Solar cable thru fridge vent
Planning out my solar system and I see most go thru the fridge vent. Are you drilling a hole from the side and running cable down shaft or using fittings? I read that you stay on opposite side of fl...
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If you plan on 200W total wattage with MPPT, you can get a single 200W/24V panel - simpler wiring, no connections between panels. Simpler install, too - 4 brackets on the roof instead of 8. Single 24V panel typically costs less than 2*100W/12V.
8 AWG cable in "solar" MC4 version is not much thicker than 10 AWG. They are springy, though. Insulation is stiff. 8 AWG "welding cable" that you might see in some installs, is different.
But...
There is no need to go for #8 if you run 36V output to MPPT.
30ft long #10 will have 1.5% V-drop, #8 will have 1%. This is 0.5% difference.
With 200W array you will harvest 90 AH a day, at best. So, with #10 you will lose 0.5 AH a day more than with #10 (in fact, the difference is less than 0.5AH because your amps aren't always at maximum).
So, we are down to 0.2-0.3 AH daily difference btw #10 and #8 wire. This is NOTHING. You can run #12 all the way and will hardly see a difference either.
8 AWG cable in "solar" MC4 version is not much thicker than 10 AWG. They are springy, though. Insulation is stiff. 8 AWG "welding cable" that you might see in some installs, is different.
But...
There is no need to go for #8 if you run 36V output to MPPT.
30ft long #10 will have 1.5% V-drop, #8 will have 1%. This is 0.5% difference.
With 200W array you will harvest 90 AH a day, at best. So, with #10 you will lose 0.5 AH a day more than with #10 (in fact, the difference is less than 0.5AH because your amps aren't always at maximum).
So, we are down to 0.2-0.3 AH daily difference btw #10 and #8 wire. This is NOTHING. You can run #12 all the way and will hardly see a difference either.
