This is so informative! I have been trying to figure out what cable to buy for my 1500w inverter because the installation must be done (by choice; I live in it and I do not want to burn my house down, ya know?) by my Prius dealer because the firewall has to be breached and there isn't very much working room in the engine compartment. They want me to provide the parts, however, so I have watched SO many videos to try to find out what I need to buy (or have) and NOT. ONE. of them gave me the succinct, clear information yours did. Thank you and a big THUMBS UP.
Hello. Thank you for the simple to understand video. I am currently designing my first solar installation and I'd like to also ask a question. •I will be using an all in one hybrid inverter. The inverter has a continuous power rating of 5600W and a peak/surge of 10000W. (although I don't plan on drawing more than 4000W continuously, maybe 10 second bursts) •The cable length of the battery will be 1-1.5m •The battery nomimal voltage is 51.2V instead of 48V (but it's really close, it's just one more 3.2V LiFo4 cell. I think in theory it should require slightly less amps than the 48V, but let's say it's 48V) Taking all these into account and considering that I won't allow the battery cells to go under 3.1V (because it really just doesn't have that much capacity when it's so low), the overall lower battery voltage would be 49.6V (46,5V of we're talking about a 48V system). So in theory I should divide 5600W/49.6V for maximum current. ~113A According to your provided chart, for a 5000W system, a 6 AWG is enough. For a 8000W, a 4 AWG is enough. However for 113A, other sources suggest a 2 AWG or even 0 AWG (those sources being either persons or charts). I don't doubt your information, but at the same time I'm trying to find out what is the right information after all... At the moment I'm planning on using a 2 AWG wire with a length of 1-1.5m. A 100A breaker will be put in place. And a fuse of 120-130A if I find one. Do you see something dangerous or plainly wrong with the installation I'm thinking of? Thank you in advance for your reply. It will be very much appreciated. Cheers.
Hi there! For 5600W at 48V with a run of about 4.5 feet, 6AWG would be acceptable. Since your 113A at 51.2V would actually equate to 5786 watts, I would recommend 4AWG cable. However, there is nothing wrong with going to a 2AWG cable at this length. Either way, you're not severely oversizing the cable if you were to choose 2AWG over 4AWG, but I feel it is unnecessary since you're only going to be pulling the 4Kw continuously.
I have a 4000w continuous / 8000w surge inverter that mounted within 12” of the batteries and I’m using copper busbars instead of cables. The suggested cable size is 0000 AWG, that’s hard to find. Amazon has copper busbar
Great vid thank you. To clarify using the chart ypu supplied, even if my invertor is 2000 w as long as I am sure I will never be drawing more than 1000 w when my appliances are plugged in, I can read the table and select the cable and fuse size for a 1000 w invertor? TIA
Hi Steven, yes you are correct! If you choose to go that route, I advise marking the Inverter so that anyone using it knows not to exceed the battery cable's capacity.
If the inverter is 10k watts, why would you size the wire if only planning on utilizing 8000 of the 10000 watts? Why not go with larger wire,seeing as it will only not harm anything but power would flow more easily through larger wire anyhow? And what happens if you go over the 8000 accidentally and now the wires were sized to small for the full 10k??? May be dangerous. In my own opinion
If you'll never use the higher load, then yes a smaller gauge (or appropriately sized) cable would be the ideal solution as long as you don't exceed the cable's carrying capacity (load) ratings. A lot of people will buy a larger size inverter to carry a smaller load (like if you're only using 8Kw) so as not to constantly max-out the inverter. A larger gauge cable will not negatively affect the inverter or its functions and would be the ideal if you plan on using the 10Kw regularly. Although I can't officially recommend it, you can use 10Kw on the smaller gauge cable with intermittent use.
Yes, you can most certainly do this as long as you have a solid chassis ground. Don't use one of the body panels or any other small metal surface as a ground.
Very infromative video as it really helps .. however the chart says till 48v battery and my battary is 56v of 1200W so i am not sure which wire guage should i use. can you help ?
Unfortunately we don't manufacture a 56V inverter and I don't have the chart for that inverter voltage. I took a look online and found some places that may have the correct info, but I am unable to verify it.
For Wagan Tech inverters it’s always at normal wattage. Keep in mind that most of our inverters are true rated wattage meaning that you get 100% of the rated power versus many inverters out there will rate at 30% usage time after which it will drop at least 20% of what’s advertised. Hope that helps.
