Shocking News About Inverter/Charger Installations!

2017-09-04 Power Inverter Knowledge

Shocking News About Inverter/Charger Installations!

When asked questions at my technical seminars, I often find they begin with, “Should I do this…” or “Should I do that?” As you might expect, these are

always hard questions to answer regardless of the topic, because each individual operator will have different needs and experiences that are unique to

Q: Should I rate my fuse based on the inverter size?

Q: Should I put a washer between the cable terminal and inverter, or battery connector?

placed between the connector and the cable. The lock washer, or star washers, are intended to be in direct contact with the bolt-head or nut to reduce the chance of loosening.

Q: How do I determine the right cable size?

Q: Can I install an inverter/charger in the engine compartment or battery bay?

A: NEVER put your inverter/charger in an engine compartment, battery bay or any location containing fuel or flammable, or corrosive, vapors. Inverter/chargers are an ignition source and are incompatible with combustible fumes. If the only close location is in the battery bay, get bigger cables and move the inverter further away.

Q: What should I know about neutral and ground connections?

A: NEVER, EVER tie neutral and ground together, manually, in any installation, period! Neutral is tied to ground at the source of AC power simply to allow the ground wire to be an alternate path for return current during a failure where the hot wire touches the chassis of a device or vehicle. This is intended to trip the breaker.