The timeless debate whether aluminum is good or bad. Of course old aluminum we all know is bad but newer alloys are supposedly not. The feeder lines in my house and all my main panels for my attached . The feeder lines in my house are aluminum.
Is there any specific reason I should not use aluminum wire of the appropriate gauge (which is bigger than copper And it's cheap enough that I could even go an extra gauge above that to prevent thermal expansion from being too much) for the main run from the solar panels combiner box to the inverter box?
If this is possible are there any extra precautions to take besides the special grease that prevents oxidation. Can I not crimp onto aluminum must it feed directly into the aluminum rated breaker? I see most people crimp on little tabs on the end of copper wire Just curious if it is different for aluminum I have not seen that anywhere.
Aluminum is the future. When copper price goes up, it's coming back. The industry is preparing a new line of copper clad.
That said, all my solar equipment terminals say CU only, and all my solar wiring is 10awg or less, which isn't generally available in aluminum right now.
The premise of this question makes me wonder whether someone is running voltage drop calcs on their solar wiring though. Don't do that.
I would only consider Aluminum useful for 4 AWG or bigger.
Who wants to run 8 AWG aluminum instead of 10 AWG copper? Maybe if copper were 5x the current price. Everyone has their price.
Also, I can't imagine crimping a 6 AWG 5/16" lug onto aluminum, especially if it is made of copper (even tinned).
Aluminum is the future. When copper price goes up, it's coming back. The industry is preparing a new line of copper clad.
copper clad aluminum generally gets a bad rap because it’s often passed off as “copper wire” by less than honest vendors. But if you know what you’re working with and size accordingly, it’s perfectly capable of doing the job.
copper clad aluminum generally gets a bad rap because it’s often passed off as “copper wire” by less than honest vendors. But if you know what you’re working with and size accordingly, it’s perfectly capable of doing the job.
CCA for comms cable is very different from power cabling, in terms of how the sellers play ball with the ecosystem.
Comms cable is scammy and they don’t kowtow to the Ethernet standards body.
CCA for power cabling is by people that insinuated themselves into the NEC process
The premise of this question makes me wonder whether someone is running voltage drop calcs on their solar wiring though. Don't do that.
Hi what do you mean by don't do that? Why not? Didn't worry about voltage drop?
It's not the reason I need thicker cable though. Strictly amps. I never cared about 3% drop.
Hi what do you mean by don't do that? Why not? Didn't worry about voltage drop?
It's not the reason I need thicker cable though. Strictly amps. I never cared about 3% drop.
You get it then. Voltage drop is real, it can be considered for power losses, but wires should usually be sized for just amps.
The other issue with Al wiring, and one of the big reasons it was pulled from the NEC for indoor circuits, is the oxide that forms on the wire acts as an insulator at the terminal screws and next thing you know the outlets catch fire.
I've had it happen a couple times.
My point of view on voltage drop over PV wires is it doesn't impact functionality, unless voltage drops below minimum for MPPT.
And, it is greatest during most productive times, when you're more likely to have surplus.
So it is fair game to trade off against things like cost.
If voltage headroom remains, the loss is easily replaced with more panels in series, and that helps the poor times too.
The other issue with Al wiring, and one of the big reasons it was pulled from the NEC for indoor circuits, is the oxide that forms on the wire acts as an insulator at the terminal screws and next thing you know the outlets catch fire.
I've had it happen a couple times.
Cu/Al rated?
Outlets tend to have more rinky-dink connections. But hopefully that was something like a stove outlet, not 15A ones, with a decent setscrew. (I've bought all sorts of 30A & 50A outlets, however).
Is Al not allowed for indoor circuits anymore? I thought just not for 20A lighting and convenience outlets. But I'm not sure.
The other issue with Al wiring, and one of the big reasons it was pulled from the NEC for indoor circuits, is the oxide that forms on the wire acts as an insulator at the terminal screws and next thing you know the outlets catch fire.
I've had it happen a couple times.
In use no-ox-di on everything mostly. For aluminum I guess I'd have to research it vs noloax
Al was common in the late 70's and 80's but was pulled because of fires from lighting and outlet circuits. Any house built before about is likely to have Al wire in the walls.
