Inverters are electronic devices that allow 240V appliances to run from a 12V or 24V battery. One of the major items that impact an inverter’s performance is the size of cable connecting it to the battery.
Inverters have a safety cut out built into them to turn the inverter off if the battery Voltage gets too low. This protects the battery from being over discharged and the inverter from being overloaded. Using the wrong size cable can cause this protection to trip unnecessarily.
The battery cable that carries the power from the battery to the inverter actually provides resistance to the flow of power. Too much resistance will result in a high Voltage drop between the battery and the inverter. So even though your battery is fully charged the Voltage at the inverter will be too low and this will cause the inverter to turn off.
There are three factors that need to be considered when choosing the right size cable: the amount of power flowing through the cable; the size of the cable and the length of the cable.
Projecta Inverters are supplied with the correct size cables for connecting to a battery. When used, this cable will ensure that the voltage drop is minimal. It is common however that in some application the inverter would need to be mounted further from the battery than the supplied cables will allow.
This is commonly where problems are encountered since using the wrong size cable will lead to poor performance. To overcome this Projecta now offers a range of Inverter Wiring Kits to suit the whole range of inverters, these kits are available in 3m and 6m lengths (depending on the model) and include cable, connection lugs and heat shrink. When used the Projecta wiring kits allow the inverter to be mounted in a convenient location, yet assure correct operation and performance.
What size cable should I use?