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add a smoke detector to your system

chadjones99

chadjones LLC
Joined
Aug 8, 2021
Messages
184
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.
 
wires leaving ( not the solar side ) the charge controller were melting
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
 
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
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.
 
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.

Are there good-quality MPPTs with lugs?
 
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.
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?
 
Are there smoke detectors that you can wire to a disconnect switch to disconnect the PVs from the charge controller?
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
 
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