Great video presentation. However I like to run the cable that can handle the maximum power my inverter can draw for those times when you might plug in that appliance that pushes your inverter to the max. And instead of running the negative cable back to the battery I would just run it to the closest earth point to reduce length of cable required which will reduce wire gauge required.
Hey Gary, You only need to take that into consideration if you're using appliances that have a high peak (surge, inrush) current. Most appliances do not have such needs, but a few that do are: air compressors (or anything with a compressor motor), refrigerators, air conditioning units, personal space heaters (or items with larger heating elements), large incandescent bulbs, and large electric motors.
When sizing for your needs, go off of the continuous wattage spec. Peak is only used when determining the start-up (inrush) current needed for large appliances (like an air compressor).
so I have 2 5kw inverters, and 48v batteries, with a 6 feet cable I can use 4 AWG but that cable is rated at 85 amp? what i am doing wrong ? 10kw inverter at 48v can pull more than 200amps right?
Eduardo, sorry for the late reply... I just saw this Q. As a general rule, you can't parallel two 5Kw inverters to get 10Kw... so I'd assume that you have two 5Kw Inverters that would allow you to pull about 104 Amps each. If you have paralleled them and do have 10KW, then yes they'd be able to pull about 208 Amps. The cable needed for 6 feet at 48V for the 5Kw would be 8 AWG and for 10KW is 6 AWG (4 AWG is fine).
Hey what if im trying to use 20 foot cables to run from my trucks battery to a 2000W power inverter under my seat. On the chart the max roundtrip distance is 25FT but mine would be 40 right?
Hello! The size of the cable is dependent on the length of run (distance) and the amount of amperage it will carry. Let's say, for example, that your battery to the bed is 12 feet; this would be calculated as 24-feet roundtrip. If you're running a 1000W, we'd recommend 000 cables. Take a look here for our Cable Length/Gauge Chart: wagan.com/blogs/news/customer-question-what-cables-do-i-need-for-my-power-inverter
Hello, just a Q please: I have an inverter of 1500 w continued output and with a surge/peak/Max of 3000w! When I use the graph, do I measure the guage wire for the 1500w or 3000w? Thanks
Hey thanks alot for the reply 7 months ago lol it helped a lot :) Another question if you could... this might sound silly but I'm a little unsure! Is gauge the same as awg? I have 4 awg wire to use from battery to inverter and I'm wondering if when using you're chart, is 4 awg the same as 4 guage? Thanks again
Hi Nomad, the table is based on maximum carrying wattage of the inverter. In your case if it is a 12V - 3000W inverter, then yes it would be a 300A fuse and either 4AWG or 2AWG cable for that 2 foot run.
In that short of a distance, no. The issue arises when you try to carry more load over longer distances with too small of a gauge wire... it creates heat build up and power loss.
These are both really good questions! You would size it for the 2,000w load since the peak load is only able to be sustained for less than a second. As for the cable length, you would want to consider it 3 feet one way or 6 ft. round trip.
Thanks for the informative video. But I have a question: why would it be preferred to choose the lighter cable for the 8000W if you don't plan on using the full 10000W load? Would using the thicker cable create other issues or does it simply come down to costs? Thanks!
Hi Martin, great questions! If you'll never use the higher load, then yes a smaller gauge (or appropriately sized) cable would be the ideal solution as long as you don't exceed the cable's carrying capacity (load) ratings. A larger gauge cable will not negatively affect the inverter or its functions.
The 12V DC outlet on your trailer, you can use 10AWG safely for up to 15 foot-run when carrying 15A or less. The switches should have a relay ahead of them and can use 16 AWG if configured as such. The inverter cable gauge will be dependent on the length of run but will be (12V): 6AWG from 2 feet or less 4AWG from 3 feet 2AWG from 4-5 feet 0AWG from 6-8 feet See the full chart here: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0062/6052/3111/files/12V_Inverter_Cable_Chart-02.22.2019-logo.png?v=1604534080 Blog here: wagan.com/blogs/news/customer-question-what-cables-do-i-need-for-my-power-inverter
Hi Ken, are you referring to the Solar charge controller to the battery? For average runs (less than 10 feet) you can use this guide: Controller Amperage - Wire Gauge 10A - 14AWG 20A - 12AWG 30A - 10AWG 40A - 8AWG 60A - 6AWG 80A - 4AWG 100A - 2AWG See the chart here: wagan.com/blogs/news/all-about-solar-charge-controllers
@@kenkoh1724 No, 24V can usually accept half the size of the 12V DC AWG guide. For instance, a 6AWG at 12V would be able to be replaced by a 12-14AWG at 24V. This, of course, is dependent on factors including length of cable and such.
