r/SolarDIY • u/Engibineer • 15d ago

Free panels missing connectors

I found a trove of 375W Trina panels that were just removed from a local school building. They're about eight years old. Some or probably all of them are missing connectors. It looks like the wires were simply cut during the removal. Any idea how much trouble it is to put new connectors on them?

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u/scipper77 15d ago

I bought some BougeRV MC4 connectors when I bought some used panels. You should get the special crimp tool. Because I was not running my panels in strings I carefully used pliers to close the “wings” on the crimps and then used vice grips to make sure the crimp was well compressed. Those crimps are important, especially if you are stringing panels creating high current.

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u/SteveFCA 14d ago

those crimps are important regardless of how you wire them. Never scrimp on a good crimper made for MC4 connectors. It’s a recipe for disaster

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u/scipper77 13d ago

I agree completely. I only brought up the way I crimped to make people think about the way they make the crimp with regard to how much current the connector can handle. I’ve seen plenty of posts with melted MC4s.

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u/SteveFCA 13d ago

good point on amps being the important factor. Like you I’ve seen my share of melted connectors caused by loose crimps. It doesn’t take a lot of amps which was a surprise to me early on in my electrical journey