Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in Advanced Solar Electric Technical Forum #1
I have a good bit of 2gauge jumpers premade with soldered and heat srinked lugs.

I have just enough 000 to connect the strings and run from the bank to the Inverter.

Will running the 2 gauge just for the individual strings (2 Strings of T105s)be OK? and then using 000 to connect the two strings and then run to the inverter...

Seems the 6048 would be drawing a max of ~65A sustained draw at max load from each string and well under the recomended sustained current for 2 gauge of 95A.
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  • RCinFLA
    RCinFLA Solar Expert Posts: 1,485 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

    XW6048 will draw about 130 amps at maximum load. It can surge higher.

    I would not use 2 gauge wire for batteries. Don't think like it is being used for AC line voltage. At battery voltages you have to minimize any voltage drop.

    Use the 000.
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  • Windsun
    Windsun Solar Expert Posts: 1,164 ✭✭
    #3
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

    And especially I would never used soldered lugs for battery or inverter cables.

    see also http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=2376&highlight=solder+connections

    #2 is too small for that size inverter - if you would happen to have a weak battery on one side, you could conceivably draw almost the full inverter amps through one string.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #4
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

    Oh great! So now I'm toast? Or rather my 2 gauge interconnect and 16 foooot long + & - inverter cables are going to fry?

    XW6048, 2x8=16 US Batteries @ 420 Ah ?!?
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?
    Mushroom wrote: »
    Oh great! So now I'm toast? Or rather my 2 gauge interconnect and 16 foooot long + & - inverter cables are going to fry?

    XW6048, 2x8=16 US Batteries @ 420 Ah ?!?

    What gauge are your 16 foot cables ?

    Use the handy voltage drop calculator :
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=29&highlight=Voltage+drop+calculator
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #6
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

    2 gauge welding wire w/copper lugs, no solder. Thats from the distribution panel to the batteries. The Midnite xw e-panel is electrically bolted to the XW6048 via bus bars.

    35 ft of 6-3 from the combiner box to the dist. panel.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #7
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

    I'm sorry but the link below leads to six pages of confusion.
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  • halfcrazy
    halfcrazy Solar Expert Posts: 720 ✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Will 2 gauge wire in strings support XW 4048 or 6048?

    nope the #2 is way to small i would say. with the 4048 minimum would be 2/0 but 16 ft long each i would tend to go with 4/0. there is a difference i have a 4448 magnum and my cables are 6-7 ft each and i did some experimenting and on hard surges i was getting a slight drop in voltage switched to 4/0 and there was none and lights didnt flicker as much.
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