# Anderson SB Connectors / DC Disconnects



## Steve_S (Feb 25, 2015)

Good Day folks,

I was reading a thread in here a while ago and Jeephammer suggested using Anderson SB Series Disconnects from Battery Banks to Inverter/Charger. There is a assortment of these available and all at pretty reasonable prices as well (on E-Bay anyways)... They come with many Amp Ratings and sized according to the wiring used which pretty much covers all Battery Bank possibilities.

For my particular configuration I believe the SB-175 would be the appropriate model to get. I have 8 Rolls Surette S-550's in Series/Parallel for 24 Volts and using #2/0 wire.

I believe this is the correct Part that I should order from E-Bay







Anderson SB175 Connector Kit Red 2 Awg 6329G5 2 Pack 2 housings and 4 contacts

Now I'm not sure what if any difference there is between colours other than the obvious for Quick Recognition. I hope JeepHammer can chime in on this thread and enlighten us who don't know about this type of hardware... 

Thanks in Advance 
Steve

PS: Would like to order what I need this weekend so I can proceed with my installation.


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

It CAN be confusing to get the correct size WIRE GAGUE TERMINALS for these connectors,
But having replaceable terminals means you can update your system without scrapping the entire wiring/connectors,
Just swap terminals and you are back up and running.

The other thing I like is 'STACKABLE'...
To save some space, I used to have battery carts with two rows of batteries,
One on the bottom shelf, one on top shelf,
Whatever tab/bracket you use to secure the inverter side of the connector,
You simply use the second battery string bolted to the other side,
In effect stacking the connectors.

This allows you to use TWO loose battery connectors (from the two strings) and keep one plugged in if you need to...
A good idea is to put a 'Yank' handle on BOTH battery string connector halves in the event of an emergency...
I usually didn't bolt the battery string connectors together, the ENTIRE IDEA of connectors is to POSITIVELY disconnect one string at a time for service.

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What I've moved up to now is battery carts, getting the batteries on roller carts so I don't have to lug them around,
And this allows me to a little extra room LENGHT WISE to separate batteries, spacing them out for ventilation,
And it allows air under the batteries for convection cooling.

It also gets the batteries UP WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO BEND OVER AS MUCH!
Nothing like trying to lift 150 pound battery off the floor at my age, with a bad back!

This puts the batteries on long carts which can be rolled into a 'Working' area and plugged into your 'Grid'...

When you want to work on the batteries, simply pull the quick disconnect handle for the cart, pull the cart out where you can get all the way around it, 
Pull up your stool & tool cart and go to town...

When you are done, roll it back into place, plug it in, move to the next string/cart...

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Everyone *Thinks* carts are too expensive...
Not exactly true.

I got a 3.5" diameter piece of solid bar stock, sliced it with a power hack saw into 1.5" wide 'Bologna' slices,
Simply drilled a hole in the middle and used a common bolt as the 'Axle'.
This thing does NOT have to do 70 MPH down the highway, so the axle does NOT have to have bearings, just a little oil once in a while.
It's moving a whopping 4 feet every couple of weeks, not exactly a high mileage/high speed application.

The cart is built from angle iron, and you would be surprised how cheap a welding shop will put them together for you when you are NOT in a rush and they can do it when things are slow.

YOU DO NOT NEED 'SWIVEL' CASTERS that can cost a BUNCH of money...
Again, every couple of weeks it moves 4 feet, in a straight line, and the same 4 feet back in a straight line...
No swivels, no bearings no expensive parts required.
The wheels don't even have to be drilled EXACTLY centered...

Due to the weight of the batteries, one or two strings per cart, you DO NOT want 'Rubber' or plastic wheels! Nothing that will crack or flatten under the weight of the load.

Even if you have TWO battery strings on the same cart (Reducing cost by reducing the number of carts you need),
You CAN get the bottom string up off the ground, making maintenance easier,
But be aware to leave lots of space between bottom and top shelf,
And this CAN make the cart a little top heavy, but again, straight lines, 4 feet, not trying to corner at 70 MPH with this thing!

I found this out the hard way,
You DO NOT want 'Skinny' wheels, especially if you are on a wood floor!
The weight WILL indent the wood, so use a wide wheel and it won't sink into a 'Soft' floor.
On soft wood (pine boards or plywood, OSB, ect.), you might want 2" or even 2.5" wide.

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Connectors come in about 5 colors I'm aware of.
I use 'Red' for the battery 'Hot' side, Gray for the 'Feed' side to the inverters.

