Calling on Solar Techies

1L243 wrote:
Are we saying with the new calculator I don't need 4/0 cable for the 5 feet to the battery bank? I can use 1 AWG?

What does it say in the Renogy 2000w inverter's manual ????

In my Vector 2000w manual it says use 1/0 wire up to 6 ft and a 500 amp fuse, but they spec for the surge to 4000w, so that is kind of crazy IMO.

(They also sold a wiring kit for the 2000w, of four 3 ft #4 wires, two for pos and two for neg---other brands do the same like PT's Cobra--they have two pos and two neg set-screw DC terminals)

They say for the 1000w surges to 2000w, to use #3 wire to 6 ft and a 200 amp fuse.

The various brands spec their own ways, so look up what yours says.

EDIT--it says they give you two each of pos and neg #4 3 ft long. That is the same as the 2000w Vector wiring "kit". If you want to go to 5 ft you have to extend the wires or go fatter with singles.

You don't have to make pos and neg the same length. You can use the two #4s at 3 ft and make the neg 7 ft. You will have the shunt on the neg anyway, so put the shunt at 3 ft from the neg side of the inverter and run the single fat shunt to battery neg post wire the other 4 ft.

So all you need now is one fat wire about four ft long.

https://www.renogy.com/content/RNG-INVT-2000-12V-P2/INVT-P2-Manual.pdf

Xantrex says use at least #4 and make fatter according to the table on page 10 depending on how much voltage drop you can stand. They go crazy and only want a tiny voltage drop so say to use # 0 gauge wire! In fact you can stand more of a drop than that, so no need to go so fat for the 5 ft separation (10 ft total)

http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Power-Inverters/PROwatt-SW/975-0529-01-01_Rev-B(PROWatt%20SW%20Inverter%20NA).pdf