diy solar

diy solar

Wire ? Stranded or solid ?

C

cj5orion

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Joined
Jan 18, 2022
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243
From combiner box to cut-off.
# 8 running in 3/4" emt

Looked all over the sites,couldn't get an answer,sure hope it's not solid !

Thanx !
 
Last edited:
I don't get the question. You have the cable? You need to get the cable?
If you have the cable, can you read any information printed or pressed onto the insulation?
If the wire is existing, and installed, why worry that it is solid?
 
Either solid or stranded will do as long as it's copper. Stranded will be a lot easier to pull.
If you have more than 3 current carrying conductors in a piece of conduit you have to derate the ampacity of the wire. If the conduit is on the roof there are ambient temperature correction factors that need to be applied as well.
 
LywWyr said:
Either solid or stranded will do as long as it's copper. Stranded will be a lot easier to pull.
If you have more than 3 current carrying conductors in a piece of conduit you have to derate the ampacity of the wire. If the conduit is on the roof there are ambient temperature correction factors that need to be applied as well.
Click to expand...
In my past experience as an electrician, I found solid wire easier to pull through the conduit than stranded wire, but that was 30 years ago and things might have changed. Everything else you wrote is correct, although for my own projects I tend to run heavier gauge wire regardless, because I don't like the losses.
 
Johnson said:
In my past experience as an electrician, I found solid wire easier to pull through the conduit than stranded wire, but that was 30 years ago and things might have changed. Everything else you wrote is correct, although for my own projects I tend to run heavier gauge wire regardless, because I don't like the losses.
Click to expand...
My experience has been that solid is easier to pull as long as it's #10 or smaller and not very long.
 
38 years here, love 14 solid can push it a mile in EMT, 12ga and larger always stranded. Use THWN so you have an insulation suitable for both wet and dry locations
 
OK,yet another minor issue Q...

About the wiring for the Solar Panel Array...the "tag" ends of the neg and the pos that get run to the Combiner box.
Havent got my panels or micros yet,so I cant match, but I'm wondering what size wire I use for that? Does it vary or pretty much same for various panels-micros

Jus trying to get a bunch of goodies in the ole "shopping cart". $6.00+ for gas,lets see if I can cut down on a few "depot trips" !!!
 
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