These are 'Connectors',
They don't become 'Quick Disconnects' until you add the pull handle. 
Mount the inverter side SOLIDLY, then put a quick pull handle on the battery connector, and you are off to the races!

Disconnects, BY CODE, have to be 'Red',
A disconnect box handle MUST have a 'Red' knob on it and be clearly marked...
These aren't actual 'Code' disconnects, but I think the idea of 'Red' is a really good one and if I were subject to 'Code' (an on grid or grid inter-tie system) they *Might* pass if the inspector isn't looking too close...

While color coding of 'Battery' supplies is NOT required, they are 'FULL TIME HOT' so color coding them as such is a REALLY good idea, and it's as simple as just ordering the 'Red' plastic part of the connector (Or using a spray can on one side of the connection).

Since I'm running a SERIES/PARILLEL arrangement, the inverter side of the connector is still 'Hot' from the other battery strings.
These I usually use 'Pink' instead of 'Fire Engine Red', shows they are 'Hot' but when they are mounted, it's not such a big issue.

The big issue is *IF* you have a short circuit, inverter failure, battery that blows up, ect. you want to know which connectors to pull RIGHT AWAY,
Fire Engine RED are the ones that cut the power.

I also use Red connectors on the feeds from the solar panels, Again, these are 'Full Time Hot' when the sun shines,
And again, they have quick pull handles on them...

Code, not code, I don't care,
The quick an POSITIVE disconnect is a REALLY GOOD IDEA,
And it makes a positive disconnect that CAN NOT FAIL like 'Breakers' can.
(A Breaker is NOT a DISCONNECT, don't try and use a 'Breaker' for a Disconnect.)

It's quick, efficient, cheap and easy to do... I'm all about being lazy, and this makes for LAZY MAINTIANCE while making your system more efficient...


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

One other thing about these connectors,

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO INSTALL JUST *ONE *CABLE OR WIRE INTO THE CONNECTOR TERMINAL BEFORE YOU CRIMP/SOLDER...

You want to keep as FEW wires, especially small gauge wires, AWAY FROM THE BATTERIES as possible!

The INVERTER SIDE of the connector can have extra wires crimped in with the larger cables...

This allows you to keep your charge controller wiring, power tracking wiring, solar panel feed wiring, ect. AWAY FROM THE BATTERIES!
This will save you a TON of aggravation/corrosion and hair pulling in the long run!
(Took me YEARS to learn you DID NOT have to have all that crap connected DIRECLY to the batteries!)

Lets face it, you have to VERY LARGE cables from the connector to the batteries,
And those large cables can transmit current BOTH DIRECTIONS,
So you don't need to hook your charge controllers or solar panel wiring to the battery terminals,
Just crimp that stuff directly into the HARNESS/INVERTER side of the connector, and it will live for YEARS without corrosion, cooking it, breaking wires from constant connection/disconnection when you service battery terminals...

'TOP' side, crimp the inverter wiring, charge controller, power tracking, solar panels, ect into it,
NOTHING BUT BATTERIES ON THE 'BOTTOM' SIDE OF THE CONNECTOR.

Seal that bottom side up the best you can,
Crimp, Solder, Heat Shrink, Use Boots, Fill the boots/connectors with dielectric grease,
Anything you can do to keep corrosion out...
That includes the cables/terminals that hook directly to the batteries.
Keeping that acid out of the EXPENSIVE copper saves you time, money, hair pulling, and makes the entire system more efficient!

Well worth the small extra expense and time to do it correctly!


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## Steve_S (Feb 25, 2015)

Thanks JeepHammer.

My powerhouse has a Frost Protected Slab with 1/2" pex in it and the building itself is super-insulated. I have 6 wheels for the battery tray I am putting the batteries on, they are rated to 500 Lbs ea (they are for industrial use & I got them for a song).

Excellent point on adding the smaller wires on the -> Inverter Side of the Connector. So the Classic-200 will be wired there as well. There's an Littelfuse JLLN-300 300A/300V class T fuse going in-line as a extra safety. I'm certainly not going to put anything more than absolutely necessary into the battery box for many reasons but most importantly overall safety. There's a heap of juice and a lot of Amps in there and that can be nasty if something goes amiss.

100% Agree on NOT using a breaker as disconnect... BTDT and it's too tempting for Murphy's Laws to be applied. Physical Disconnection is the safest way.

