[RE-wrenches] Salt & Aluminum vs Galvy

[penobscotsolar at midmaine.com]

Thanks for reminding me Ray....Jeff, we use ss transition boxes instead of
pvc. You can find 6x6x4 or 4x4x4 boxes for a reasonable price considering
their superiority when it comes to longevity. Obviously use at least 3R
rated boxes at a minimum.

Daryl DeJoy
NABCEP Certified PV installer
Penobscot Solar Design




> Galvanized does not do very well in Hawaii near the water. I haven't
> seen much powder coated Al, but anodized AL with SS hardware seems to
> work about as good as anything I've seen. We see SS J boxes, fiberglass
> boxes seem to break down in the UV after several years, but painting
> with the right paint helps a lot. The last job I worked on there, we had
> 2 guys paint all exposed J-boxes and PVC conduit with a heavy duty oil
> based (messy cleanup) paint. I'll let you know in 5 years how it all
> looks.
> Also, be sure and get all your conduit clamps and unistrut in stainless.
> More expensive, harder to find, and harder to cut, but you'll see the
> difference in a couple of years for sure. Just a single washer that's
> not SS will stand out like a sore thumb later.
>
> Ray Walters
>
> On 9/27/2011 11:40 AM, Jeff Clearwater wrote:
>> Hi Esteemed Wrenchies,
>>
>> So for the project I'm working on in the Bahamas for ground mount
>> racking - have folks found Aluminum or Galvy to stand up against salt
>> spray better?
>>
>> And if Al - powder coated or anodized?
>>
>> And  with mixing them - (like a typical Steel Pipe rack with Al Rails)
>> - are the junctions going to be a problem with lots of salt?
>>
>> Any solution to AL framed modules not turning black and ugly?  Do
>> black anodized module frames help?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Jeff
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jeff Clearwater
>> Village Power Design
>>
>> Renewable Energy Consultant
>> 32 Years in all Aspects of Renewables
>> www.villagepower.com
>> skype: jclearwater
>> 413-559-9763
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>
>>
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