Inverter Mystery..

I bought a 3,000 watt inverter from a truck stop.. one of those yellow plastic ones. It was temporary until I got my real inverter I bought online.

Anyway, the yellow inverter worked fine until I overloaded it and then it wouldn't work so I returned it.

I installed the one I bought online, but it would not turn on. I checked all the connections and determined that the RED line was functioning correctly and the GROUND wire was indeed connected to the trucks frame, so the problem must be with the BLACK line.

The Black line goes under the truck but is not connected to anything, just hanging in the air. So I'm confused as to how the hell the yellow inverter worked in the first place???

 

all you need is a red line and ground to make the thing work. the wire thats hanging loose maybe an AC output line in case you want to wire up 110 volt Outlet in your side box...don't know for sure, just a guess

 

What does the other mans written opinion AKA installation manual say?

 

When you got first overload the black wire just burned out. It was designed this way with fusible link to prevent fire if shorts in electrical system.
Keep in mind 3000watt : 12volts = 250 amps.
Choose the right wires for such current and connect wires directly to the battery terminals with 250 amp fuse.
BTW what kind of load did you use to overload 3000 watt inverter?

 

The Black wire goes under the truck but is not, and never has been connected to anything. It just hangs there in the air.

There is already a proper fuse on the RED line.

I overloaded the yellow 3000watt inverter with a 900watt hot plate. (but this isn't important)

 

If that were the case, then why wouldn't my new inverter turn on when I attached all the lines? (POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, and GROUND)

The new inverter is indeed functional, by the way I connected it directly to the POSITIVE and NEGATIVE terminals of my truck battery, and it turned on.

 

Sorry I got big confusion in your post. Is inverter connected to the battery box with proper fuse in line and proper wire gauge used or you plug it in cigarette lighter plug?
How in the world can you overload 3000 watt invertor with 900 watt load? It less then 30% load.

 

I was unsure of that myself. But I assumed it was due to the fact that the inverter is NOT a PURE SINE inverter unlike my new inverter and maybe maybe the hot plate went over the peak wattage. I figured that combination overloaded the 3,000watt inverter, which was working fine up until that point. I unplugged everything else from the inverter before using it with the hot plate.

 

Fuseable link goes on the red wire.

Red is "+" to battery
Black is "-" to battery
Ground is chassis ground.

most vehicles have the Black wire tied to Chassis within a few feet of the battery. Your invertor simply saw the case ground a the "-".

Only in houses are the Black wires routed to a circuit breaker.

 

Are you saying that the 3,000 watt inverter worked because all it needed was the POSITIVE connection and GROUND wire connection?