Best practice for cleaning and protecting connections?

upnorthandpersonal said:

This is a DIY site where people build their own 48V Lithium packs and connect high voltage solar. I assume people to take some responsibility and do their homework.

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Yeah. It sort of makes me feel like we are running natural gas lines in aluminum pipe. It may not be a great idea.

Bluedog225 said:

Yeah. It sort of makes me feel like we are running natural gas lines in aluminum pipe. It may not be a great idea.

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That's what this section is for:

in my case with Copper bussbars and Aluminum terminal tops I use NoAlox after cleaning the bus bar and terminal tops with scotch abrasive pads. NoAlox is designed for Copper to Aluminum connections. I also use it on high voltage connections on my electrical panels.

Thinking about this, electrically conductive glue would seem like a better alternative to fair the mating surface. It would stay put. And I suspect it’s not too sticky (in a good way).

Bluedog225 said:

electrically conductive glue would seem like a better alternative

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I don't know if you are responding to my post about Noalox, but I have been using NoAlox on pack builds and circuit breakers and electrical panels for ten years and it works for me. It is easy to find at most hardware stores and comes apart easily. I rely on the fastener to apply the pressure and the NoAlox to prevent corrosion or oxidation of the connectors. It is easy to clean off if I am reconfiguring the pack or moving a circuit breaker.

Not to you. I was thinking about how to best to electrically join two rough surfaces with low resistance.

Ampster said:

in my case with Copper bussbars and Aluminum terminal tops I use NoAlox after cleaning the bus bar and terminal tops with scotch abrasive pads. NoAlox is designed for Copper to Aluminum connections. I also use it on high voltage connections on my electrical panels.

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This is the approach I recommend. I think we should clarify what is meant by "sanding". Scotch-Brite pads come in different "grits" and I use the finest that I can get locally, without working too hard at it. However, some Scotch-Brite pads are made with aluminum oxide. We're trying to remove the oxides from aluminum terminals, so is that type of pad the best to use? Scotch-Brite Light Cleansing Hand Pad 7445 uses Nepheline Syenite as the abrasive. Is it better? Beats me. No matter what the abrasive is, you still have to clean the surface after sanding.

I would argue that we're closer to polishing, not sanding. You certainly wouldn't want to be using 100 grit sandpaper. No matter what you use, it should be a light "sanding" job, to clear the surface of any contaminants that can't be removed with acetone or mineral spirits. Use the lightest grit you can that works.

I would not use brake parts cleaner on battery terminals. That's some nasty stuff. I put on breathing gear whenever I use brake parts cleaner. If can have very negative effects on painted surfaces and may melt plastics. For welding, I've been warned to never, ever use (chlorinated) brake parts cleaner because it can create Phosgene gas.

HRTKD said:

I would not use brake parts cleaner on battery terminals. That's some nasty stuff. I put on breathing gear whenever I use brake parts cleaner. If can have very negative effects on painted surfaces and may melt plastics. For welding, I've been warned to never, ever use (chlorinated) brake parts cleaner because it can create Phosgene gas.

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Yeah I always use 'non-chlorinated' brake and parts cleaner by default, it is residue free... I just mentioned that because I always have that around and never usually keep electrical contact cleaner around...

To each his own. The smell doesn't kill you, is better to not sit there and try to sniff the stuff of course (a little common sense helps here)... It can melt certain types of plastic, not usually but sometimes, just be mindful of it, I usually just spray some on a rag and wipe down a terminal or something with the rag.

People don't have to use it if they don't want..

Use of brake parts cleaner requires a little common sense, like you said. A well ventilated area is a good start. Long term exposure doesn't sound good though. I've already been through cancer once, so I'm a little paranoid about what I'm breathing.

HRTKD said:

No matter what the abrasive is, you still have to clean the surface after sanding.

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I just some steel wool and mineral oil, and clean them with a rag with mineral oil. The oil prevents the oxide from reforming (which happens very quickly when you remove it in the first place) and one of the components of MG Chemicals 847 is mineral oil as well (to prevent corrosion of the carbon in combination with the other materials of the terminal/busbar).

HRTKD said:

Use of brake parts cleaner requires a little common sense, like you said. A well ventilated area is a good start. Long term exposure doesn't sound good though. I've already been through cancer once, so I'm a little paranoid about what I'm breathing.

What Are the Dangers of Brake Cleaner?

