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add a smoke detector to your system

chadjones99

chadjones99

chadjones LLC
Joined
Aug 8, 2021
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Location
Arizona & Coloardo
Add a smoke detector to your system they are cheap and worth having
So yesterday I heard my smoke detector going off, ( for like 2 or 3 sec then stopped ) its in the underbelly of my RV right above my charge controller and next to my inverter, kind of above all the components. I looked in and didn't see any smoke so kind of dismissed it as maybe a weak battery on the smoke detector. then it went off again. So I climbed my big Bu** in there. and looking at the 10 gauge wire leaving my charge controller ( which is a 30 amp 12-volt charge controller so 10 gauge should be good ) I could see the wires leaving ( not the solar side ) the charge controller were melting and I touched the wire and it was HOT. I open the solar breaker at this point, then then the output side and replaced the wire with a 8 gauge. .. see pictures ( note I pulled the neg wire out then took pics but that was because that's where I thought about taking pics ) below. IF I had not had a 15$ smoke detector this could have caused a fire ! and probably would have burned down my RV which is also located in the middle of the wooded mountains in a remote area causing a major wildfire!
see pictures regards
 

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I have the six pack of RF interconnected ones from Amazon. They use A123 cells. If one goes off, all five others do to.
 
chadjones99 said:
wires leaving ( not the solar side ) the charge controller were melting
Click to expand...
I'm very glad you're smoke detector alerted you and you located the melting wires. Do you have any idea as to why a 30Amp Charge Controller managed to overheat 10 AWG wire? That shouldn't be able to happen. Is it possible the connection was loose?
 
Scary! What type/quality of wire was it? Definitely not cca?

Glad you caught it! I'm planning multiple detectors in mobile setup as well.
 
Yes sir, I have a linked smoke detector right over my powerwall / equipment - if it goes off, the whole house goes off. Also have fire extinguishers at the powerwall and elsewhere in the house and trailer. May or may not help in an actual emergency - but at least there's a chance to catch things before they grow out of control. :)
 
This is what I have.
 

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its just a cheapie smoke detector, but the wifi ones look cool, that way if you're not home it will tell you. as for my wire most all my wire is Pure copper but it is possible the smaller gauge stuff is CCA , most likely the problem was a loose connection causing heat but not sure
 
chadjones99 said:
Add a smoke detector to your system they are cheap and worth having
So yesterday I heard my smoke detector going off, ( for like 2 or 3 sec then stopped ) its in the underbelly of my RV right above my charge controller and next to my inverter, kind of above all the components. I looked in and didn't see any smoke so kind of dismissed it as maybe a weak battery on the smoke detector. then it went off again. So I climbed my big Bu** in there. and looking at the 10 gauge wire leaving my charge controller ( which is a 30 amp 12-volt charge controller so 10 gauge should be good ) I could see the wires leaving ( not the solar side ) the charge controller were melting and I touched the wire and it was HOT. I open the solar breaker at this point, then then the output side and replaced the wire with a 8 gauge. .. see pictures ( note I pulled the neg wire out then took pics but that was because that's where I thought about taking pics ) below. IF I had not had a 15$ smoke detector this could have caused a fire ! and probably would have burned down my RV which is also located in the middle of the wooded mountains in a remote area causing a major wildfire!
see pictures regards
Click to expand...
I see this very often, the charge controller wires need to be installed fully, in the right place, and be TIGHT!
#10 likely wasn’t the issue since it only heated by the connection point, but having #8 is wise, and may save you some watts over 10

Keep in mind, 30A load over 3 hours is a continuous load, and as such wiring needs to be derated 25% so #8 is the correct size minimum anyway.
 
Supervstech said:
I see this very often, the charge controller wires need to be installed fully, in the right place, and be TIGHT!
#10 likely wasn’t the issue since it only heated by the connection point, but having #8 is wise, and may save you some watts over 10

Keep in mind, 30A load over 3 hours is a continuous load, and as such wiring needs to be derated 25% so #8 is the correct size minimum anyway.
Click to expand...

Are there good-quality MPPTs with lugs?
 
Supervstech said:
30A load over 3 hours is a continuous load, and as such wiring needs to be derated 25% so #8 is the correct size minimum anyway.
Click to expand...
Nice catch. I never new this. Is this is a general rule for any loads that are constant for a period of 3 or more hours?
 
Are there smoke detectors that you can wire to a disconnect switch to disconnect the PVs from the charge controller?
 
solar_trees said:
Are there smoke detectors that you can wire to a disconnect switch to disconnect the PVs from the charge controller?
Click to expand...
If you knew what you were doing I'm sure you could find one that has a tiger on it ( or use power to alarm speaker circuit ) that you could wire to a Victron BP-100, etc, and use like a switch ... as for one ready-made for sale never seen such an animal, but that does not mean there is not one, just never looked
 
The instructions for that Victron charge control specifically says to use “fine strand wire”. Like Ancor marine wire? That type of terminal that they use I’ve had trouble with in the past with wire working loose if the wire is lightly moved or repositioned, so do check them occasionally. The smaller green ones that you typically find on inexpensive Chinese devices are extremely hard to get tight without twisting it on the board! The ion type plus a heat detector is what I’m thinking of tying into the home circuit and because of this post it just got move up in priority.
 
I always use strained wire on DC systems. But other than that not sure what you are getting at, and nothing I use is inexpensive Chinese devices ( can't say no Chinese devices ) where is Victron made? but not cheap LOL
 
From a Victron MPP 150/35 & 150/45 manual. I think they are aware of something. I my opinion it shouldn’t matter except for the correct wire gauge. I don’t like what happened to you by an expensive device. Other than that Victron is extremely high performance. 357E263D-97CA-4A2C-A2B1-BA704292C388.png
 
These look similar to the ones I’ve seen in the Victon but smaller and worse. Zero grip serrations. When you see these little things be aware how easily they loosen and the wire slip out. Ferrules actually seem to be worse in them. Tying a tight knot in the strands and snipping the excess off and putting the knot all the way to the back passed the clamp jaw at least keeps it from slipping out and finding something it shouldn’t. If you haven’t seen them, you’re lucky. 797CF1D1-7E26-4CA7-B447-8E01CA67D51F.jpeg
 
solar_trees said:
Are there smoke detectors that you can wire to a disconnect switch to disconnect the PVs from the charge controller?
Click to expand...
Yes, I use more expensive versions to shut down HVAC systems. Look this $12-16 one up on Amazon and other places for Kidde detectors.

Kidde SM120X​


They also make one for their CO detectors, for those of you with gas burning appliances.

You come up with appropriate wiring, fuses, relays, transformer, etc.
 
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