Anything in a 12V system that switches power gets hot and is designed to dump that heat into a metal surface — a solar charge controller, a voltage regulator, a DC-DC converter, an inverter's mounting plate. Between the device and the metal there is always a microscopic air gap, and air is a poor conductor of heat.

Heat sink compound fills that gap. Without it a controller mounted hard against a bulkhead runs noticeably hotter and throttles back sooner. It is a two-dollar step that changes how long the expensive part lasts.

Specs

• Silicone thermal transfer compound
• For regulators, charge controllers, converters, power semiconductors
• 3 oz tube
• Manufacturer part number 98003
• Shipping weight: 0.22 lb

Bundle and save on shipping. Small parts like this ship in the same box as the rest of your order — add a few to one order and you pay shipping once.