We've had great reviews on our Slimline MSW inverter that has been sold through Truck parts distributors like @raneysonline (Raney's Truck). If you want to go for the best, I would suggest the PureLine PSW inverter; it will cleanly power everything and last between truck swaps!
It depends where you are wiring the inverter to. All trucks have cable access in the cab; running the wires shouldn't be hard. Just wire to the battery, add an inline fuse, mount the inverter, then connect the cables. Some of our friend's at @raneysonline (Raney's Truck) could help you out.
Thank you for a simple to understand and precise video. There's alot of people on UA-cam need to watch this as an example. Many thanks 👍
Many thanks for watching and your encouraging comment!👍
This is the best video about the basics that everyone should have about setting up solar.
I appreciate that Jonathan!
This is so informative! I have been trying to figure out what cable to buy for my 1500w inverter because the installation must be done (by choice; I live in it and I do not want to burn my house down, ya know?) by my Prius dealer because the firewall has to be breached and there isn't very much working room in the engine compartment. They want me to provide the parts, however, so I have watched SO many videos to try to find out what I need to buy (or have) and NOT. ONE. of them gave me the succinct, clear information yours did. Thank you and a big THUMBS UP.
Thanks for watching and your feedback, James!
A very informative video within 3 mins! Thank you!
Thanks for your comment and for watching the video too!
Awesome video. Very clear and to the point! Thanks
Thanks for the comment ♥
Hello. Thank you for the simple to understand video.
I am currently designing my first solar installation and I'd like to also ask a question.
•I will be using an all in one hybrid inverter. The inverter has a continuous power rating of 5600W and a peak/surge of 10000W. (although I don't plan on drawing more than 4000W continuously, maybe 10 second bursts)
•The cable length of the battery will be 1-1.5m
•The battery nomimal voltage is 51.2V instead of 48V (but it's really close, it's just one more 3.2V LiFo4 cell. I think in theory it should require slightly less amps than the 48V, but let's say it's 48V)
Taking all these into account and considering that I won't allow the battery cells to go under 3.1V (because it really just doesn't have that much capacity when it's so low), the overall lower battery voltage would be 49.6V (46,5V of we're talking about a 48V system). So in theory I should divide 5600W/49.6V for maximum current.
~113A
According to your provided chart, for a 5000W system, a 6 AWG is enough. For a 8000W, a 4 AWG is enough.
However for 113A, other sources suggest a 2 AWG or even 0 AWG (those sources being either persons or charts).
I don't doubt your information, but at the same time I'm trying to find out what is the right information after all...
At the moment I'm planning on using a 2 AWG wire with a length of 1-1.5m.
A 100A breaker will be put in place. And a fuse of 120-130A if I find one.
Do you see something dangerous or plainly wrong with the installation I'm thinking of?
Thank you in advance for your reply. It will be very much appreciated. Cheers.
Hi there!
For 5600W at 48V with a run of about 4.5 feet, 6AWG would be acceptable.
Since your 113A at 51.2V would actually equate to 5786 watts, I would recommend 4AWG cable.
However, there is nothing wrong with going to a 2AWG cable at this length. Either way, you're not severely oversizing the cable if you were to choose 2AWG over 4AWG, but I feel it is unnecessary since you're only going to be pulling the 4Kw continuously.
Excellent and accurate info!
Glad it was helpful!
I have a 4000w continuous / 8000w surge inverter that mounted within 12” of the batteries and I’m using copper busbars instead of cables. The suggested cable size is 0000 AWG, that’s hard to find. Amazon has copper busbar
You can also use multiple 00 AWG cables to bridge the amperage.
Thanks for sharing this helpful info
Thanks for watching! ♥
Top notch, thank you, you have a new subscriber.
I appreciate that JD!
Well done, Sir! Info much appreciated! SUB earned … 👍🏼😎
Thank you kindly!
Great vid thank you. To clarify using the chart ypu supplied, even if my invertor is 2000 w as long as I am sure I will never be drawing more than 1000 w when my appliances are plugged in, I can read the table and select the cable and fuse size for a 1000 w invertor? TIA
Hi Steven, yes you are correct! If you choose to go that route, I advise marking the Inverter so that anyone using it knows not to exceed the battery cable's capacity.
Very to the point and helpful
Thanks for watching, Mark!
Thanks for the video 😘
Any time!
Pretty dam sweat and easy to understand, thx amigo!
Appreciate you watching and your comment!! THANKS D3!
