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power inverter setup?

rweaver138

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Brooklyn, CT
I'm looking to install a power inverter in the heep, prolly about 1000 watts. What's the correct way to hardwire it? I was thinking a four gauge wire directly to the battery then obviously a ground. Would it be better to ground it to the "frame" or go to the battery with that too? Should I throw a fuse or relay in there as well? I'm looking into a modified sine and the biggest thing I'd prolly run is and angle grinder or power drill. Would mainly want it for lights and small electronics while camping.


Anyone have any write ups or pics of their setups? Any opinions on certain inverters? TIA
 
Depending upon where you would mount the inverter you will require a larger gauge wire due to voltage drop due to length of wire run and load.
The heat that the inverter heat sink removes is power lost converting from DC to AC which translates out to amperage load.
My suggestion would be to use a minimum of 2 gauge wire and install either a breaker that can be reset or an inline fuse. The fuse rating should be 60 amps or there abouts.
Remember the fuse protects the wiring not the component it services.
 
also keep in mind that those inverters have a boatload of dirty power and are not intended for sensitive electronics. charles it might also be cheaper in the long haul to just buy a 100A circuit breaker for that inverter
 
also keep in mind that those inverters have a boatload of dirty power and are not intended for sensitive electronics. charles it might also be cheaper in the long haul to just buy a 100A circuit breaker for that inverter

I have to agree with MaxxXJ's response.... Poor quality inverters will create noise on a CB or Ham radio...
A more important question would be....; will his battery and cables, charging wire from the alternator to the PDC and the alternator rating handle that much load?
 
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i'd be more worried about how fast it would drain the battery. i know my 4 130watt kc's drained my battery in less than 30 minutes when my girl forgot to shut them off =)

i know i can go down and buy a cheap little harbor freight 1000 watt generator for like 130 dollars. im told a nice lawn mower muffler will quiet it down alot.
 
I will be upgrading battery cables as well, then after that will come a higher amp alternator and possibily dual batteries. I also wouldn't run anything important that would draw a lot of enegy and that would fry up. I'd also turn the jeep on after awhile and let it run. So I should use two gauge wire and a 100 amp fuse? Two gauge ground wire also?
 
rweaver, you kind of have 2 options... in the stereo world its either run the ground no longer than 18 inches or run it back to the battery. and with the fuse, keep it no further than 12-18 inches from the battery. 2 guage i wouldnt say is manditory, but a good high thread count 4 guage will do just as well. my question is, where do you plan to mount this? how far from the battery? like on your dash? center console? out the hatch? the distance from the battery will really determine what size guage of wire to run
 
the plan is to mount in under the passenger seat and run the wires through the firewall
 
thats short enough to run 4 guage wire. then run your ground to your seat bolt or back to the battery only issue you might have with tying it to the seat bolt is getting shocked like static electricity when you get in or get out of the car =)
 
I was thinking about an inverter too. I really have no idea about my options either, so what inverters are you guys running? I came across a 1100 watt inverter on JEGS for $130. How hard would it be to remote mount the 2 outlets?

Yeah so what are your setups?
 
My 400 Watt Cobra inverter stays in its little plastic box until I need it. I only use it to run my CPAP machine when camping and to charge my notebook and cell phone batteries. Probably not the kind of ideas you are looking for, but I can use it in any vehicle I want.
 
My 400 Watt Cobra inverter stays in its little plastic box until I need it. I only use it to run my CPAP machine when camping and to charge my notebook and cell phone batteries. Probably not the kind of ideas you are looking for, but I can use it in any vehicle I want.

I have sleep apnea too (assuming thats what you use your CPAP for). Its a royal PITA. Do you let your battery drain all night or run your engine?
 
I have sleep apnea too (assuming thats what you use your CPAP for). Its a royal PITA. Do you let your battery drain all night or run your engine?

I've used my CPAP for about eight hours a night without any noticeable issues with the battery, just as long as I start it the next day and drive for an hour or so--camped for seven days doing it that way.

And yeah, sleep apnea since 04. All I knew was I always woke up exhausted, and my wife kept telling me that I would quit breathing multiple times at night. When I did the sleep lab at the VA hospital they told me I quit breathing 91 times an hour.
 
my dad had a sleep apnea test done, they said he only slept for 15 seconds at a time.. youch..

anyways, i think i know how im gonna run it now, now all i have to do is find the one that i want.

walmart has a black and decker 750w for 69.95, or theres this one ive been looking at thats on sale http://www.donrowe.com/inverters/wagan_1000.html
 
Joe, your apneas occur at about the same frequency as mine. All CPAP did for me was blow air in my face. I use a BIPAP; it works much better than the CPAP. Something to consider should you become dissatisfied with your CPAP. The BIPAP does draw more power than the CPAP though, IIRC about 3 or 4X.

SA is serious business. I used to wake up feeling like I had had a plastic bag over myt head for several minutes.
 
SA sucks i really need to get the test done as well it runs in my family and i am showing signs of it already. Its what my dad died from a few years back.
 
Joe, your apneas occur at about the same frequency as mine. All CPAP did for me was blow air in my face. I use a BIPAP; it works much better than the CPAP. Something to consider should you become dissatisfied with your CPAP. The BIPAP does draw more power than the CPAP though, IIRC about 3 or 4X.

SA is serious business. I used to wake up feeling like I had had a plastic bag over myt head for several minutes.

Yeah, I had a hell of a time with the nose masks. They started me at 16 (psi?), and I had to rig up a chin strap to keep my mouth closed and extra straps to keep the thing on my face--finally they got me a full mask that covers the mouth and nose, and then cranked me up to 18. I will check into the BIPAP, but my medical is through the VA and they still use leaches for bloodletting and burn animal sacrifices--not true, but they are a little behind the times.
 
SA sucks i really need to get the test done as well it runs in my family and i am showing signs of it already. Its what my dad died from a few years back.

Real sorry to hear about your Dad.

I had no idea what was wrong with me, my wife kept telling me she would wake up after I took a huge breath, then she would lay there and start waiting for me to quit breathing altogether. She finally video taped me and I was shocked. We showed the tape to my primary care at the VA and he got me an emergency consult for the sleep lab.

Had absolutely no clue as to how serious my condition was. Please get yourself tested.
 
Sorry about your sleep apnea gentleman, but, any opinions on the inverters I posted :D
 
I have the Black & Decker 750w I picked up at Walmart several years ago for use as a short term backup during the odd power outage. Ended up performing flawlessly through many hours of use during two hurricanes. You can easily figure your potential wattage needs but just for a quick indication we typically used the unit to power a TV, light and fan during the evening hours and then a couple of fans while sleeping.

I know nothing about the Wagan brand but I would go for the 1000w unit at the advertised price. There was another recent thread re: inverters and as I recall, 1000w units were going for quite a bit more than this.
 
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