solar panel cable transition from roof to interior; best way?

[mudshark]

I'm looking for the best way to pass solar panel cable through the roof of my camper van into the interior. The panels are Grape Solar, and the tech guy at G.S. said the cable they used was 12 gauge.
So far, the option that looked the most promising to me was to use these;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROOF-TWIN-C...ervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item35d59df674

As you can see from the title, the vendor implies that these "glands" are suitable for use with solar.
Any opinions about this solution?
Should I trust that my cables will fit through these?
Anyone know a source in the U.S. or Canada for these? Shipping, etc. is pretty costly from the U.K.

Thanks for any advice you can offer (especially if it's from first hand experience!)

John B

 

[bknudtsen]

Try these. Plenty of US retailers.

http://www.scanstrut.com/gallery/in...ElectronicsBrand=&cboProduct=10039&results=12

 

[Herbie]

Either one of those should work. The cable Glands have been around a while and are a pretty standard way of doing a weatherproof panel pass through. Their biggest limitation is often how thick of a panel they can be used with - since there is typically a backing nut that has to be threaded on that applies pressure to a gasket. The double-gland is nice if you're running big wires, but you can also usually use a single large gland IF you're using a multi-wire conductor inside a weathertight jacket. Don't try to just jam two wires through it, you won't get a good seal, but a 12-2 cable with a tight insulating jacket (I use in-wall rated speaker cable), should be fine.

EDIT: Looking at more pictures of the double-gland unit, I see that it doesn't have it's own way to fasten to the roof. You'd be responsible for gluing(?) it down and ensuring a seal. I'm more used to the normal style gland:

These typically work well, but you can see how the panel thickness becomes an issue if you're going through thick fiberglass, etc.

 

[PaulDavis]

Check out AM Solar's rooftop combiner box. More expensive, but if you're putting several panels on the roof, it has several really nice features.

 

[spencyg]

I used Amphenol connectors.

http://cnc-specialty-store.com/amphenol-connector

They are waterproof, military spec, and if you need to remove the panel or change wiring, you could do it on either side instead of having to pull the entire length of wire. There is some soldering involved, but if you're doing panels this probably isn't a big concern.

SG