INSTALLATION
Trace Engineering Co. Inc. Tel (360) 435-8826 Part Number 3179
5916 195
th
Street, NE Fax (360) 435-2229 Effective August 6, 1998
Arlington, WA 98223 USA www.traceengineering.com Page
25
DC Wiring
Safety Instructions
The inverter’s maximum peak current requirements and the charger’s output current capabilities are
high. If battery cables are too small and/or connections are loose, efficiency and maximum output
power are degraded. Small cables or loose connections can also cause dangerous overheating of
the wire and/or terminals.
Observe Battery Polarity! Place the battery cable ring terminals over the bolt and directly against
the inverter’s battery terminals. A 'snap' caused by arching may occur-this is normal. Red is positive
(+), Black is negative (-) Use a 1/2-inch wrench or socket to tighten the 5/16 SAE nut to 10-15
foot/pounds. Do not place anything between the flat part of the inverter terminal and the battery
cable ring terminal or overheating may occur. Do not apply any type of anti-oxidant paste to
terminals until after the battery cable wiring is tightened to 10–15 foot-pounds!
Caution!
This inverter is not reverse polarity protected! If the positive terminal of the
battery is connected to the negative terminal of the inverter the probable result
is failure of the unit. This type of failure is very obvious and is not covered
under warranty. Double check when making battery connections!
Use the largest gauge wire and the shortest possible length when choosing battery cables. Tape the
battery cables together every few inches with non-conductive electrician’s tape or nylon tie-wraps.
This reduces the inductance of the wire resulting in a better waveform and less current in the
inverter’s filter capacitors. This directly relates to output efficiency and inverter life span. High
inductance in battery cabling is like placing a spring into the system between the battery bank and
inverter. This spring absorbs, stores, and releases energy opposite to that flowing in the system. In
this way efficiency and electrical characteristics are degraded.
Note
Never disconnect the battery cables while the inverter is delivering power or
battery charger is operating. The On/Off switch has no effect upon the charger.
It turns Off only the inverter. To disconnect the batteries for service. a) turn off
the power switch, b) disconnect all AC power, c) disconnect the battery cables.
DC Cabling Connections
Color-code your battery cables with colored tape or heat shrink tubing. The standard is red for
positive (+) and black for negative (-).
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