From Advanced PV HeatSpring.com Discussion Forum
Q:
Hey Sean,
This might not be specific to wire sizing (kind of is) but do you have a good way to crimp MC4 connectors? I am doing an array on my house and don't want to buy a crimping tool. They have pre-made MC4 wires and I was thinking about skipping the hassle and buying the pre-fabricated ones.
A:
That is a common thing that people try to do. I remember a job where someone tried it and the system wouldn't turn on. They had to spend a day taking apart things and figuring out under which module the bad connection was. That is what happens with needle nose MC4 crimping.
Last week I taught a Solar PV class in the Philippines and the distributor (www.solaric.com.ph) that I partnered with for the class said that they have seen many people having bad connections for this same reason. They were telling me about all of the burnt MC4 connectors that they find because of arc faults. We would not have the same problems with arc faults in the US, because of the dc arc-fault requirements put into the 2011 NEC.
For the class last week, everyone had to crimp MC4s and have them tested to pass the class.
I recommend getting a crimper and if you want to get a cheap one, they are on Ebay in the $30 range.
Thanks,
Sean White
From Advanced PV HeatSpring.com Discussion Forum
Comments