Ok to use welding for Solar.

[FB Coach]

I need to go with #6 wire to limit my voltage loss, but I am having trouble finding a source for Tray Cable. So I thought I would go with welding wire. Northen Arizona Solar told me not to use welding cable as it isn't rated for outdoor use. How many people out there used welding wire on their solar? I did find #6 AWG XLP wire form Wire@Cable to Go, it is OK being outdoors and the price is good. I'm afraid it might be too hard to work with since it is stranded.

Any wire vendors out here you recommend?

 

[driftless shifter]

What do you mean work with? Welding cable can be extremely flexible, ease of making a tidy cable run. Welding cable also comes in grades able to be dragged around outside under pretty much any condition. A lot of welding is done on site because some stuff can't be easily moved. Maybe talking about UV resistance, or, more likely, trying to sell you something he has on hand. Look into this some more.

Bill

 

[SeilerBird]

All wire sold in the US must come with UL rating for the insulation. The NEC specifies exactly what situations that wire can be used in, i.e, underground, in wet locations, high temp, etc. A smart person buys the exact right wire for the job. Buying wire just because it is cheap or might be good enough is not a very smart move in my opinion.

http://www.southwire.com/support/BldgWaCDesig.htm

 

[driftless shifter]

I think that if you look into welding cable you'll find some stuff rated for more extreme conditions than you could think of. If heavy gauge and flexiblity are what you need. High current welding cable gets dragged around in quarry's, farms, constuction sites, etc...in the rain, and passes high current through it, while the man holding it stands in mud. You won't be saving any money though, the flexiblity comes from the strand count. The more strands the finer the strands are. The higher and finer, the higher the price per foot. If you don't want or need a supple cable don't waste your money, automotive cable will work.

 

[John From Detroit]

"Rated for outdoor use" means the insulation is UV resistant and/or it remains flexible at low temps.

To fix the first.. Slip it inside garden hose

To fix the second: You camp in below zero weather? (Not a problem).

 

[halfwright]

What I used was cable that most people use for their boom cars or hydraulic low riders.  It was easy to find in Denver, as there are a lot of low-riders. Also got the connecters there.

 

[SCVJeff]

If you need to use welding cable, simply slip it in the appropriate size Slit-Wrap (also called Wire Loom). It comes in multiple colors, and most of the black stuff is UV proof. Even though all the cable on my panels is UV resistant, all of it has been in Slit-Wrap for 6 years on the roof and both look new.