Senior Member
Joined: 11/07/2008
Location: AustraliaPosts: 156
| Posted: 04:55am 01 Oct 2025 |
G'day.
If you want to skip my dribble, scroll down to bold headline :P
Moved out into the sticks beyond the black stump, five years ago.
First day moving in, I had a WTF moment.
Inspected the A/C power cables in the roof and had another WTF moment.
I got stooged by my pre-inspection bloke. Mongrel.
Anyways, saw standard wall mount double power points hanging loose in the ceiling and being used as a bus to feed other circuits...covered in ceiling insulation bats (in case it got cold?) and rat poo that said, "Kilroy was here".
Other cables were used by rats to sharpen their teeth. PLenty of wood in the celing but nah, they want the cables. Other cables had brittle and cracked insulation - that cheap imported stuff that got the recall flick years back.
The funniest thing I saw was on a wall mounted light switch, in the kitchen.
Looked a bit dodgey as I saw some black soot on the wall paint surrounding the switch. Opened her up and saw some nob had in the past, discovered that you don't use the active and neutral cable to complete a circuit at a switch.
I called the local sparky to enquire on cost to rewire the joint.
He was keen to tell me that he had done the wiring in the house for a number of years.
I said yeah, NAH.
ANyways, ripped all the cables out inside the ceiling and I'm now over burning candles for five years. Bees wax btw, is the best if anyone interested :)
The purpose of this post, is to get outside opinions on my current project of installing DC lighting in the ceiling. I may also be able to help future blokes who stumble upon this post long after I am a flatulent motion in the wind.
Scroll here to start
A) 24vDC will power the light system.
B) 920W will be the maximum solar panel output
C) 400a/hr will be the maximum battery storeage using 12vDC flooded lead acid batteries wired in a 2P2S.
D) 30A is the maximum circuit current draw and circuit designed to meet that amperage- when adding total maximum rated input current for 7 DC-DC converter units.
E) 7A is the actual current draw of circuit. when adding a total of 14 individual LED lights. Led lights have a current rating of 0.5A each
As far as the Australian Standards are concerned, I have to the best of my knowledge, avoided the requirement to have a sparkie install my spaghetti wiring. My haz-mat suit for the lead acid batteries, is a blue singlet, stubbie shorts and a terry towel hat. Foot protection is a pair of thongs.
Overview of the circuit and devices:
Where I live, we get heaps of lightning ground strikes. Just last week, we had our first storm of the season and one strike hit the breaker on the power transformer a few yards from house and another hit the roof and did some funky stuff to the roof and freaked out my dog and missus has some extra grey hairs.
The electrical system, I have designed to minimise damage from an indirect strike.
Some protections are in place within the circuit, to reduce the impact of a direct strike.
A) Din rails, meter boxes, MPPT and solar panels will all be earthed with 16mm2 cable.
B) SPD Nominal Voltage designed and rated especially for 24vDC system with T2 lightning protection. I am still sourcing T1 device that won't cost an arm and a leg.
C) 10mmx38mm Ceramic fusing (fast blow) for all positive and negative circuits. While a lightning strike will pass through a fuse before it blows, their presence makes me feel good.
The ceramic fuses have legit infill powder to immediately extinguish overcurrent events.
I have just received a set of 1500vDC 14mmx85mm fuse holders that will protect the in/out cable to both meter boxes.
http://cr4.globalspec.com/member?u=25757
http://www.instructables.com/member/OzzyRoo/