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Should PV wire exposed to the direct sun be covered?

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  • Should PV wire exposed to the direct sun be covered?

    I know PV wire is rated for sunlight, but should the wire that is exposed directly to sunlight be covered for additional life?

    I have red and black PV wire going into the weatherhead I installed which is under full sunlight. I was looking at getting some UV resistant split loom to cover it up, and expect to have to replace that every 5 years or so. But, should I bother?

    As I understand, the red wire will bleach to white eventually, and generally any color other than black won't last as long.
    https://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?sid=54099

  • #2
    Attached is picture of wires in question. Those and one P400 optimizer wire on the next row up that goes past the chimney are the only ones I can think of with direct sunlight hitting them.
    Attached Files
    https://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?sid=54099

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    • #3
      Since PV Wire is not identified by code as allowable for interior use, it is typical to use a junction box of some kind to transition from PV Wire to THWN-2 or another appropriate type of wire at the point of entry into the attic. Soladeck is one commercial option, Wiley's ACE passthroughs are another. Since your system is already approved, it sounds like your AHJ didn't care so much about this, but it did leave you with this somewhat unusual risk to consider. I'd probably go with the split loom.
      CS6P-260P/SE3000 - http://tiny.cc/ed5ozx

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      • #4
        Our practice here is to always protect PV wire from our Arizona sun. The goal is to make a PV installation match up to the 25 year quality that PV panels have. This means going to much greater effort than with your typical electrical product.
        BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installed

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        • #5
          The wire I used is dual listed, having RHW-2 listing as well, so it can be used on interior inside conduit. These wires go 3 feet below roof to junction box and transition to THWN-2 using Polaris IT-4 blocks. All wires are contained in EMT at all times.

          I'll add the split loom, it can only extend the life of that jacket. I googled as much as I can and could find nothing of the sort like: "yea pv wire IS sunlight resistant, but you probably want to cover any of it in all-day direct sun", so I thought maybe it would be a waste of time to add the loom.
          https://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?sid=54099

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          • #6
            Originally posted by NukeEngineer View Post

            I'll add the split loom, it can only extend the life of that jacket. I googled as much as I can and could find nothing of the sort like: "yea pv wire IS sunlight resistant, but you probably want to cover any of it in all-day direct sun", so I thought maybe it would be a waste of time to add the loom.
            You might feel like it is less a waste of time when you look at what it takes to pass the sunlight resistance test (720 hours) relative to the number of testing hours a year of direct real-world sunlight could equate to.
            CS6P-260P/SE3000 - http://tiny.cc/ed5ozx

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            • #7
              Originally posted by sensij View Post

              You might feel like it is less a waste of time when you look at what it takes to pass the sunlight resistance test (720 hours) relative to the number of testing hours a year of direct real-world sunlight could equate to.
              Yea, that also went into my thinking. Plus, the term "sunlight resistant" doesn't sound like "sunlight proof" to me. Kinda like water resistant watches... well that's up to a certain depth and for a certain time.
              https://pvoutput.org/list.jsp?sid=54099

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