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  • Hi new here, quick question to start....

    Hi,

    New here but from a quick browse through some posts it looks to be a great resource. I'm currently building a small cabin (18 square metres floor space) and have got to the point where I need to lay downthe wiring for 2 planned led pendulum lights hanging from the ceiling.

    I will be researching into exactly what lights and off grid pv system to go for over the coming weeks /months. What I wanted to know was how important it is to use specific 12v wiring for these 2 lights? I.e could I use some house hold cable which has been used for household lighting wiring?

    Sorry if it's an obvious question but I've had trouble finding anything relevant in my searches.

    Many thanks

    Beaglebox

  • #2
    Originally posted by Beaglebox View Post
    Hi,

    New here but from a quick browse through some posts it looks to be a great resource. I'm currently building a small cabin (18 square metres floor space) and have got to the point where I need to lay downthe wiring for 2 planned led pendulum lights hanging from the ceiling.

    I will be researching into exactly what lights and off grid pv system to go for over the coming weeks /months. What I wanted to know was how important it is to use specific 12v wiring for these 2 lights? I.e could I use some house hold cable which has been used for household lighting wiring?

    Sorry if it's an obvious question but I've had trouble finding anything relevant in my searches.

    Many thanks

    Beaglebox
    Regular household wiring is completely safe to use for low voltage lighting, etc. so no problem there.
    What you have to keep in mind is that for the same power light or appliance, a 12V circuit will carry ten times as much current as a 120V circuit.
    That is not usually a problem for lighting, since a 12V 1A LED fixture is very bright, and normal #14 household wiring can carry 15A without any safety problem.
    The difficulty, however, is the voltage drop in long runs of wiring (hundreds of feet). A voltage drop of 1V does not mean much to the efficiency of 120V lighting. But a voltage drop of 1V out of 12V can cause problems and also leads to a waste of power.

    If you look at higher wattage loads, like a 12V pump or other appliance, the size of normal household wiring may not be adequate.
    An inverter will take really high current. For example, a 600W inverter will produce 120V AC at 5A. But the input side will draw 60A or more at 12V DC.
    For that, even #12 wire is grossly inadequate.
    SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

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    • #3
      Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, some really useful information there, much appreciated. Many thanks.

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