If the inverter is 10k watts, why would you size the wire if only planning on utilizing 8000 of the 10000 watts? Why not go with larger wire,seeing as it will only not harm anything but power would flow more easily through larger wire anyhow? And what happens if you go over the 8000 accidentally and now the wires were sized to small for the full 10k??? May be dangerous. In my own opinion
If you'll never use the higher load, then yes a smaller gauge (or appropriately sized) cable would be the ideal solution as long as you don't exceed the cable's carrying capacity (load) ratings. A lot of people will buy a larger size inverter to carry a smaller load (like if you're only using 8Kw) so as not to constantly max-out the inverter.
A larger gauge cable will not negatively affect the inverter or its functions and would be the ideal if you plan on using the 10Kw regularly.
Although I can't officially recommend it, you can use 10Kw on the smaller gauge cable with intermittent use.
Can I use the ground car chassi as a negative for a 800w inverter? Running only the positive one from the battery to the inverter?
Yes, you can most certainly do this as long as you have a solid chassis ground.
Don't use one of the body panels or any other small metal surface as a ground.
Very infromative video as it really helps .. however the chart says till 48v battery and my battary is 56v of 1200W so i am not sure which wire guage should i use. can you help ?
Unfortunately we don't manufacture a 56V inverter and I don't have the chart for that inverter voltage. I took a look online and found some places that may have the correct info, but I am unable to verify it.
Is the wattage based on the inverter's normal or peak watts?
For Wagan Tech inverters it’s always at normal wattage. Keep in mind that most of our inverters are true rated wattage meaning that you get 100% of the rated power versus many inverters out there will rate at 30% usage time after which it will drop at least 20% of what’s advertised. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the great video.
Thanks for watching and your comment Ken!!
Great video presentation. However I like to run the cable that can handle the maximum power my inverter can draw for those times when you might plug in that appliance that pushes your inverter to the max. And instead of running the negative cable back to the battery I would just run it to the closest earth point to reduce length of cable required which will reduce wire gauge required.
Very nice, and valid points! Thanks for sharing!
What about peak power of an inverter?i.e. if my 1000w inverter has a peak rating of 2000w do I need to take that into account?
Hey Gary,
You only need to take that into consideration if you're using appliances that have a high peak (surge, inrush) current. Most appliances do not have such needs, but a few that do are: air compressors (or anything with a compressor motor), refrigerators, air conditioning units, personal space heaters (or items with larger heating elements), large incandescent bulbs, and large electric motors.
Do you go off the continuous watt or peak ?
When sizing for your needs, go off of the continuous wattage spec. Peak is only used when determining the start-up (inrush) current needed for large appliances (like an air compressor).
so I have 2 5kw inverters, and 48v batteries, with a 6 feet cable I can use 4 AWG but that cable is rated at 85 amp? what i am doing wrong ? 10kw inverter at 48v can pull more than 200amps right?
Eduardo, sorry for the late reply... I just saw this Q. As a general rule, you can't parallel two 5Kw inverters to get 10Kw... so I'd assume that you have two 5Kw Inverters that would allow you to pull about 104 Amps each. If you have paralleled them and do have 10KW, then yes they'd be able to pull about 208 Amps.
The cable needed for 6 feet at 48V for the 5Kw would be 8 AWG and for 10KW is 6 AWG (4 AWG is fine).
What is the guide to sizing ground wire? I’m gonna be installing 2200 watt inverter.
Tim, you can run a 10 gauge wire for the ground wire.
@@WaganTech thank you!
@@timpopov6708 my pleasure!
Hey what if im trying to use 20 foot cables to run from my trucks battery to a 2000W power inverter under my seat. On the chart the max roundtrip distance is 25FT but mine would be 40 right?
You are correct! Shoot an email to our CS team and they'll get you squared away! Customerservice@wagan.com
Hello , what size cable would I need to go from a the alternator / battery under the hood of my truck to battery bank in the bed of my truck?
Hello! The size of the cable is dependent on the length of run (distance) and the amount of amperage it will carry.
Let's say, for example, that your battery to the bed is 12 feet; this would be calculated as 24-feet roundtrip. If you're running a 1000W, we'd recommend 000 cables.
Take a look here for our Cable Length/Gauge Chart: wagan.com/blogs/news/customer-question-what-cables-do-i-need-for-my-power-inverter
Hello, just a Q please: I have an inverter of 1500 w continued output and with a surge/peak/Max of 3000w! When I use the graph, do I measure the guage wire for the 1500w or 3000w?
Thanks
Hi Luke, You'd use the gauge recommendation for the 1500W as the surge is only momentary. Cheers!
