Inverter cabling

[Neil S]

I’ve ordered an inverter sterling pro 1600 watt pure sine wave but the cabling is only 50cm long
Just a bit to short as I need 70cm ish
Going to order some replacement longer but I’m unsure as to what mm of cabling I need to cope with the load of approximately 1200 watts
Can someone advise

 

[autorouter]

I think 10mm sq would be OK, giving a drop of 2.13% for 700mm pos and neg wires. The guideline is to keep the voltage drop below 3%. The amps requirement for 1200W at 12V is 1200 / 12 = 100A.

For 500mm lengths 6mm sq gives 2.62%, which is fine, but extending that to 700mm gives 3.67% which is just over the 3% guideline. Not a big deal, but if you're buying new you might as well buy the thicker wire. There are several online calculators that you can use for this, I tend to use this one:

Voltage Drop Calculator | 12 Volt Planet Cable Calculator

Use our Voltage Drop Calculator to select the correct Cable for your campervan, motorhome or boat wiring application. Cable Calculator for Auto and Marine Electrical Components from 12 Volt Planet - Cable Size Calculator

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

 

[I2C]

Additional to autorouter ’s link, here’s one I use to see what cable sizing I should use for the amps over distance travelled.

 

[bigtwin]

The amps requirement for 1200W at 12V is 1200 / 12 = 100A.

True, but I’d size for the full rating of the inverter and divide by 10 (to account for inefficiencies) giving a current of 160A.

This would suggest that 16mm2 might be better?

Ian

 

[Stealaway]

I would also fit a battery isolator switch so you can turn the inverter off.

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[Neil S]

I would also fit a battery isolator switch so you can turn the inverter off.

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Will do