Solar panels and 10 GA wire?

[mike-uswest]

I ended up buying a 2016 Arctic fox 25Y TT that has two 100 watt solar panels on it. I also have a Grape 160 watt solar panel that I was going to use a combiner box and put it on there. I just found out that the wire going to the Zamp controller is 10 GA. What problems is that going to cause? The run of the wire doesn't seem to be that long, maybe 8-10 feet. I thought they had 8 GA wire there, but I was wrong. Thanks for any answers.

Mike

[2oldman]

mike-uswest wrote:
If I wanted to go series to get max use of the panels, could I put one of the AM solar combiner boxes in and go pos to neg in the box to get series with the three panels, and I would have to go to a MPPT controller?

Combiner boxes are not needed in series, you just have one 2-conductor wire spanning the panels. Yes, you'll need a controller to handle the higher voltage.

As to its worth, probably not great with 360 watts, but if you go higher it's almost a must. If you get the parallel operation going, check for heat buildup at all connections during max solar output.

[mike-uswest]

Just for kicks, because I think it would bring on more cost and problems. I have a ZAMP 30 amp PWM controller and short leads on the panels to work with. If I wanted to go series to get max use of the panels, could I put one of the AM solar combiner boxes in and go pos to neg in the box to get series with the three panels, and I would have to go to a MPPT controller? Would it be worth the effort for what I would gain?

Mike

[HadEnough]

All depends if you are connecting them in series or parallel.

I have 650 Watts of solar running through 10ga. In series so the voltage is high but the amps are low.

[2oldman]

I meant watts...yes thanks.

[time2roll]

+1 to connect and use the #10. If you discover an issue then consider the options. I think it will work just fine and the additional panel can only help.

Max amps are only present during bulk charging.... after that the battery will limit the current for the much longer absorption phase.

[pauldub]

2oldman wrote:
You can run hundreds more amps through that wire but you'll need to step up the voltage. Ie.. panels in series.

Not for very long, probably less than a second. Maybe you meant watts.

[mike-uswest]

Thanks for the replies.

Mike

[2oldman]

You can run hundreds more watts through that wire but you'll need to step up the voltage. Ie.. panels in series.

[Lwiddis]

The issue remains for me...Artic Fox and Grape saving...what a buck...on cheap wire instead of doing it properly.

If OP overloads the Fox they will scream to high heavens but on solar wire they cheap out.

[wa8yxm]

It should cause no problems at all. Though as someone said, that is about the max for that wire.

The only POSSIBLE issue, and this is why they use heavy wire on solar panels, is VOLTAGE DROP. since, in the unlikely case those panels actually put out the rated power of 360 Watts. at 12 volts you are at 30 amps. which is the rating for 10GA wire in bundles or conduit. OF course you won't be looking at 12 volts. but more likely 13-14.6 (Reduces current) or even higher on the pre-controller side. and you can usually only count on about 1/2 the panel rating.

So you should be good.. Heavier wire might result in a slightly faster charge on the batteries is all.

[Ed_Gee]

I calculated a 2.1% voltage drop, less than .4 Volts on your system .....which is not going to be a significant issue for you. I based my calculations on your panels’ output being 18Volts with a maximum current of about 19 Amps.....on your 10 foot run of 10AWG cable. You will be getting away with using 10AWG because of the short run.

[mike-uswest]

Yes they are. I don't have the numbers now, but I checked that , and they were very close.

Mike

[pianotuna]

Are the voltages on the panels within 1 volt?

[Lwiddis]

See the WindyNation wire chart at https://www.windynation.com/jzv/inf/choosing-right-wire-size

Another "cheapout" on wire.