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Roof Combiner Boxes
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Using a combiner box prevents the all too common mistake of "Daisy Chaining" too many solar panels together. This is where you take the output cable from one solar panel and parallel it in the junction box of the next solar panel and then taking that output cable to the next solar panel and then to the next one and the next one, etc. This causes the combined amperage of all the solar panels to pass through the terminal strip of the last solar panel in the "daisy chain".
The problem with this is that the terminal strips inside the junction boxes of most solar panels are only rated for about 15 amps. If you exceed this rating, you run the risk of literally melting down the terminal strip and stopping all charging. I have seen this happen on several occasions.
Think about this ... if a typical 120 watt solar panel has an output potential of about 7 amps and you have more than two of them connected in a "daisy chain", then you are exceeding the rating of the terminal strip in the last panel of the chain. The result can be a meltdown and disruption of charging. It might even destroy the solar panel where the meltdown occured.
These combiner boxes solve that problem and are mounted up on your RV roof and are used as a place to bring the output cables from each of your solar panels to parallel inside on a pair buss bars that can handle 100 amps or more. From the buss bar in the combiner box, you extend a heavier gauge pair of wires to your charge controller. |
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We offer two models of combiner boxes.
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The CW Combiner Box
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The CW Combiner Box has two heavy buss bars in side of it and has four standard 1/2" knockouts that can accept weather-tight strain-reliefs. |
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The CW Combiner Box
shown mounted on the refrigerator vent
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The CW Combiner Box is intended to be mounted onto the side of the refrigerator vent on your roof where a heavier gauge output cable can then be fed down behind the refrigerator on its way to your charge controller. This provides a means to avoid penetrating your roof. |
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For those of you whose refrigerator is in a slideout and have no roof refrigerator vent to mount to, we offer the CB Combiner Box.
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The CB Combiner Box has two heavy buss bars inside of it and has four standard 1/2" knockouts that can accept weather-tight strain-reliefs. It also has a hole in the bottom of it through which you drill the hole in your roof. |
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The CB Combiner Box
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The CB Combiner Box is intended to be mounted flat on the RV roof. It is placed in a bed of DiCor sealant over the place where it is most appropriate to penetrate the roof in order to feed the combined solar output cable down to the charge controller. |
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The CB Combiner Box
shown mounted flat on the roof
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Tube of Dicor Sealant