Microwave Overloading my 3000W inverter
Hi, So my generator quit working on me the other day. Until I can find some help to pull it out of my RV and change the starter I've been using my inverter. I've got a 3000W GoPower pure sine wa...
Forum Discussion
Ahboy,
When I did boat wiring upgrades, we ran into this all the time.
First, every wire table you can find easily is wrong. They all list the line loss as %drop. They tell what is good for 3% of 10%, and you should not even care about that. The key to the whole thing is voltage drop from the supply to the load along the PAIR of conductors. Many RV things use a frame ground. What is the equivalent wire size of that section of RV?? (Hint: Nobody actually knows) So, for any serious load, pull two conductors. I did not have to explain this with fiberglass boats.
That drop is very important because the entire life of a 12V nominal system exists between 12.6 and 12.0. That does not leave a lot of wiggle room to run an inverter for a microwave.
Now, the balance of the bank connection is another little jewel waiting to bite your big plan in the ass. First, lead acid batteries never play well in series, and if you have something 4 pair of GC2s, you have to pay a great deal of attention to balancing the connections and keeping them balanced as the age of the connections can change things. An variation of 0.01 Ohms in the connections will cause a voltage variation of 1.0V at 100A. There goes the inverter.
Yes, 4/0 is larger:
4/0 = 211600 Cm (Cm - Circular Mills 1/1000 In^2)
2/0 = 133100 Cm
That says that the conductivity of 2/0 is only 60% of 4/0, and as said, unless the inverter is as close to that bank as it can be, it will only get worse.
Matt
When I did boat wiring upgrades, we ran into this all the time.
First, every wire table you can find easily is wrong. They all list the line loss as %drop. They tell what is good for 3% of 10%, and you should not even care about that. The key to the whole thing is voltage drop from the supply to the load along the PAIR of conductors. Many RV things use a frame ground. What is the equivalent wire size of that section of RV?? (Hint: Nobody actually knows) So, for any serious load, pull two conductors. I did not have to explain this with fiberglass boats.
That drop is very important because the entire life of a 12V nominal system exists between 12.6 and 12.0. That does not leave a lot of wiggle room to run an inverter for a microwave.
Now, the balance of the bank connection is another little jewel waiting to bite your big plan in the ass. First, lead acid batteries never play well in series, and if you have something 4 pair of GC2s, you have to pay a great deal of attention to balancing the connections and keeping them balanced as the age of the connections can change things. An variation of 0.01 Ohms in the connections will cause a voltage variation of 1.0V at 100A. There goes the inverter.
Yes, 4/0 is larger:
4/0 = 211600 Cm (Cm - Circular Mills 1/1000 In^2)
2/0 = 133100 Cm
That says that the conductivity of 2/0 is only 60% of 4/0, and as said, unless the inverter is as close to that bank as it can be, it will only get worse.
Matt
