a #10 USE with 500 VDC on it terminated in a $2.00 crimp 
connector.

No one wants to price solar beyond the reach of any potential user, but 
wiring is such a small part of the overall cost.  Why would we trade
that 
small price against the life of a child?

William Miller

PS:  If you think high voltage DC is benign, you need a safety meeting.

WM



At 07:09 PM 1/11/2008, you wrote:

>"Think 5 year old hanging off the wiring jungle gym style.  I have
asked
>many wrenches out there if that image is ok in their minds and I have
>not found one yet that thinks it is."
>
>The image this statement paints tells me its time to shut off all the
>power coming into our homes from the Utility companies.
>
>I think its criminal to hold the solar industry to a higher standard
>than any of the other power trades.
>
>That's what this new code does. A 5 year old child can hang on a power
>line coming in from the street that's not in conduit but is anyone
>pointing that out? The power line is often capable of putting out 500
>amps or more on 2 or more legs. Compared to Solars less than 5 amps
>typical per leg under load.
>
>Outlets in peoples homes are subject to 5 year olds putting forks in
>them and typically put out more than 20 amps.
>
>The people that wrote this new code are a bunch of standards raising
>saboteours of the solar industry. Single handedly raising the cost of
>solar installations by another 10%. I know Berdner and others are
>fighting hard against these anti solar code changes but we're clearly
>losing.
>
>There has to be a better balance struck between existing allowable
>methods for all other power sources and those allowed for solar. This
>technology is innately benign and we need to push harder for true plug
>and play.
>
>Of course when its all said and done it's the poor and middle class
that
>gets hurt by the higher standards placed on solar, because the cost
>moves that much further out of their reach and the air quality
continues
>to go down across the country. And another hundred thousand people
>suffer from the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home.
>
>My 2 cents,
>Sky Sims


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