INSTALLING A POWER INVERTER (Pictures)

Discussion in 'Trucking Electronics, Gadgets and Software Forum' started by Pur48Ted, Mar 23, 2009.

  1. fortycalglock

    fortycalglock Road Train Member

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    Jun 25, 2011
    Tourist Town, FL
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    Any car audio shop can install an inverter properly. They will have the proper size cables, fuzes( I prefer circuit breakers myself) etc and do it quick and cheap compared to anyone else that doesn't specialize in low voltage installations.
     
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  3. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

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    Jan 30, 2011
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    I just finished putting one in my T-600. My third pocket inverter in about a year failed about a month ago, and I was fed up dealing with them and their noisy little fans. So I went and installed a big one. It doesn't take much money-wise to make the difference between a fire hazard and a pro install. Basically an extra $75 on tools I'll use again some day, $65 on a top notch fuse/holder assembly, and maybe another $50 on misc hardware and heat shrink. That, in addition to the wire and hardware you'd have to buy at a minimum anyway. Total cost ended up $688.84, of which $336 was the inverter itself. The most important part IMO is taking the time to do it right the first time, along with having the right tools to do a quality job.

    First thing I did was bid on and win a hydraulic crimping tool on ebay. Less than $40 for a 10-ton crimper that will handle AWG-12 up to 2/0 wire connectors. I also ordered a 4' piece of heat shrink and 10 - 3/8" ring terminals for 2/0 wire from Mouser Electronics.

    Hodges Marine had the best price on the Xantrex Prowatt SW2000 inverter I wanted. Cleverly named for sine wave 2000W (1800 continuous) rating. I also added a Xantrex 300A battery fuse kit since they also had that available. It's a little on the big size (amperage), but I wanted one with 3/8" lugs. It's for short circuit protection anyway. If my 2/0 circuit grounds out, I don't think even a 300A fuse will last long enough to let a fire happen.

    Once I had all the mail order bits in hand, I went to my local Voltex battery dealer for the wire, a 25' box of 2/0 starter wire. My battery box is behind the left steer under the step and I had to reach to under the bunk. I rough guessed it at 26 feet with a tape measure. The guy at Voltex said I get a better price ($4/ft versus $5+ for bulk cut to order) on a 25' roll would that work? I decided I had enough wiggle room and went with that. I finished the job with a two foot piece leftover. So about a 21' run, plus the two shorty cables connecting the battery fuse and chassis ground.

    Then a stop at Home Depot (three actually, who actually gets everything they need in one trip? LOL) for the right size (and better) heat shrink, mounting hardware, a few cable clamps (like posted earlier, normally used on electrical boxes) I didn't already have, silicone sealer, and a few other misc items I needed. I went ahead and bought a good set of cable snips while I was there too. One of those tools I've meant to buy for years and never did. Now I have one.

    The most time consuming part was planning the wire run and mount location. With 2/0 wire at four bucks a foot and not wanting to cut it up and splice for do-overs, I took plenty of time to plan this out. For the inverter mount, I decided on upside down under the bunk. Cables come up thru the bottom of the cab inside the left toolbox, then through the divider plate for the under bunk storage area. The inverter is a few inches off that panel, so protects those lugs from anything that might accidentally touch them. I also made up a shorty chassis ground cable that's attached to that divider too. If for some reason I decide I need to improve that ground, the bolt end is in the tool box and can easily have another ground cable attached to it.

    Second to that was mounting the battery fuse inside the battery box. The only place to sensibly put it was in the inside next to the steer tire, which was under a thick plastic mudflap. Which was of course fastened with regular steel bolts thru aluminum spacers that had never ever been taken off since the truck was new. I had to break two of them off, but was able to recover the spacers by pressing the broken bolt piece out in a vice. The battery box is also constructed of 1/4" steel, so it took a minute to drill the 4 mounting holes.