Even then, higher amp loads like stoves and dryers tended not to get the bump up in wire size from copper and were known to have issues after a decade or two, especially in humid climates like the PNW and New England.
It was a Make It / Break It for me buying a house, no way with Al wiring.
Branch circuits with aluminum, going into regular screw terminations etc, kind of sketch me out (and it’s tough to sort through the CCA noise).
Feeders going into breaker and panel lugs, I have no problem with because you can expect to take your time with them, there being so few. My AHJ enforces torquing of feeder terminations.
I have one 50A Al branch circuit in my house, going to my kitchen. Kind of sketchy but it is adapted to copper via Polaris connectors now which is similar to the quality level it would be done to for a feeder.
I wouldn’t mind it if I found it coming into the mains and it’s the modern alloy. Any where else I wouldn’t like it simply because I don’t like working with it. Absolutely a no way for battery cables where fine strand copper flexibility is desirable.
Im sure it’s probably a different/cheap alloy but years ago I got bit with an Amazon purchase of a bag of bladed fuse holders. They turned out to be copper clad fine aluminum strands. Impossible to strip without loosing strands and easily break with a few flexes. They ended up in the round file can.
The three most popular cables for aluminum transmission and distribution lines are AAC, AAAC, and ACSR. This blog highlights the differences between the three and the best applications for each cable.
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AAC: All Aluminum Conductor Cable Characteristics and Uses
AAC cables have pure aluminum stranded conductors with an aluminum purity of 99,7 percent. These characteristics of aluminum conductors mean that the cable is highly corrosion-resistant.
The typical applications of the AAC aluminum cable are:
- Overhead power lines in coastal areas where cables are subjected to corrosion.
- Railway and metro utility industries
- Power lines in cities and urban areas
AAAC: All Aluminium Alloy Conductor Cable Characteristics and Uses
AAAC utility wire has a conductor made of aluminum alloy instead of pure aluminum. The particular grade of aluminum alloy used in these cables is -T81. This high-quality alloy is up to national and international standards.
AAAC cable also has better sag attributes and a strength-to-weight ratio than other transmission line cables. This cable has superior mechanical resistance compared to different types of distribution cables, which makes it suitable for aerial ducts.
The corrosion resistance of these cables is better than ACSR utility cables but worse than AAC wire.
- AAAC cables are typically used in overhead power lines crossing the river and overhead power lines in cold areas. Basically, they are used in places that are less subjected to corrosion than where AAC cables are normally used.
ACSR: Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced Cable Characteristics and Uses
ACSR cables are cables with aluminum conductors reinforced with steel. The conductors are made of aluminum but have a reinforced steel core.
For more information, please visit Aluminum Alloy Cable.
The range of steel is different from cable to cable, varying anywhere between 6 and 40 percent. The more steel there is, the greater the strength of the conductor.
ACSR conductors have larger diameters than AAC and AAAC ones, which positively impacts the corona effect. ACSR cable is strong without compromising on ampacity. This is an excellent characteristic for high-voltage and extra-high voltage power lines.
Thanks to the steel reinforcement, the ACSR has superior tensile strength compared to its counterparts. This helps the cable effortlessly run for long distances.
Despite its strength, the steel in the ACSR cable is prone to corrosion, so this cable is not used in humidity conditions.
ACSR cables are used in:
- Overhead power lines
- Overhead installations that cross the river
- Extra-long overhead installations
- Overhead power installations not located in urban and rural areas
- High-voltage and extra-high-voltage power lines
The less common variation of this cable, AACR, has an all-aluminum conductor reinforced with steel. This cable has superior conductivity compared to regular ACSR aluminum wire.
Choosing A Cable For My Project
Overhead transmission networks employ cables with aluminum conductors. When it comes to overhead power lines, AAC aluminum cable is a superior cable, closely followed by AAAC. However, ACSR aluminum cable also has its own strengths.
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- ACSR has excellent tensile strength and can run for very long distances. However, this cable is comparatively not sag-effective and is prone to corrosion.
- AAAC is the most sag-effective cable with good corrosion resistance, conductivity, and strength-to-weight ratio.
- AAC is the best cable in terms of conductivity and resistance to corrosion. It is also the lightest cable.