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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Wrenches,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>U.S. electricians have different
rooftop wiring and conduit options that worked successfully before PV and work
well with PV. The same holds true for Europe. I've seen bad and sloppy work on
both sides of the pond. John Berdner and others familiar with European
wiring practices and double-insulated wire will attest that are safe
and have performed well for decades before PV. Let's face it. Knowledgeable
and discerning European customers would never spend billions of Euros on
gigawatts on poorly wired solar arrays. Sure, it drives good electricians crazy
to see European array wiring laying loose on roofs just as it bothers us to see
poor quality wiring anywhere. E<FONT size=2 face=Arial>mail me off-list
f</FONT>or German wiring examples in a presentation about double-insulated
wire</FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Joel Davidson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=william@millersolar.com href="mailto:william@millersolar.com">William
Miller</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">RE-wrenches</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October 09, 2009 5:31
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [RE-wrenches] Rooftop wiring
methods between multiple subarrays</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=3>Colleagues:<BR><BR>I think the correct answer is:
there are no short cuts to good workmanship. It requires intelligent
design, a judicious selection of materials and careful installation. EMT
is appropriate in low corrosion environments, PVC if you can control UV damage
and accommodate expansion. There are aluminum and stainless conduits for
the extreme environments and demanding aesthetics. I am sorry that there
are no easy ways to pursue quality.<BR><BR>It is my understanding that the
European model is to "plug and pray" with quick connect cables, running them
across roof tops and stapling them to exterior walls. I don't know this
for a fact, but if it is true, I hope that market does not drive the US market
towards reduced standards. I belive it is short sighted to skimp on
wiring methods with dangerous power feeds. I think the loss of conduit
boxes on modules is a direct result of European installation techniques and a
trend towards reducing labor costs. I welcome information from those of
you with experience in other markets to verify these hunches.<BR><BR>William
Miller<BR><BR><BR><BR>At 04:21 PM 10/9/2009, you wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">EMT needs to be "pickled"
with vinegar or acid, to get the paint to hold. I love it for inland work,
but near the ocean, it'll rust through in 5 years. I'm not sure how much
more time paint would buy you.<BR>Anybody use other plastic materials HDPE?
Supposed to not have the expansion problems of PVC.<BR><BR><BR>R.
Walters<BR><A href="mailto:ray@solarray.com">ray@solarray.com</A><BR>Solar
Engineer<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"><BR>If you have to run around
the roof with EMT, you can protect it from rust<BR>with a coat of
paint.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>-Hans<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE><X-SIGSEP>
<P></X-SIGSEP><U>Please note new e-mail address and domain:<BR><BR></U>William
Miller <BR>Miller Solar<BR>Voice :805-438-5600 Fax:
805-438-4607<X-TAB> </X-TAB><BR>email:
william@millersolar.com<BR><A href="http://millersolar.com/"
eudora="autourl">http://millersolar.com<BR></A>License No.
C-10-773985<BR></FONT>
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