[RE-wrenches] sources of DC equipment

[R Ray Walters]

We've had the same experience with DC CFLs, about 50% return rate. They just can't handle voltages below 12 v, so we quit carrying them.
After years of working on DC wiring, just go to AC. You could wire all the lights on one circuit in 12 AWG. (instead of running 10 AWG or bigger, and then trying to pigtail down to 12, for the switch, and then trying to find DC rated switches.......ugh)
It's just plain faster, cheaper, and more reliable to use an inverter these days. I would only use DC lighting with LEDs, and only for very limited (1 to 2 light) systems.
If you do have to do DC fluorescents, at least use the Thin light long tube fixtures, they'll last a lot longer.
The only advantage to going DC I can see, is on RVs, because you can tie into the vehicle electrical system. 
Every small cabin remote cabin system I've worked on, eventually grew and got an inverter. If the wiring is already there, you'll be happier.
For pumps, I've had the FLowlights consistently last over 10 years in full time service. THe Shurflos have there place, but only last about 1 to 2 years in full-time service.
For part time use cabin, the Shurflo would probably last longer, especially if you add an external pressure switch and pressure tank (and then the system would be ready for the upgrade to the FLowlight, after the SHurflo burns out)


R. Walters
ray at solarray.com
Solar Engineer




On Apr 11, 2010, at 9:47 AM, Dan Fink wrote:

> Daryl --
> 
> If anything, DC equipment has gotten much tougher to find over the last few years. And for the price of a solid-state 12v - 24v - 48v DC-DC converter, you could buy the nice little Morningstar 300W inverter!
> 
> Maybe there's a better company making DC CFLs now, but we had to stop carrying them -- we used to carry them in 12, 24, and 48v. Customers would put them in existing portable fixtures which were wired with lamp cord to a DC outlet, and they would overheat and burn out quickly from low voltage. Our return rate was nearly 50%.