Battery to Inverter Wire Size

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  • Joe J
    Joe J Solar Expert Posts: 49 ✭✭
    #32
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    Well Bill....Around my house somethimes I feel like I'm on a sinking ship so I'll use the #4 wire with a 100amp fuse:roll:
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  • mtdoc
    mtdoc Solar Expert Posts: 600 ✭✭
    #33
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size
    Joe J wrote: »
    I have read that #4 wire is almost impossible to use with this controller most use #6.

    My recent experience was that 4AWG stranded copper THHN wire was easy to use with a Midnite Classic 150. No problem getting a stripped, straight wire end into the terminal block. Getting lots of large gauge copper through 1" conduit on the other hand can be tough....
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #34
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    I don't usually buy things I consider over priced, but these can solve a problem, the Price is " EACH " by the way. If I were making them I would have made the tongue part a little wider, but they seem to work fine. They are heavy copper. You can do the same thing with a short piece of solid copper and a split bolt.

    http://www.thesolarbiz.com/Battery-Charger-Lugs-Custom-4-Gauge

    http://www.thesolarbiz.com/Battery-Charger-Lugs-Custom-2-Gauge
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #35
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    BC04,

    Those are a nice find.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Joe J
    Joe J Solar Expert Posts: 49 ✭✭
    #36
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size
    Blackcherry04 wrote: »
    I don't usually buy things I consider over priced, but these can solve a problem, the Price is " EACH " by the way. If I were making them I would have made the tongue part a little wider, but they seem to work fine. They are heavy copper. You can do the same thing with a short piece of solid copper and a split bolt.

    http://www.thesolarbiz.com/Battery-Charger-Lugs-Custom-4-Gauge

    http://www.thesolarbiz.com/Battery-Charger-Lugs-Custom-2-Gauge

    Very cool. I would love to use these with my Midnite 150 controller with# 2 wire. I would think these would fit into the lug? Anybody have any thoughts on this?

    Joe

    P.S. Just went to the web site. They want $18.05 to ship 2 of these. That's crazy!:grr
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #37
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    Only costs $4+shipping to find out and let the rest of the forum know. ;)

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #38
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    I told you they were overpriced, I bought 6 and I think they were $21. They do look nice though. The tongue part is about 1" long and 3/16" wide. They should fit in any box type connection with a set screw. There should be some lugs somewhere that could be modified to be like these.

    I'd contact them,
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  • Joe J
    Joe J Solar Expert Posts: 49 ✭✭
    #39
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    Here you go guys. For 2 gauge , five in a pack $14.99 with free shipping. http://www.bdbatteries.com//
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #40
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    Actually, I did not think they were over priced ($4 each). I was serious, they really do look like a nice/reliable solution (if you have a good crimping tool)... If we bought a 100 at a time--Then I would expect 25-50% off list price.

    But that other link pricing is better.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #41
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    Good Find, I really did a good search to try to find them elsewhere, but I never had any luck. Just a word, they have a real heavy body and even with my big Greenlee crimpers they were hard to crimp.
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  • djmagnum
    djmagnum Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭
    #42
    Photowhit said:
    Re: Battery to Inverter Wire Size

    A couple things, First the fusing is a straight calculation;

    Peak wattage of the inverter / minimum voltage to run = Amps to protect

    So for you 3000 watts / 11.5 Min voltage = @260 Amps

    On the wiring, 4/0 to the invereter is Ok due to minimum time the inverter will allow max wattage, The wire between the batteries will never carry much more than 1/2 the load and over a short distance, so they could be a gauge smaller.


    Old post I know, but can anyone explain why the wire between the batteries can be a gauge smaller? I have 2/0 to the inverter. Should I use 2 or 4 gauge paralleling the 12 volt battery bank.
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2017 #43
    djmagnum said:
    Photowhit said:
    On the wiring, 4/0 to the invereter is Ok due to minimum time the inverter will allow max wattage, The wire between the batteries will never carry much more than 1/2 the load and over a short distance, so they could be a gauge smaller.
    Old post I know, but can anyone explain why the wire between the batteries can be a gauge smaller? I have 2/0 to the inverter. Should I use 2 or 4 gauge paralleling the 12 volt battery bank.
    The system we were talking about had 2 parallel strings of batteries making up the battery bank. Since they would draw near equally, roughly half...

    I would use 1/0 likely, provided you have correctly sized the wire to the inverter, but if you'd like to start a thread and put up the specs for your system, we have a lot of good people here to help.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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