I've mentioned it in the past, and got the impression it went over like a fart in church, but it seems to me buttoning up a battery box tighter than a bull's ass in fly season, and (hoping) mechanical ventilation mitigates this creation of a hazardous environment creates a Class I, Division 2 location. (NEC 500.5 (B)(2)(2)).
Any takers?
db
Dan Brown
Foxfire Energy Corp.
Renewable Energy Systems
(802)-483-2564
www.Foxfire-Energy.com
NABCEP #092907-44
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] NEC 480 - battery enclosure question
From: Ray Walters <r...@solarray.com>
Date: Wed, December 14, 2011 11:52 am
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
110.11 Deteriorating Agents. Unless identified for use in
the operating environment, no conductors or equipment
shall be located in damp or wet locations; where exposed to
gases, fumes, vapors, liquids, or other agents that have a
deteriorating effect on the conductors or equipment; or
where exposed to excessive temperatures.
Informational Note No. 1: See 300.6 for protection against
corrosion.
110.18 Arcing Parts. Parts of electrical equipment that in
ordinary operation produce arcs, sparks, flames, or molten
metal shall be enclosed or separated and isolated from all
combustible material.
300.6 Has a lot of good info on corrosion that we in the solar biz should be all over, as well.
So that's 3 pretty specific code references.
Ray Walters
On 12/13/2011 7:03 PM, b...@midnitesolar.com wrote:On 12/13/2011 5:47 PM, Dan Fink wrote:
Esteemed Wrenches;
An email question from my recent Home Power article on charge controllers that I'm unsure of.
Does NEC specifically forbid mounting other gear, such as charge controllers, inside a battery enclosure? How about shunts?
It's not in 480 that I can see, and 480 doesn't seem to treat the interior of a battery enclosure as particularly explosive, because as per 480 it has to be adequately vented anyway.
Of course there are a zillion common-sense reasons not to actually DO that -- even an MX60 has a relay that can spark-- and of course corrosion on the controller terminals, circuit board, etc. Bad news all around and I never do it. I learned this as an apprentice back in the 1990s, and I just don't do it. But I do put shunts in there sometimes...is this a no-no? The shunt terminals are brass, I've never seen any really nasty corrosion build up, but I'm quite curious.
BUT I'm wondering if I'm missing something obvious in some other NEC section etc.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Dan. Nice article, BTW !
The NEC doesn't say that you CAN do this, but it does not dis-allow it either.
It will come down to what the battery manufacturer says, is what we have found.
Sealed batteries are the only ones that can be mounted in a battery box with
arc and spark equipment.
Look at UPS's that you buy from COSTCO for instance. They are UL listed, usually.
boB
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