a.) Choose a wire to carry a maxium of 5A from a solar panel to the batteries 25ft away.What would the wire resistance and voltage drop be in question a.) .?
We can't do your homework if we don't know the wire size.
depends on how much voltage drop you want to allow. For a solar panel, that is probably well less than 1 volt, as any drop is totally wasted. Say 0.5 volts? That means a resistance of less than 0.5v/5 amps 0.1Ω. for 50 ft, look resistance up in wire tables. #14 is 2.5Ω/1000 ft, so that is 0.25Ω per 100 ft or 0.12Ω per 50 ft. You can use that, or go with #12, which is 1.6Ω/1000 ft or 0.08Ω for 50 ft. with #12, you will lose I?R 25*0.08 2 watts. .
Check in the web for wire manufacturers, they will provide you a table for the current carrying capacity of various sizes wires, enter for 5 amps could be either #16 or #14 I am not sure. the same table should give you the maximum length of the run, if it is more than the 25 feet that you need, then just make a relation to adjust for the proper size, most values are given up to 50 feet so I think you are in the safe range, check it anyway. The resistance will be the rated voltage produced at the solar cells divided by 5.0 amps. The Voltage Drop will be the rated voltage at the solar cells minus the voltage at the batteries.
It's hardly worth calculating for only 25 Feet. Use #12 wire and your drop will be too low to measure at 5A. Even #14 would be fine, and that's the smallest house-wire gauge.
You taped the stripped ends with tape - then put in the nut over the tape? that's no longer a good concept - cord nuts have a spiral steel coil interior that help make and retaining a good electric connection. electric tape would not try this. I wager you have been making use of the two the cheap cord nuts that got here with the hot fixture, or have been making use of improperly sized cord nuts. I recommend identifying to purchase top sized cord nuts and remaking the connections top. RE added information: i'd question the respected web content. First, code would not comprehend tape as a gadget to make eletrical connections, in basic terms as a potential of insulating a splice. interior the previous days, taped connections have been soldered first to create a good mechanical and electric connection; the tape replaced into for insulation in basic terms. We nevertheless use listed cord connectors right this moment that require a tape overwrap for insulating purposes. 2d, jointly as taping over a cord nut isn't prohibited, the cord nut is the connecting gadget and would bypass on the wires first, in line with all producer's guidelines.
