[RE-wrenches] Enphase and Romex

Fri Oct 26 12:37:33 PDT 2012

We've got dozens of installs here, and more recently in Hawaii with Romex coming out of the bottom of a soladeck into the attic space, just make sure the Romex in the attic is labeled and it's sized correctly....

Max Balchowsky
Design Engineer
SEE Systems
1048 Irvine Ave Suite 217
Newport Beach, Ca. 92660
760-403-6810

________________________________
 From: benn kilburn <benn at daystarsolar.ca>
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> 
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 11:02 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Enphase and Romex

Glenn/Jason,
So you wouldn't use romex to feed an exterior outlet on an outside wall, or to any outside lights???

Canadian Electrical Code's (CE Code) definitions…
wet location -a location in which liquids may drip, splash, or flow on or against electrical equipment.
Damp location –an exterior or interior location that is normally or periodically subject to condensation of moisture in, on, or, adjacent to electrical equipment an includes partially protected locations under canopies, parquees, roofed open porches, and similar locations.
Dry location –a location not normally subject to dampness, but that may include a location subject to temporary dampness as in the case of a building under construction, provided that ventilation is adequate to prevent an accumulation of moisture. 

If inside your attic is considered a "wet location", then you have other issues.  Are you sure the NEC's definition of 'wet location' is relating to the location of the romex?
I just spoke to one of my inspectors and he sees no issue with entering the bottom of a soladeck with romex.  

On the grounding/bonding, I have been using the bare wire in the romex for the enphase system ground (within the enphase cable) and running a #6 from the mod frames and rails into the soladeck and along side the romex back to the panelboard.

I need to get myself a copy of your NEC so I can be on the same page as you guys.  I hear it is written in a way that is much easier to interpret than the CE Code, which is written in a very legal jargon.

Cheers,
benn
DayStar Renewable Energy Inc. 
www.daystarsolar.ca  *  Ph: 780-906-7807 
Construction Electrician Solar Photovoltaic Systems Certified
Certificate # 0007S
HAVE A SUNNY DAY
On 25/10/12 9:37 AM, "Glenn Burt" <glenn.burt at glbcc.com> wrote:

Soladeck on the rooftop places it in an environment that is considered ‘wet’.
I don’t think Romex is listed for use in a wet environment.

This would force you to use the proposed jbox in the attic for the transition location.
I also understood that you could combine the EGC and GEC into a single conductor as long as it is continuous or irreversibly spliced, as part of the ’08 code.

-Glenn Burt

From:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Jason Szumlanski
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 9:13 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Enphase and Romex

I'm sure this has been covered, but I could not find it in the archives.

We are considering using Romex in the attic for the first time. My plan was to use the new Enphase coupler to connect the trunk cable to Type TC-ER, enter a Soladeck passthrough box on the roof into a junction box in the attic where I would make the transition to 10/3 Romex. I'm hung up on the GEC going back to the service panel. Any suggestions?

By the way, we are on NEC 2008, and in most cases there is also a requirement for an additional grounding electrode per NEC 690.47(D) (that shouldn't really relate to my issue).
Jason Szumlanski 
Fafco Solar
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