What to you mount your inverter on?

[sjturbo]

The instructions for mounting a 600 watt inverter say "mount on non-combustible surface." Many of the post pics I see the inverter mounted on carpet surfaced wood or just wood. Last time I checked both or those are combustible. So what say you?

[GordonThree]

Gjac wrote:
I think it is more important to mount it close to the batteries with very thick cables.My 1000 watt inverter is mounted right above my batteries under the dinette seat with 1 ft of 1 gauge cables. It has a fan and will shut off and emit a sound if load or heat is too great.

similar setup, my 2800 watt is also under a dinette seat, with maybe total 10ft of #0000 cable + / - to the battery bank which is also under the dinette seat, yes it's rather crowded in there.

[sjturbo]

Interesting! The reasons given for mounting is so things don't fall into (block the fan) or out of (so toasted electronic parts can't fall out). Those two reasons sound legit. Although since warm air rises I would think vertical sounds good from a convection standpoint.

[Gjac]

I think it is more important to mount it close to the batteries with very thick cables.My 1000 watt inverter is mounted right above my batteries under the dinette seat with 1 ft of 1 gauge cables. It has a fan and will shut off and emit a sound if load or heat is too great.

[BFL13]

smkettner wrote:
Go Power makes no such designation on placement or orientation.
1500w for over 35 minutes and case was cool even the cooling air was barely heated.

For orientation, mine say "horizontally" but can be on floor wall or ceiling. Not "vertically" where warm air can rise internally through the unit which has its vents at either end. Perhaps the fan works better without acting as a chimney forced draft blower too?

[sjturbo]

Thanks for all the input. I am well aware of CYA in the mfg. world. The quote was from the Samlex instructions, which is not "MY" inverter. Just thought I would ask.

[GordonThree]

My magnum is mounted across / straddling two 2x4 braces I added to a storage cabinet, so the fins on the bottom of it are exposed to the air. I cut the sides out of the cabinet and put heating vent covers on, as well as some computer fans I switch on for the summer.

The "dont mount on combustible" is CYOA boilerplate... if the inverter is getting so hot that it will ignite combustibles, something is wrong; either you're wasting a terrible amount of battery power heating an inefficient inverter, or it is defective.

[RoyB]

My ALWAYS ON 600WATT PSW Inverter is mounted on a vertical cabinet outside wall. I have a round vent (LOWES) where air can be pulled in from the POPUP OPEN area. I have also added small round vents (LOWES) between all of my wrap around cabinets starting at the entrance door going all the way around the inside of the trailer to the front tent bed area where we normally sleep.

I have a 6-inch axial mounted fan in the WFCO converter/charger compartment where my push-in shore power cable was installed which is on an attic fan thermostat(LOWES) which I have set for 80 degrees.

This allows me positive air flow from hallway mounted round vents on both ends of the total wrap around connected cabinets. When the 6-inch axial fan kicks on it draws air from the floor area of the popup and exhausts out an outside type louver fan vent from the converter/charger compartment. I can also just open the cabinet door where my 600WATT INVERTER is installed as well to get more air flow going.

I haven't really noticed the 600WATT or the 1500WATT Inverter getting real hot. I was also planning on installing another outside RV type louvered vent from this cabinet as well but never did it.

You can get an idea of my connected floor cabinets from this floor plan drawing...




OUTSIDE RV Louvered vents (AMAZON) looks like this


Roy Ken

[Crabbypatty]

My old and now new inverter both needed to be mounted as close tot he battery as possible. So in both cases I mounted them on the wall in the front storage compartment within 6 feet of the batteries. Then I ran 14/2 romex. The 12volt draw can get very hot so a large gauge wire to battery is required. The walls where they are mounted are the inside of the storage compartment and I believe Masonite. Never place anything that can get warm on a some kind of combustible surface like carpet.

[westend]

Mine is mounted on an aluminum plate, as is the solar controller.

[time2roll]

Go Power makes no such designation on placement or orientation.
1500w for over 35 minutes and case was cool even the cooling air was barely heated.

[Ron3rd]

Just make sure it has good air circulation around it; some can get hot (to the touch)

[mena661]

Mine is on the metal part of one of the MH's basement compartments.

[Golden_HVAC]

I mounted mine on a carpeted sidewall of my basement compartment.

One I installed for another guy, I removed his propane tank, then drilled holes in the sheet metal box, mounting the inverter to the same metal as the propane tank is in, but on the outside of the tank box, under the fifth wheel, in that storage area.

My Trace M1512 inverter is not going to get warm, at least not above 120F. It has a fan that rarely runs (only while charging at over 60% rate).

The other is a 1,500 watt inverter that rarely ever sees more than about 400 watts going through it, so it stays very cool too!

Fred.

[pianotuna]

Mine is mounted behind the driver's seat. To make room the wooden "wall" had to be cut away. The "bar" for the dinette seat belt is the mounting structure, and it rests on a piece of angle iron to allow for ventilation.

I'll probably be adding a small fan.