Where to buy (big) bus bars in California

[CaliSunHarvester]

I am looking to build a tower of 4 rack batteries and would like 2 bus bars vertically installed left and right. When searching for bus bars, I can only find products that are maybe 8 inches long.

Where can I buy something like 30 or 40 inches long (matching the combined battery height)?

Make it myself from a copper grounding rod?
.
Thanks in advance

 

[Firstrapid]

I am looking to build a tower of 4 rack batteries and would like 2 bus bars vertically installed left and right. When searching for bus bars, I can only find products that are maybe 8 inches long.

Where can I buy something like 30 or 40 inches long (matching the combined battery height)?

Make it myself from a copper grounding rod?
.
Thanks in advance

 

[timselectric]

Search for pure copper bar stock.

 

[timselectric]

FYI
A ground rod is copper coated steel.
Actually not coated. But a blend.

 

[Firstrapid]

Not sure but I had purchased some copper bar stock from a metals supply on line some time ago. FWIW copper ground rod usually is not solid copper but has a mostly steel core.

 

[Mjs]

Industrial Metal Supply or any other large metal supply company.

 

[glandpuck]

Absolutely Industrial Metal Supply. They carry copper. They are online. Also, depending on what your needs are, it is always a good idea when going there to bring along a metal cutting saw like a portable band saw and also pieces of towels/rags to protect finishes of vehicles. I love that place!

 

[CaliSunHarvester]

I requested a quote from Industrial Metal Supply. They have a shop about 30 miles away, so I can pick up. I never saw copper at my regular steel fabricator, but I will call them tomorrow as well.

Thanks everyone!

 

[hwy17]

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[rhino]

https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/copper-rectangle-bar?q=%3Aprice-asc%3ASurface%3ATinned%3ASurface%3ASilver%2BFlash&checkbox=on&sort=price-asc

 

[CaliSunHarvester]

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

@hwy17 I am in your neck of the woods. 95066. Been commuting 17 since 2000.

So, is aluminum better for a bus bar than copper?
How about galvanic corrosion?

 

[hwy17]

95066

Same!

No, aluminum's probably not better, but I'm messing around with it for bus bars because I think the era of plentiful copper is over and I want to embrace the alternatives. I'm using the 1/4"x1" bar from Mcmaster for little link bus bits to go between terminals instead of short wires. Just an idea, if you're going custom. I'm just betting based on a whim that I don't think tinned copper to aluminum will not be a problem.

 

[schmism]

call around to local scrap yards, some will sell stuff back out.

for my battery interconnects I used squashed copper pipe. (in a shop press)

 

[glandpuck]

Just as an FYI, some battery packs specifically state that only 2 packs can be connected in parallel before the output goes o a buss bar. So if you were to say creating a stack of 8 batteries, you would need 4 connections + and - to a buss bar capable of handling that amp rating and then the lead to the inverter capable of handling it all.

 

[timselectric]

The wiring to the inverter needs to be sized for the full rating of the inverter.
Not the battery capacity.

 

[glandpuck]

The wiring to the inverter needs to be sized for the full rating of the inverter.
Not the battery capacity.

I think this is confusing to some persons. For example, if you have an inverter that outputs 12,000 watts, then if that output were at 240 volts, the rating would be 50 amps. So the output of the inverter would be a max of 50 amps and therefore 6 gauge wire would suffice to the load panel.

However, the inverter may have a built in charge controller and receive up to say 18k or 22k of PV power. The specs of the inverter may show the maximum charging and discharging current to the battery bank of 250 amps. So, from the battery buss bar to the inverter, the wiring should be 3/0 or 4/0. 2/0 may be useful if very short.

Now, some lithium batteries can charge at 50 amps, but discharge at 100 amps. Again, specific to the battery manufacturer.

In my case, my 8 lithium batteries in parallel have a max charge and discharge rating of 400 amps and a total capacity of 800 amps. But the inverter is limited to 250 amps charging and discharging, so I chose 3/0 cabling to connect batteries to inverter.

 

[GuyG]

Search for pure copper bar stock.

Or, hypothetically, you might luck into an 800A panelboard that’s being replaced and scrapped, that dates to the 1960s when they didn’t scrimp on copper, from which you might harvest three copper busses 1/4” thick by 2-1/2” wide and about six feet long, that are already drilled and tapped on 1” centers. Hypothetically.

 

[GuyG]

my 8 lithium batteries in parallel have a max charge and discharge rating of 400 amps and a total capacity of 800 amps. But the inverter is limited to 250 amps charging and discharging, so I chose 3/0 cabling to connect batteries to inverter.

So, you’re saying we should size cables for the rating of the inverter, not the battery capacity?

 

[shopman]

McMaster-Carr sells a tin coated copper bar specifically for use as a bus bar and they'll cut it to almost any length you want. I built my bus bars from it and they're awesome.

 

[shadowmaker]

Vote for scrap yard. Got two 1,8m (50x4mm) long copper bars for 50e. Made some insulating bushings with lathe and used lots of MG847 conducting paste plus two 60x60mm plastic wire canals for 40e. Could be prettier with shorter battery cables, but works just fine as is.

6x10kWh rack with wheels and homemade busbars. Wire canal lids are still missing in this picture.