Brake cleaner is a mixture of solvents that is used for dissolving material that can built up onto a car's brake system. It is also very potent at dissolving grease. Brake cleaner contains powerful chemicals that can be very dangerous if inhaled or ingested. Knowing the dangers of brake cleaner...

itstillruns.com

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Well, I used to be a mechanic for 20+ years and used/use it extensively for all sorts of stuff, clean brake parts, rotors, cleaned engine parts, many car parts and non-car parts in general, cleaned anything and everything with it, gotten it in my eyes, inhaled it on accident (get light-headed for a minute until it clears out), got it all over my hands, face, arms, legs, gotten it in open wounds on accident (stings until it evaporates), melted plastics on accident with it (ruined a couple perfect plastic parts with it), and the list goes on and on, and I lived to tell the tale so far anyways.

I still keep a case of it around always. It is way less damaging to skin than carb cleaner spray for example. Non-chlorinated brake and parts cleaner (only type I use) does not have a lot of chemicals in it like that article says, it only has 3 chemicals (VOCs), they evaporate very quickly (a little slower than acetone), they do tend to have a drying effect on skin, many times I just wear mechanic (surgical-style) gloves if I will have extended exposure to it. Of course, I've learned to wear safety glasses when I'm spraying it out of the bottle in case overspray would ricochet off the parts and splash into my eyes. As I said before, to avoid overspray, many times I simply spray some into a rag and use it to wipe something down, etc...

I'm not saying it's the go-to cleaner for everything, but I like it for lots of things. In fact I give official disclaimer, if one is to have a fear about it, then please do not try it this at home, please don't buy it (leave it to the professional mechanics), but for me it does work great for cleaning many things that you don't want to leave any traces or residues behind on (as long as it is a compatible material and doesn't have a bad reaction and melt it). Many plastics are compatible and don't melt. Usually on plastics in question, I would test a little bit on the backside where you can't see it, and make sure it doesn't melt it, then if it's good I use it on the rest (to clean off some stubborn crud).

Just my personal opinion is all hehe... Cheers bro

Brake parts cleaner is handy stuff, to be sure.

I just clean all the terminals and connection points with the purest Isopropyl alcohol ( normally 99% pure ) I can find.
You can spray it on cct boards and brush clean - not harmful at all ( unless you drink it ) , evaporates quickly , does not melt plastic etc. Once the connections are bolted together , coat with a thin layer of dielectric or silicon grease to exclude O2. Worked for me since my Navy days back in the 70’s.

Ampster said:

in my case with Copper bussbars and Aluminum terminal tops I use NoAlox after cleaning the bus bar and terminal tops with scotch abrasive pads. NoAlox is designed for Copper to Aluminum connections. I also use it on high voltage connections on my electrical panels.

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?‍I have a question. Do you have any idea why NoAlox or a similar product is not encouraged more often in this forum?
I think if we want to assemble a system using best practices this would be on everyone's shopping list. ?‍

WYtreasure said:

Do you have any idea why NoAlox or a similar product is not encouraged more often in this forum?

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No idea. I have commented on my use of it whenever the topic comes up. I think there was one long thread where a former aerospace engineer was talking about another product that was more expensive. NoAlox and other similar products are commonly found in Home Centers and many hardware stores.

Ampster said:

in my case with Copper bussbars and Aluminum terminal tops I use NoAlox after cleaning the bus bar and terminal tops with scotch abrasive pads. NoAlox is designed for Copper to Aluminum connections. I also use it on high voltage connections on my electrical panels.

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NoAlox, is a must for aluminum connections.

WYtreasure said:

?‍I have a question. Do you have any idea why NoAlox or a similar product is not encouraged more often in this forum?
I think if we want to assemble a system using best practices this would be on everyone's shopping list. ?‍

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It does come up. Use whatever you want as long as it's the right stuff. Something like a dielectric grease is not appropriate. As Ampster said, the Noalox product is available at my local Ace Hardware. I asked about it once and the guy that was familiar with the electrical section was even surprised to find it there.

I'm using No-OX-ID and have enough that I'll probably pass it on to my kids. If I were to use something else it would be MG Chemicals 847.

I have a tube of Ox-Gard (OX-400) right here, Gardner Bender isn't big on offering info, that I can find. Is Ox-Gard good or NO?
I may have some No-Alox lying around. It's easy to find in town.

@HRTKD I think you mentioned that to me in another thread.

WYtreasure said:

I have a tube of Ox-Gard (OX-400) right here, Gardner Bender isn't big on offering info, that I can find. Is Ox-Gard good or NO?
I may have some No-Alox lying around. It's easy to find in town.

@HRTKD I think you mentioned that to me in another thread.

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It's the same thing. Just a different brand.

I use a product called De-Ox. It's the same thing.