12 volt home wiring

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in General Solar Power Topics #1
My solar system is up and running. OK, it's only lighting one LED light in my basement, but I would like to do more.

System is one 40 watt BP Solar PV with a 30 amp morningstar controller and one AGM 55 AH battery. Everything has inline fuses on the positives and I set up a distribution fuse panel using a marine grade 6 circuit "automobile" fuse block. The one LED light in my basement is not switched---always on. I would like to run a fairly large gauge wire from my fuse panel up into the central part of the house and put a switch panel there to power 4 or 6 other lights that I can switch on/off. I was thinking of using a marine switch plate, maybe something like this

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/196901144.htm

Any thoughts on using something like that?

Thanks much
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Comments

  • nigtomdaw
    nigtomdaw Solar Expert Posts: 705 ✭✭
    #2
    Re: 12 volt home wiring

    That unit should be fine, I bought a couple of similar panels when I was originally planning a 12 volt system.;)
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: 12 volt home wiring

    66m,
    you didn't state the strength of those leds. are they the bigger ones like 1w or higher or the standard ones that suckup maybe 15-30 ma each? in any case if you are switching low current dc (less than an amp or 2), it is possible to use the cheaper ac switches used for overhead 120vac lights. just add fuses and place them into a standard electrical box and wire accordingly. i have done this with success and it works out cheaper because of the special prices seen for many light switches (pun intended). it is the equivalent to me putting on bare minimal emergency lights as those flashlights don't seem to stay in one place.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #4
    Re: 12 volt home wiring

    Niel,

    Thanks for the replies. Niel, the lights I have now have from 3 to 6 leds per light and suck around 300-400 ma. I guess i was planning to use the marine stuff since I've heard that I couldn't use ac switches, etc. But if standard ac switches will work in lower amp stuff, I would be willing to give it a try.

    66mercury
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: 12 volt home wiring

    they would be fine with loads that small. the ac switches just don't handle the same rating for dc current as compared to their ac rating because of the arcing, but are useable for small dc currents and thusly smaller arcs. even if they give out in 5 years, i say so what because they are cheap enough and very available.
    edit to add:
    that bank of switches in your link may also be cheap for you to use after you add up costs of individual ac switches, boxes, etc., but you could use either with no problem and i'll leave that decision up to you as to which way you'd like to go with it.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #6
    Re: 12 volt home wiring

    As niel said, they are cheap and they work. FWIW, I had a 6.2 GMC diesel 4x4 that had a burned out glow plug controller, a replacement was several hundred dollars and I didn't want to put that much $$$ into that vehicle. I wired a standard 15A 110V wall switch into the circuit and used that to operate the glow plugs. I don't know the amperage the glow plugs required but it was substantial. They always turned off when I flipped the switch off but I could definitely hear arcing inside the switch as it broke continuity. When they failed it was alway open, never closed, so I wasn't concerned about fire/damage. The switches would last a couple of months, when they failed, two screws and $0.49 at Home Depot and I was back in business. For a few amps at 12V DC I wouldn't hesitate to use them.

    Cheers,

    Bad Apple
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