<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; font-size:10pt;"><div>I've mentioned it in the past, and got the impression it went over like a fart in church, but it seems to me buttoning up a battery box tighter than a bull's ass in fly season, and (hoping) mechanical ventilation mitigates this creation of a hazardous environment creates a Class I, Division 2 location. (NEC 500.5 (B)(2)(2)). </div><div>Any takers?</div><div>db<br></div><div><br></div><div><br>Dan Brown<br>Foxfire Energy Corp.<br>Renewable Energy Systems<br>(802)-483-2564<br><a href="http://www.Foxfire-Energy.com">www.Foxfire-Energy.com</a><br>NABCEP #092907-44</div><div><br><br></div>
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-------- Original Message --------<br>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] NEC 480 - battery enclosure question<br>
From: Ray Walters <<a href="mailto:ray@solarray.com">ray@solarray.com</a>><br>
Date: Wed, December 14, 2011 11:52 am<br>
To: RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>><br>
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110.11 Deteriorating Agents. Unless identified for use in<br> the operating environment,<font color="#6600cc"> no </font>conductors or <font color="#6600cc">equipment<br> shall be located in damp</font> or wet <font color="#6600cc">locations; where exposed to</font><br> gases, fumes,<font color="#6600cc"> vapors</font>, liquids, or other agents <font color="#6600cc">that have a</font><br> <font color="#6600cc">deteriorating effect</font> <font color="#6600cc">on the conductors or equipment</font>; or<br> where exposed to excessive temperatures.<br> Informational Note No. 1: See 300.6 for protection against<br> corrosion.<br> <br> 110.18 Arcing Parts. Parts of electrical equipment that in<br> ordinary operation produce arcs, sparks, flames, or molten<br> metal shall be enclosed or separated and <font color="#6600cc">isolated from all<br> combustible material.</font><br> <br> 300.6 Has a lot of good info on corrosion that we in the solar biz should be all over, as well.<br> <br> So that's 3 pretty specific code references.<br> <br> Ray Walters<br> <br> On 12/13/2011 7:03 PM, <a target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:boB@midnitesolar.com">boB@midnitesolar.com</a> wrote: <blockquote cite="mid:4EE8040C.7060303@midnitesolar.com" type="cite">On 12/13/2011 5:47 PM, Dan Fink wrote: <br> <blockquote type="cite" style="border-left: blue 2px solid; margin-left: 8px; padding-left: 8px;">Esteemed Wrenches; <br> An email question from my recent Home Power article on charge controllers that I'm unsure of. <br> Does NEC specifically forbid mounting other gear, such as charge controllers, inside a battery enclosure? How about shunts? <br> It's not in 480 that I can see, and 480 doesn't seem to treat the interior of a battery enclosure as particularly explosive, because as per 480 it has to be adequately vented anyway. <br> Of course there are a zillion common-sense reasons not to actually DO that -- even an MX60 has a relay that can spark-- and of course corrosion on the controller terminals, circuit board, etc. Bad news all around and I never do it. I learned this as an apprentice back in the 1990s, and I just don't do it. But I do put shunts in there sometimes...is this a no-no? The shunt terminals are brass, I've never seen any really nasty corrosion build up, but I'm quite curious. <br> BUT I'm wondering if I'm missing something obvious in some other NEC section etc. <br> <br> Thanks in advance! <br> <br> </blockquote> <br> <br> Hi Dan. Nice article, BTW ! <br> <br> <br> The NEC doesn't say that you CAN do this, but it does not dis-allow it either. <br> <br> It will come down to what the battery manufacturer says, is what we have found. <br> <br> Sealed batteries are the only ones that can be mounted in a battery box with <br> arc and spark equipment. <br> <br> Look at UPS's that you buy from COSTCO for instance. They are UL listed, usually. <br> <br> boB <br> <br> <br> _______________________________________________ <br> List sponsored by Home Power magazine <br> <br> List Address: <a target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a> <br> <br> Options & settings: <br> <a target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org">http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org</a> <br> <br> List-Archive: <a target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org">http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org</a> <br> <br> List rules & etiquette: <br> <a target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm">www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm</a> <br> <br> Check out participant bios: <br> <a target="_blank" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.members.re-wrenches.org">www.members.re-wrenches.org</a> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> </blockquote> <hr>_______________________________________________<br>
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