The #2/0 cables I have for the power leads are 10', which gives me the distance / length needed for my space so I'll add in 2' "Pig Tails" from the connector to batteries putting the connector outside the battery box.

Thanks Again & Have a Terrific Day !
Steve

PS: Order Placed and part should arrive in 10 days +/-


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

I started out with the batteires dead in the back of the 'Yard Barn' I started out with.
I figured out pretty quickly they needed to be in the front...
A couple of 'Incidents' later, one 'Yank' and 8 feet later they are outside the building.
(---- the cart, I can get new carts if something is on fire!)

My new carts have 'Drip Pans' under the batteries.
A couple of auto watering incidents getting the wood floor all wet and I decided to put plastic, low side storage 'Tubs' under the batteries...

Two shelves for batteries, and a 'Tub' or two wired under the cart between the wheels to catch 'Whatever'...
Two battery strings per cart to cut down on expenses...
Let the $3 tubs clean up the messes that are going to happen despite your best efforts...

I tried 'Wooden' carts... They like to LEAN with the weight.
Gone to angle iron now. 
(I'm a welder and machinist by trade, but wood is easier to work with when you are fabbing in a prototype)

Since you CAN'T get between battery carts when they are in place and hooked up,
I ran a 2"x6" across the FRONT of the carts, ABOVE the carts.
This gets my wiring out of the gasses from the batteries, reducing corrosion,
And it puts the connectors right where you can get at them in a heartbeat.

You can't get between carts (or at least my big butt can't get in there!), putting the connectors in the back against the wall was a loosing proposition...
With a 2"x6" in front, over the carts, and a 2"x4" long ways to the back wall,
This gives support for the wiring coming in from the solar strings,
A place to mount the charge controllers for each battery string right above those battery strings,
And the 'Front' 2"x6" gives me a place for the inverter wiring connections to mount.

With about 10" between carts (mostly for the tubs below to stick out), 
This allows air flow up from below, this is convection cooling for the batteries, lifting gasses away with the heat...
Anything that condenses drops into the plastic tubs where it can harmlessly evaporate away...

In the winter, I simply push the batteries together, stick foam board around them and use a cheap wratchet strap to hold the insulation to the batteries...
Again, any condensation can drop into the tubs.
Foam board is CHEAP, so if it fails with exposure to the battery gasses/condensation, no big deal.

Foam board is stored in the rafters above the batteries since that is a 'No Mans Land' anyway during the hot months.

With Solar Strings directly feeding battery strings (dedicated & redundant),
And the battery strings Series, combining for Parallel for the inverter,
I have a completely redundant, nearly failure proof set up...
(Only took 15 years of trial & error to get to this point!)

One solar string, or battery string can fail, without effecting the entire battery bank or inverter output.
I loose some 'Reserve' if a solar or battery string fails, and it's a little less efficient with a charge controller for each string,
BUT,
Charge controllers are CHEAP, and we are talking losses less than ONE panel per string.
Since you make your own power, the losses are worth the redundancy...
Charge controllers are CHEAP, and if you are handy with a soldering iron, you can make your own fairly easily...

Without a doubt,
The CARTS & ANDERSON Connectors are the best thing I've done for my system...
Yank the handle, pull the cart out 4 feet or so, do your service work like the stuff was in a filing cabinet drawer...

The flatter, more stable the floor, the taller the cart can be without being 'Shaky', 
That gets your batteries up off the floor for easy service work!
The idea batteries have to be in a 'Box' you have to stoop over to work on,
Lug up and down to rotate the batteries in their strings,
Is stupid beyond words!

Rolling the batteries around is MUCH easier,
And if you don't have a bad back now, lugging around those batteries is a good way to GET a bad back!...

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I stay away from "Quick Connects" of any kind, including 'Anderson', when I can.
Moving terminals with the POTENTIAL for crud/corrosion to accumulate is a bad thing...
Heavy SOLID connectors when I can get away from it, ones that WILL NOT be messed with much...

These battery strings, panels string connectors are 'Sources' and MUST have quick disconnects to prevent a failure from becoming a catastrophe...
The Inverter should have a LARGE, POSITIVE DISCONNECT to cut off ANY 'Source' power,
You can't get around that with a large system...

These Anderson connectors make for GREAT quick, positive disconnects,
Along with PHSYICAL disconnects for moving the battery strings around...
It's the easiest/cheapest way I've found so far that still maintains a POSTIVE disconnect and maintains the proper current carrying capacity, 
AND STILL maintains INSTANT disconnect in the event of an emergency...