Hey thanks alot for the reply 7 months ago lol it helped a lot :)
Another question if you could... this might sound silly but I'm a little unsure! Is gauge the same as awg?
I have 4 awg wire to use from battery to inverter and I'm wondering if when using you're chart, is 4 awg the same as 4 guage?
Thanks again
Is this table based on nominal wattage. I.e. if I have a 3000w (6000w max) should I still use a 300amp breaker and 2 gauge wire for a 2ft run?
Hi Nomad, the table is based on maximum carrying wattage of the inverter. In your case if it is a 12V - 3000W inverter, then yes it would be a 300A fuse and either 4AWG or 2AWG cable for that 2 foot run.
@@WaganTech Hi, if routing the inverter to the trunk of the car...what is the max of run allowed ?
Does a 3 ft cable perform better than a 5 or 6 ft cable of the same gauge?
In that short of a distance, no. The issue arises when you try to carry more load over longer distances with too small of a gauge wire... it creates heat build up and power loss.
These calculations are based on voltage drop. The further you get from the battery. The more you’ll need to increase the cable size. Good luck 🍀
Do you size it for regular watts or peak? Mine is 2000 watts and 4000 peak.
P.S. also what if the positive cable is 2 feet and negative is 3 feet?
These are both really good questions!
You would size it for the 2,000w load since the peak load is only able to be sustained for less than a second.
As for the cable length, you would want to consider it 3 feet one way or 6 ft. round trip.
Thanks for the informative video. But I have a question: why would it be preferred to choose the lighter cable for the 8000W if you don't plan on using the full 10000W load? Would using the thicker cable create other issues or does it simply come down to costs? Thanks!
Hi Martin, great questions! If you'll never use the higher load, then yes a smaller gauge (or appropriately sized) cable would be the ideal solution as long as you don't exceed the cable's carrying capacity (load) ratings.
A larger gauge cable will not negatively affect the inverter or its functions.
@@WaganTech Thanks that's really helpful!
@@martingrimmitt3992 my pleasure!
@@martingrimmitt3992
Larger cables are also more difficult to work with given how stiff and heavy they are.
Nice infos thx
Thanks for the feedback and for watching Sanjai!
thanks, Can I use 12 or 10 or Gauge cable on MY trailer to plug outlet and switches and 2000W inverter. ? let me know
The 12V DC outlet on your trailer, you can use 10AWG safely for up to 15 foot-run when carrying 15A or less. The switches should have a relay ahead of them and can use 16 AWG if configured as such.
The inverter cable gauge will be dependent on the length of run but will be (12V):
6AWG from 2 feet or less
4AWG from 3 feet
2AWG from 4-5 feet
0AWG from 6-8 feet
See the full chart here: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0062/6052/3111/files/12V_Inverter_Cable_Chart-02.22.2019-logo.png?v=1604534080
Blog here: wagan.com/blogs/news/customer-question-what-cables-do-i-need-for-my-power-inverter
Do you have a wire size chart for controller to battery?
Hi Ken, are you referring to the Solar charge controller to the battery?
For average runs (less than 10 feet) you can use this guide:
Controller Amperage - Wire Gauge
10A - 14AWG
20A - 12AWG
30A - 10AWG
40A - 8AWG
60A - 6AWG
80A - 4AWG
100A - 2AWG
See the chart here: wagan.com/blogs/news/all-about-solar-charge-controllers
@@WaganTech Thank you very much.
@@WaganTech Does this guide work for 12v and 24v?
@@kenkoh1724 No, 24V can usually accept half the size of the 12V DC AWG guide. For instance, a 6AWG at 12V would be able to be replaced by a 12-14AWG at 24V.
This, of course, is dependent on factors including length of cable and such.
@@WaganTech Sorry, I mean just from the controller to the battery, would the wire gauges be the same? Thanks.
I'm looking for a semi teuck inverter 2000 watts needed and I'll detach it I swap teucks so I guess up to the middle thru thr door
We've had great reviews on our Slimline MSW inverter that has been sold through Truck parts distributors like @raneysonline (Raney's Truck).
If you want to go for the best, I would suggest the PureLine PSW inverter; it will cleanly power everything and last between truck swaps!
How do I set up for semi teucks?
It depends where you are wiring the inverter to. All trucks have cable access in the cab; running the wires shouldn't be hard. Just wire to the battery, add an inline fuse, mount the inverter, then connect the cables.
Some of our friend's at @raneysonline (Raney's Truck) could help you out.