[RE-wrenches] Label Durability

[Corey Shalanski]

Hi Jesse,

We did in fact use Sharpie on the test wall. I made the mistake of writing
the "start date" for the test wall in Sharpie, but I think it only lasted
the first couple years. As others have pointed out, the ink will usually
fade and become illegible within a few years - depending on the level of
direct sunlight exposure. I've got plenty of photos from site re-visits
showing labels with handwritten numbers that are no longer visible. As
Martin pointed out, it's questionable whether labels can even include
handwritten text based on NEC 110.21(B)(2)... So, I guess in response to
your follow-up comment, feel free to show those folks this photo along with
the message “here is your sharpie” (it's completely vanished).

We experimented with nylon labelmaker tape and found that to generally hold
up better than Sharpie. We also tried out a handheld engraving tool (for
plastic/phenolic labels), but that was kind of a non-starter. At one point
we even invested in a full-fledged engraving machine. I believe it came
with its own software, and we purchased sheets of blank placard material.
Unfortunately, we could never get our machine operator to turn the corner
on making the label creation process efficient & worthwhile--the last I
looked, the machine was sitting in a dark corner of the lunchroom.

I agree with Brian/Dan that the different components in a PV system have
different expected lifespans, and we can't reasonably expect all components
to last as long as the longest-lasting component (PV modules). Labels seem
to be one of those components that we can anticipate replacing every 5-10
years.

--
Corey


On Sat, Jun 27, 2020 at 6:06 PM <dahlsolar at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Did you use a sharpie on the box? I wonder how a sharpie or PICA marker
> would hold up for 10 years.
>
> It’s an awesome test though. I love it.
>
> Jesse
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches_lists.re-wrenches.org/attachments/20200630/b8958c69/attachment.htm>