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

Just One More Thing,

BE AWARE THE DIFFERENT COLORS OF CONNECTORS ARE PROPRITARY!
THEY WILL ONLY CONNECT WITH A LIKE COLOR CONNECTOR IN MOST CASES.

You CAN get around this with a little creative shaving of plastic in the connector 'Throats',
Or a shot of spray paint and you can make them any color you want.


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## Steve_S (Feb 25, 2015)

The RED Package was ordered and shipped out this morning.

My Mechanic & Hot Rodding buddy gave me a present today which is gonna save me a heap'o stress. He retired an Industrial Cart Base with pivoting wheels and the whole enchilada, built out of Steel Stock with cross ribbing for extra strength... If you can dolly around BBC Long Blocks without a flinch, it will most certainly handle my 8 S-550's. Just gonna put a sheet of XPS Blue Foam on it, Drip Tray, then the batteries and "Voila" Good Thing I waited to build my box as I would have had to redo it to accommodate this cart ! Best Part is that it's 6" off the ground which is perfect for my needs _AND_ My Back !

Thanks Again JH
Steve


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

I'm 54 years young, 'Disabled' (Says WHO?...),
I do have a bad back... 

I LOVE my carts!
They make all this SO much easier, and at 54 (Soon to be MUCH older, it goes faster the older you get) I'm sure my back isn't going to get any better...

The original idea, slow to gel in my cluttered brain,
(I can remember what the characters on 'Gilligan's Island' real names were, and the actors names,
But I can't remember what I did with my car keys...)

I got sick of scooting the batteries around on the floor,
So I put them on 'furniture' dollies I had laying around.

As the battery strings got bigger, and I got sicker of stooping over the batteries for maintenance,
I built the new dollies with 4"x4" wood,
Then it dawned on me I could make them even taller, and could sit on a roll around stool to do maintenance,
When the batteries got changed out, I wheeled the new ones in on a big plastic 'Job Cart',
And the idea of getting them up where I could work on them without stooping over,
But the fiber/plastic carts weren't strong enough or big enough to hold a full string, or even a half string,
So the angle iron cart was born...

I was whacking off some 4" aluminum stock on the lathe for something else,
When the idea of making my own casters came along...
I had been prowling the salvage/surplus places looking for steel wheel casters,
When it dawned on me I didn't need to buy the wheels, they didn't need bearings...
They didn't even need to swivel like the job carts do.
Pretty simple, and yet remarkably effective.

They often say 'Reduce To Simplest Terms For The Application',
This is a prime example.

I like the steel casters when I find them, don't get me wrong,
But with aluminum stock handy, it's EASY to make some 'Wheels' and get the show on the road!

I used the 'Anderson' connectors by 'Accident' also,
When I first started on a larger scale, I used a steel case fork truck battery that came with an 'Anderson' on the cables,
I very nearly cut it off so I could 'Hard Wire' the battery.

My first Anderson connection came when I salvaged the cables/connectors off other fork truck batteries I couldn't use...
No cost connectors & Cables, but you didn't get to pick the length...

A 'Slight Mishap' early on taught me the value of the Andersons for Quick Disconnects,
No 'Yank' handle, I had to wrestle with the connector, but the building didn't burn down!
I was sold!
Andersons for disconnects on my OFF GRID system,
And probably for a battery back up, like yours,
But some 'Grid Inter-Tie' systems REQUIRE you to do it the difficult/expensive way to meet 'Code'...

I still have a big DC disconnect box with the 'Red' handle just before the inverter...
The idea of stacking Andersons, then trying to get them 'Yanked' while stacked was something I didn't want to do.
So ONE disconnect 'Box' that meets 'Code',
The battery strings get 'Anderson' connectors that have half mounted, the other half with 'Yank' handles from the battery strings...

I also use the smaller Andersons for the solar string feeds.
Again, the side of the connector from the 'Hot' panels get a RED YANK HANDLE, so I can disconnect the solar string that I'm working on...

Open circuit voltage will still light you up! 
(Ask my arc burned screwdrivers!),
So keep in mind you might want to keep the boxes the panels came in to lay over the panels in the event of service work!
Cut the light off, and the panels don't light you up!

My boxes are long gone, I use a pretty thick/heavy rubberized tarp to cover panels with when I do service work on that part of the system...
Keeps me from that 'Burned Hair' smell and licking the burns on my finger that DC will give you in short order!


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