material for buss bars

[hnash53]

I want to have some buss bars to run my solar panel wires to, and then through a charge controller to my battery bank.

What kind of material should the buss bars be made from?  How thick or what gauge metal should they be?

I've seen some advertised as being made of copper, but I've also seen others that are claimed to be copper.

Thanks.

Hal

[MountainDon]

COPPER, best bar by far       Don't use anything else; NO Aluminum for sure if you're using copper cable/connectors
The size, width x thickness, (cross section) is determined by the ampacity needed to safely pass the power without overheating. Too small and it will restrict power, heat up, waste power....  way too small and you've just made a fuse  

Storm Copper    http://www.stormcopper.com/    has info on copper products (busbars, sheet, etc etc) as well as guides to choosing the size. They sell off the web too!

Quick Guide to Busbar Selection    http://www.stormcopper.com/design/Ampacity-Quick-Chart.htm
Since we're talking solar go with the 30 degree rise column, pick the largest size bar out of the choices, and then at least double it. Triple it if you can afford the price. You want as little of your precious solar power to be wasted. (Same reason your battery cables should be bigger than seemingly necessary.) Use the absolute maximum charge or load current that you could conceivably produce/use for the calculations. Most of the thime you'll be well under that.

Their store with pricing is here   http://store.electrical-insulators-and-copper-ground-bars.com/   I've bought copper from them, both bars and sheet.

Electrical copper (wire, cable, busbar, most flat sheet or plate copper is alloy C11000 which is 99.9% pure and conducts electricity very well. Another way to get a busbar would be to use some copper pipe. However bear in mind that the alloy used for pipe is different than that used for electrical copper. The pipe alloy (C12200) does not conduct electricity nearly as well; but I don't have any precise figures on that.

If you buy bars from Storm get the undrilled, unpunched stock; drill them yourself and save $

[Okie_Bob]

Why not just buy gold? It's a better conductor and right now probably cheaper!!!!
Can't believe the cost of copper these days. 'They' say it is because China is buying it all up for internal consumption, I don't know. But, bought 3  70' lengths of 2/0 copper wire for main into my house....$750!!!!
Stopped at Lowe's last Saturday, needed 250' of 3 conductor 10 ga plus ground for power to my dock....it was exactly twice what I had seen at Home Depot only two days before. A Lowe's employee was standing there ready to cut off what I needed and I asked him why they were exactly twice what Home Depot was and he looked at me and said, 'well why don't you go buy it at Home Depot then?' I couldn't believe my ears. Told him that was exactly where I was headed and not to worry, I would never darken his door ever again. Should have asked for the store manager but, I was so shocked, I just walked out with my jaw hanging open.
OKie Bob

[glenn kangiser]

Doesn't surprise me, Okie BoB.  Lowes quite commonly uses bait and switch tactics around here, as an example of other things to watch with them.  Advertise things at 1/2 price that they have no intention of getting or supplying - hoping you will by something else and trying to not honor their price guarantee.  I told them if they didn't want to honor it they could take their price guarantee signs down while I watched.  A manager OK'd the price match after I wouldn't give in.  I told them that was why I was there and it was false advertising if they didn't do it.

[Amanda_931]

The TrueValue hardware store up in the next county just loves the Lowes ads.  The owner swears that his prices are often lower all the time than their ad prices.

So anyone who comes into his store can feel that they are getting an honest deal--and besides it's at least 40 miles to the nearest Lowes from there.

But of course he doesn't have the knock-down cabinets and that kind of thing.

[southernsis]

Where I live we do not have alot of choice on where to go for building materials. There is a Home Depot about 26 miles away, but they do not keep the store stocked and the people who work there have no idea where anything is. So we have driven an extra 30 miles to go to Lowes. They seem to have what we need at a good price. Have not had the bait and switch yet, but have not bought anything from their ad. We finally located a place about 18 miles away that has a fairly good price on their building material. It is a private owned company with 2 stores. They are a little higher, but we do not have to go far to get what we need. The Home Depot store seem to be on the way out here. My 4 cents worth. :-/

[MountainDon]

My local True Value and Ace Hardware stores are usually priced quite resonablly and both have great service to boot. Molst Ace stores will also let you order something on their website and have the item shipped to whatever store you choose. No fee for the shipping I believe. They just don't have lumber and the like.

[r8ingbull]

I'm very biased towards the true value or ace stores.  Also if you want to order something online, call the store first and place it over the phone.  It's usually cheaper and the local store owner makes the profit instead of the ace corporation.

[glenn kangiser]

Stores seem to vary locally sometimes.  Our Ace and Do It Best are good but our True Value is many times double to 4 times the price on some items.  Some things they have been fair on.  A pipe fitting there was $2.39 while Do It Best was $.63

[MountainDon]

Ya gotta remember they are all independently owned franchises. Sometimes I think they may just want t price themselves into early retirement.

[glenn kangiser]

They really made a point with me -- made themselves last choice.

[MountainDon]

Somebody's always gotta own last place.    

[desdawg]

We now have a choice of Home Depot and Lowes. I have always thought Lowes to be a bit more expensive. But there are times when HD just doesn't have what I need. I don't have time to shop and compare every time I need something so HD usually gets my business.

[MountainDon]

Compring my local Home Depots and Lowe's HD is also usually a little less on practically everything but your basic lumber. More often than not they are the same or within pennies for any common stick or sheet goods. I compare online whenever I can before leaving on a buying trip. There's one of each within a couple blocks of each other.