[RE-wrenches] Wire nuts
Ray Walters
ray at solarray.com
Tue Sep 6 14:38:53 PDT 2016
1) I've used the Euro connectors you show for decades with good
results. Not necessarily legal here, but I like them....
2) Before bad mouthing the wire nuts, I've found installer error to
almost always be the problem. In the installation pictured, the wire
nuts are not outdoor rated, and they have obviously not been twisted
enough. None of the wires leading into the connector show any twist.
They need to be twisted until the wires wrap around themselves a couple
of turns.
I don't like wire nuts, but they are legal to use for DC, and only cause
problems AC or DC when improperly installed.
I think the real reason we see so many failures on DC is they are
outdoors (more corrosion, hotter) and they are higher continuous
amperage than most AC circuits see.
R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760
On 9/6/2016 1:39 PM, Chris Mason wrote:
> The problem is that wire nuts are not intrinsically sound, a good
> connection depends on the skill of the craftsman. They are not legal
> under the British electrical code, where I did my training, wires need
> to be firmly held under a screw as in a terminal. The US would be
> better to get rid of these nasty devices.
> In Britain, you see these terminal strips used. As long as they stay
> dry, they last forever.
> http://my.rs-online.com/largeimages/R4649744-01.jpg
>
> On Tue, Sep 6, 2016 at 3:19 PM, MDElectricSolar .
> <mdelectricsolar at gmail.com <mailto:mdelectricsolar at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Yes, wire nuts, and loose connections are a big issue in AC
> circuits as well. One of my most frequent troubleshooting calls is
> tracing out loose/burnt/arcing connections behind receptacles and
> switches. Usually caused by sloppy workmanship, or contractors
> being in a hurry.
> Mike
>
> On Tue, Sep 6, 2016 at 12:14 PM, Glenn Burt <glenn.burt at glbcc.com
> <mailto:glenn.burt at glbcc.com>> wrote:
>
> Be aware that SMA explicitly prohibits the use of wire nuts in
> their installation instructions on the DC input circuits.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> From: Jerry Shafer <mailto:jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com>
> Sent: 9/6/2016 14:32
> To: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
> <mailto:RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Wire nuts
>
> Wrenches
> Better pic
>
>
> On Sep 5, 2016 4:52 PM, "Jerry Shafer"
> <jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com <mailto:jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com>>
> wrote:
>
> To my fellow wrenches
> It comes up every so often and with DC, I will not use,
> approve or pass any wire nuts on any DC side. Some say its
> OK but the facts are they will fail, this connection was
> just six years and when l opened the junction box it was
> glowing and by the looks of it has for some time. There
> are 8 strings 2 per string and thats a 12.5 % failure rate
> (the other one was completely distroyed) not to mention
> the fire hazard in a PVC junction box.
> Please pass this along and tell everyone to stop using these.
> Jerry
>
>
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