How To Hook Up a Power Inverter to a Battery(s)
When you’re dealing with expensive and complicated electrical equipment, it’s important to understand how to properly utilize and connect these tools together. As such, even a seemingly simple task like hooking up an inverter to a battery can actually be fairly complex. There are certain considerations that need to be made in order to safely connect the two pieces of equipment, such as their power capabilities and how to avoid electrical fires.
When it comes to how to hook up an inverter to a battery bank, you will need cables. Each inverter requires a negative and positive cable, which will be properly identified based on color to avoid mishaps. We recommend the maximum length of 15 feet to avoid cable issues like damage and loss. If your application requires longer than 15-foot cables, we advise increasing the cable size (awg) instead. To find out what size of cable is needed for you inverter, click on the inverter in our online store and click on the ‘Add Cables’ section for an easy to understand and clear identification.
You can also use the following formula to calculate the max amps per inverter:
Inverter wattage / inverter DC voltage = DC amps
(2000-watt inverter / 12-volt DC = 166.6 DC amps).
Using this example, our 1/0 AWG cable is adequate for this application because the 1/0 AWG is rated up to 284 amps. This cable will be able to handle the required amps of 166.6 up to 20 feet because the max current of the cable far exceeds the required 166.6 amps. When selecting a cable for your battery and inverter connection, you should always choose a cable with a rating that is higher than the necessary DC amps. This will allow you to avoid degradation and other hazards.
From here, take each cable and connect it to the appropriate mount on both the battery and inverter, carefully making sure that colors match: red to red and black to black. Mixing these colors can result in a fire or damage to your equipment. Secure your power cables with the provided supports and your power inverter and battery will be officially connected.