    After testing it out to make sure everything worked, I snaked a 10 foot 14-ga extension cord up into the right hand shelves where I stow all my battery chargers, mobile wifi, tv power, printer etc. for a clean install. I bought a second extension cord for a spare or for use later. There is another outlet still open that I can use for whatever appliances I decide to equip with next. Probably a small fridge and maybe a coffee maker. Just got to figure out what corner to stuff more crap in, I suppose.

    I didn't take any pictures because, frankly, every bit of this install is in an extremely cramped location. Pictures really wouldn't provide much context. The battery box is packed so tight (2 over 2 battery arrangement) you'd barely make out the fuse holder. Under the bunk, the inverter is deliberately installed in a way that the connections and whatnot are hardly visible.

    A few more installation notes. Attempting this in a truck stop parking lot is asking for shortcuts and compromises. Just like anything else we do to these old trucks, you'll go in to do one thing and find two more that break or need attention. You can also count on those shortcuts failing at the worst possible time. As I would get frustrated with various steps, it helped to remember that I probably would not be under the truck in a few months when it's zero outside trying to figure out why my power went out, having done it right in the first place.

    The need to buy more heat shrink at Home Depot was a fortunate screw up on my part. I sized the stuff I ordered using a cable chart on the internet. Great. Except that's the size of the copper conductor, not the whole thing wrapped in insulation. So now I have four feet of 1/2" heat shrink for something else. The cable I bought was 5/8" in diameter. What I used was 3/4" double thick shrink wrap. It ended up doing a much better job finishing my cable ends and protecting the crimp joint from moisture. Well worth the extra $$, and will keep that in mind for future cable projects.

    Another valuable lesson about tool selection. When there is an operating "range," you can expect a struggle if your work piece is at the limit of the stated range. On this project, the crimper did ok. There were lesser ones available that would go up to 2/0, and I chose the best of them. Since I'm more likely to use this tool at the lower end, it will be more useful than a larger one that might go up to 4/0, but only handle 2 ga with the smallest dies. Same with the snippers. "Up to" 2/0 doesn't say that you might need to stand on the handles to cut wire that big. I probably would have been better off paying $40 more for the set that looked like bolt cutters. Again, I don't routinely handle cable that big, so the cheaper set got the job done and will be more suitable for the stuff I normally do with smaller wire.

    I could have done it for less money. You don't need a sine-wave inverter. Probably could have done ok with 1/0 or even 2 ga wire. Maybe used a torch and solder instead of a crimp. And so on. Problem is, every single time I try to go cheap on stuff like this, I end up regretting it. IMO the extra few hundred bucks and hours I spent doing this one will pay me back by not having to do it over or replace anything any time soon. On top of that, I am also now equipped to make my own battery cables with better than store-bought quality.
     
    Tall Mike and BeN DaViS Thank this.
  4. Lucky Dog

    Lucky Dog Light Load Member

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    Jan 7, 2012
    Overland Park, Kansas
    0
    I have a 1500w setup running thru 2 awg to make certain I'm feeding it a good quality amount of energy to supply my needs in the sleeper. A fuse on the positive side of the battery connection no further than a foot is best.

    I have a friend that has a separate battery setup linked to his tractor batteries with a relay that allows energy flow to the batteries that supply inverter but won't allow energy to flow back to the tractor batteries. Not sure why he did this but I'm thinking it's a safety thing of some sort.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2014
  5. Lucky Dog

    Lucky Dog Light Load Member

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    Jan 7, 2012
    Overland Park, Kansas
    0
    Here is a great little fuse block that takes up almost no room and sits directly on top of your positive post with the amperage fuse of your choice from 30 amp to 300 amp, allowing for zero cable burn in the event of a short! I got mine from Amazon. These are not hyper links but copy and paste this into the search window on Amazon and you'll be able to decide for yourself if this works for you.

    Good Luck!

    Blue Sea Systems 5191 Fuse Block Terminal 30-300 AMP



     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2014
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