Wire size
- Thread starter btemplet
- Start date
There will never be equal resistance on each paralleled wire, each could haul uneven loads. Not bad for the light load wire, but the heavy load wire may object and return all your smoke.
Each wire must be fused to that single wires ampacity. Else, in many scenarios one wire could carry its overload.
I have seen industrial ac current carried with doubled wires, but have yet to see dc current done or recommended that way.
I can go back through my books and find many references to engineering that state it is a bad idea.
But I will not. I really don't care how you dance.
I will follow my advice. You can follow yours.
Each wire must be fused to that single wires ampacity. Else, in many scenarios one wire could carry its overload.
I have seen industrial ac current carried with doubled wires, but have yet to see dc current done or recommended that way.
I can go back through my books and find many references to engineering that state it is a bad idea.
But I will not. I really don't care how you dance.
I will follow my advice. You can follow yours.
Exactly. That is why if you parallel 3 wires you don't go for 3 times the max current a single wire can handle. IIRC the number was 80% of the max current when wires are in parallel. But still - the job must be done correctly to avoid overloading a single wire.
I've seen flexible busbars for LiFePo4 cells that are off the shelf and are made of lugs with 3 wires in parallel. Even the BMSes kind of use wires in parallel. These are two applications for high current scenarios that are related to the forum.
Using a clamp meter to measure the current over each wire once the setup is complete will provide sufficient insights on if everything is done correctly.
wmgeorge
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2022
- Messages
- 224
Correct its done all the time and not any issues. AC or DC its all the same.
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Charger like this? It has 100v max PV input. If you have 4 panels, you could do 2 series and 2 parallel, bring in about 16 amps at 76v on a 10ga wire and be done with it.
Not a requirement but your max power to the battery would be the rated watts. What is your battery system voltage?
Max Power Input: 12V @ 520W; 24V @ 1040W
So with that 40amp charger, you could charge with 520w max at any time. It is common to have more panel watts than what you can use allows for good current on less than perfect conditions. But if you need to put more than 40amps to the batteries, you need a larger charger or a second charger.
