UL Listed Terminal Blocks

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jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Did I mention Buchanan splices yet? They are relatively cheap and definitely won't come apart. But there are reservations about temperature limitations and using in wet locations.

What would be ideal in my book would be this ...if I could find a similar product that was rated for 600V and 90C.
 

Zee

Senior Member
Location
CA
How are others transitioning from PV wire to THWN-2?

Wire-nuts.

Used to use Polaris terminal blocks. May still do so, unsure. Seems superior.
Yet...Temp rating is 90C for Polaris......whereas the wire-nuts I have are 105C (or 120C, I forget).
 

PWDickerson

Senior Member
Location
Clinton, WA
Occupation
Solar Contractor
I did some more research on the web and discovered the Wago 221-612 lever wire connector. I am not sure if it will work with the larger diameter of the PV wire, but I am going to get and sample and try it out. The #10 AWG size is new for this product line. If it works well, it looks like it might be a good solution.
 

Adamjamma

Senior Member
Wago lever units are the rage here in UK... nice thing is to have one extra hole in the junction block and that allows you to easily test each connector section without taking the wires loose but the levers hold securely and yet allow you to change the wires.. there is a video online about how much temperature and power it took for a guy here in the UK to destroy them by voltage... along with the counterfeit wago... which lasted almost as long...
If Jamaica lets me do it, will only use them from now on rather than wire nuts.
 

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
I did some more research on the web and discovered the Wago 221-612 lever wire connector. I am not sure if it will work with the larger diameter of the PV wire, but I am going to get and sample and try it out. The #10 AWG size is new for this product line. If it works well, it looks like it might be a good solution.

Only rated for 450V? Okay for micro-inverters but not strings, or optimizers. :happysad:

Also, are they any more suitable for wet locations than other options mentioned?

If your inspector is not demanding wet location connectors then I think the Buchanan splices are superior. They have a higher temp rating, too, and having looked them up at 105C I take back my earlier comments about that. (For wet location connectors, I can only think of dry-conn wire nuts).
 

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Only rated for 450V? Okay for micro-inverters but not strings, or optimizers. :happysad:

Also, are they any more suitable for wet locations than other options mentioned?

If your inspector is not demanding wet location connectors then I think the Buchanan splices are superior. They have a higher temp rating, too, and having looked them up at 105C I take back my earlier comments about that. (For wet location connectors, I can only think of dry-conn wire nuts).

Is the interior of a NEMA3R, 4 or 4X enclosure in a wet location, also considered a wet location?
 

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Is the interior of a NEMA3R, 4 or 4X enclosure in a wet location, also considered a wet location?

I don't have a code section to cite either way, but I have been told it is (at least for NEMA3R) by inspectors and others. Usually not enforced that way by most AHJs I deal with. I'm pretty sure that if you're running conduit in a wet location then the wires inside have to be 'W' rated. Less sure about J-box splice connectors.
 

PWDickerson

Senior Member
Location
Clinton, WA
Occupation
Solar Contractor
I initially ruled out the Wago lever connectors because they weren't 600V rated, but I have a spec sheet saying the ones they sell in the US are 600V rated and 1000V rated for signs and luminaires.
 

PWDickerson

Senior Member
Location
Clinton, WA
Occupation
Solar Contractor
Here is the spec sheet indicating 600V, however, I can see in the picture that it says 300V on one side, and I have seen other photos of them that show 450V on the other side. Not sure what to make of that.
 

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GeorgeB

ElectroHydraulics engineer (retired)
Location
Greenville SC
Occupation
Retired
I went to their website which shows 450V for both the "12 AWG" and "10 AWG" series, 213-4xx and 213-6xx. It also said AC with no mention of DC.

Before using on a 460 system, or on a DC system, I'd get supporting details.

I also think I saw 300V screened onto a pictured unit ... ???
 

jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
I'm just not sure why I'd use those over Buchanan splices or wire nuts in any case, even if they were properly rated for the voltage. Not sure what would make them superior. The Buchanan splice requires a tool and takes a little more time but produces an almost infallible connection. The Wagos are basically a back-stab design, right? I've seen a lot of complaints about that sort of thing. And I assume they're more expensive than wire nuts.
 

gporter85

Member
Location
Merced, CA
I'm just not sure why I'd use those over Buchanan splices or wire nuts in any case, even if they were properly rated for the voltage. Not sure what would make them superior. The Buchanan splice requires a tool and takes a little more time but produces an almost infallible connection. The Wagos are basically a back-stab design, right? I've seen a lot of complaints about that sort of thing. And I assume they're more expensive than wire nuts.

My entire neighborhood was wired with back stabbed outlets and all of those are going out after 30 years. If you have more than 2 strings you are supposed to fuse them anyways. A Sola deck box with a din rail and a few fuse holders and fuses work really nice for transitioning a resi RM. I will typically use the Buchanan splices for the grounds to make an irreversible crimp and red wire nuts for the home runs. I mainly install Solaredge for Resi Roofmounts.
 

PWDickerson

Senior Member
Location
Clinton, WA
Occupation
Solar Contractor
Wago makes a connector that is essentially a back-stab unit, but this is not the one I am looking at. The Wago model 221 lever connectors can be opened and closed with a lever, and it appears that they put substantially more pressure on the conductor than a back-stab connector would. I am still waiting for the sample I ordered to be delivered. I am not going to consider using them unless they make a splice that appears comparable to the heavy duty terminal blocks we use currently. And of course, I need to confirm if they are rated for the voltage.
 

Adamjamma

Senior Member
I use the WAGo lever connectors here in the UK for lighting and outlets.. much easier to use, no problems with the 240 voltage and allows me to pull the connection apart for the testing requirements for rental units. So far have had no problems, even with the cheaper chinese units. Prefer the nice heavy clear wago over the grey wago, levers easier to use, feel better... but both work.
 
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