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User’s Manual—Read before using this equipment
12
WARNING: EXPLODING BATTERIES CAN SPRAY MOLTEN LEAD, HOT SULFURIC ACID AND
PLASTIC FRAGMENTS� BATTERIES THAT ARE CHARGING OR UNDER HIGH DISCHARGE RATES
CAN PRODUCE EXPLOSIVE HYDROGEN GAS INTO THE SURROUNDING AREA� BE SAFE—FUSE
THE BATTERY BANK AND MAKE SURE THE BATTERY BANK LOCATION IS PROPERLY VENTILATED�
DC Cable Gauge
Minimize cable losses by using the shortest practical length of insulated stranded copper wire.
Refer to “Appendix A” at the rear of this manual for suggested cable gauge.
INSTALLATION—CONNECTING AN INVERTER
General information
This inverter must be mounted in a dry, cool and dust free environment.
If installation is on a wall or bulkhead, the inverter should be mounted horizontally. Vertical
mounting allows dust and objects to fall into inverter vents.
Loose connections will result in a severe voltage drop that can cause damage to connectors,
conductors and insulation and can cause sparking. Reverse polarity connection will blow the
fuses in the inverter and can permanently damage to the inverter. Damage caused by reverse
polarity will void the warranty.
All cables must be made of stranded, insulated copper wire. Measure the round trip length of
cable needed. Round trip is the distance from the negative battery bank terminal to the inverter
and back to the positive terminal of the battery bank. Use a length of string and follow the route
the cables will follow. Measure the length of string and then determine the correct gauge cable
required for the power level and total distance. Appendix A has a table that relates cable length
and gauge for your inverter. Measure all terminal stud diameters that are to be connected to
cables. Obtain ring terminals that fit the cables and terminal studs. Be sure the ring terminals can
carry the current required.
The holes in the blade-style terminals will accommodate bolt sizes 1/4" through 3/8".
GROUND TERMINAL WIRE REQUIREMENTS
Use a minimum of 6 gauge stranded wire for enclosure ground wire. Connect this to the chassis
of your vehicle or to the grounding system in your boat. In a city, the ground wire can connect
to a metal cold water pipe that goes underground. In remote locations, the ground wire can
be connected to an “earth ground”. This can be an attachment to a 6 foot long copper clad
metal rod driven into the ground. In the unlikely event of a short circuit, operating the inverter
without proper grounding can result in electrical shock. Do not directly connect this ground to the
negative terminal on the inverter.
Cable Preparation
1. Strip all cable ends to allow crimping of Ring Terminals.
2. Crimp appropriate sized ring terminals onto all cable ends including fuse holder cable
ends.
3. Connect the fuse holders to the long positive (+) cable terminals.
4. Connect the fuse holders to the short positive (+) cable terminals.
5. Wrap the inverter positive cable ends with insulating plastic wrap.
6. Mount the fuse holders to a support structure.
