Inverter Installation

[Chris & Dale]

So now for the rest of the story! The battery upgrade in my previous project post was directly in support of this - installation of a Xantrex 2000 Watt Sine Wave Inverter for anchoring out and running the 110v outlets while under way. Quite possibly the hardest part (aside from being twisted like a pretzel) was choosing a location that was easy to access, but also very visible so as not to forget before connecting to shore power and turning on the main AC panel. I chose above the foldout table beside the microwave. This kept me within the 6' recommendation, would be right there visible when going to access the AC panel, and presented known cable runs. So I pulled the microwave and thru-bolted the unit vs. screws to further enhance its stability.

Inverter Mounted 2.JPG

I installed the 250 amp fuse behind the microwave as 2 screws and you're there. Rather than run back to the AC panel bus, I tied into the microwave outlet. That was interesting in that the owners manual wiring diagram shows a continuous run from outlet box to outlet box. In actuality, the outlet for the microwave is a single run from the AC panel Stove switch.

250 Amp Breaker.JPG

Next you pull the fridge (which needed defrosting and a good cleaning anyway), disconnect it and move it to the stern to drain. After drilling the holes, I began to run my wires down to the fridge cavity and then thru to the forward access panel under the 1/4 berth, and into the battery area. Remember when running these to heavily tape the ends to assure they don't cause any arcing or shorts.

Fridge Cavity.JPG

Inverter Wire Run.JPG

I then used a 14 gage industrial 6' extension cord which I shortened and connected to the microwave outlet. This will be doubled back for storage until ready to plug in. I made my "dead man" plug cover from a bright orange and yellow female plug end, taping over the hole. Note that I made it very apparent that this was a live wire. The double back is another safety feature in that someone will have to make a conscious effort to remove it and mess with it (thinking guests and grandchildren).

Hot Live Wire.JPG

Tucked Away.JPG

The final piece was to connect the wires to the batteries. ALWAYS connect the ground first! And BE PREPARED - when you go to connect the + cable it WILL ARC & SPARK!!!! You haven't done anything wrong, just the nature of initial contact for inverters. After the initial contact you're good to go.

As discussed in my Battery Upgrade post, we had everything off and shore power cord physically disconnected. Since we were disconnected, we started by turning on the Stove switch, plugged in the inverter, turned it on, and got the expected reading. Then we turned on the outlets switch and ran several tests like the microwave, TV, etc. Everything worked perfect.

So that's it...we're ready to put the battery selector switch on 2 and sit on the hook overnight, with the confidence that we'll have coffee in the morning and should we need it, Battery 1 will be available. Hope this helps.

[jcollins]

Thank you for sharing. Good information.