Disconnecting Batteries with Solar?
So I am new to solar. I noticed corrosion on one of my battery cables and want to remove and Clean it. I do not think I have an on/off switch on the solar charge controller. Is it OK to remove the ...
Forum Discussion
2oldman wrote:
There's no compelling safety reason for fusing solar. It's not like they are batteries capable of runaway amperage starting fires.
True for most installations, but sometimes you should protect the wiring:
Windy Nation Web Site wrote:
Commercially made solar panels over 50 watts have 10 gauge wires capable of handling up to 30 amps of current flow. If you connect these panels in series, there will be no increase in current flow so fusing is not required for this string. This is not the case when you have panels connected in parallel, as when connected in parallel the system current is additive. For instance if you have 4 panels each capable of up to 15 amps, then a short in one panel can draw all 60 amps towards that short-circuited panel. This will cause the wires leading to that panel to far exceed 30 amps causing that wire-pair to potentially catch fire. In the case of panels in parallel, a 30-amp fuse is required for each panel. If your panels are smaller than 50 watts, and use only 12 gauge wires, and 20 amp fuses are required.
