Battery Sizing And Wiring Connections - Tripp Lite APSWX Series Owner's Manual

3. Installation

3.3 Battery Sizing and Wiring Connections

Important: It is recommended you use "Deep Cycle" batteries to receive optimum performance from your
Inverter/Charger. Do not use starting batteries or batteries rated in Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). If the batteries
you connect to the Inverter/Charger are not true Deep Cycle batteries, their operational lifetimes may be
significantly shortened. If you are using the same battery bank to power the Inverter/Charger as well as DC loads,
your battery bank will need to be appropriately sized (larger loads will require a battery bank with a larger amp-
hour capacity). Otherwise, the operational lifetimes of the batteries may be significantly reduced.
Wet-Cell (vented) or Gel-Cell/Absorbed Glass Mat (sealed) batteries are preferred. 6-volt "golf cart", Marine Deep-
Cycle or 8D Deep-Cycle batteries in series-parallel connection are also acceptable. Auxiliary batteries must be
identical to the vehicle batteries if they are connected to each other.
Batteries can produce extremely high currents. Review both the important safety instructions at the beginning of
this manual and the battery supplier's precautions before installing the inverter and batteries.
1. Select a 48V battery system that will provide your Inverter/Charger with proper DC voltage and amp-hour
capacity to support your application. Even though Tripp Lite Inverter/Chargers are highly efficient at DC-to-AC
inversion, their rated output capacities are limited by the total amp-hour capacity of connected batteries.
2. Determine the total wattage of your application. Add the wattage ratings of all equipment you will connect to your
Inverter/Charger. Wattage ratings are usually listed in equipment manuals or on nameplates. If your equipment is rated
in amps, multiply that number times AC utility voltage to determine the estimated watts. (Example: a drill requires 2.8
amps. 2.8 amps × 230 volts = 640 watts.)
3. Determine the DC battery amps required. Divide the total wattage required (from step 2 above) by the nominal
battery voltage to determine the DC amps required.
4. Estimate battery amp-hours required. Multiply the DC amps required (from step 2 above) by the number of hours
you estimate you will operate equipment exclusively from battery power before recharging batteries with utility- or
generator-supplied AC power. Compensate for inefficiency by multiplying this number by 1.2. This will provide a rough
estimate of how many amp-hours of battery power (from one or several batteries) you should connect to your Inverter/
Charger.
Note: Battery amp-hour ratings are usually given for a 20-hour discharge rate. Actual amp-hour capacities are less when batteries
are discharged at faster rates. For example, batteries discharged in 55 minutes provide only 50% of their listed amp-hour ratings,
while batteries discharged in 9 minutes provide as little as 30% of their amp-hour ratings.
5. Estimate battery recharge rate required. You must allow your batteries to recharge long enough to replace the
charge lost during inverter operation, or else you will eventually run down your batteries. To estimate the minimum
amount of time needed to recharge the batteries in your application, divide the required battery amp-hours (from step 4
above) by the Inverter/Charger's rated AC/DC Charger, Solar Charger or AC/DC + Solar charger combined.
6. Determine battery location. Batteries should be installed in an accessible location with good access to the battery
caps and terminals. At least 2 ft. (60 cm) of overhead clearance is recommended. Batteries must be located as close
as possible to the inverter. Do not install the inverter in the same compartment with non-sealed batteries (sealed
batteries are acceptable). The gasses produced by non-sealed batteries during charging are highly corrosive and will
shorten the life of the inverter.
7. Batteries should be installed in a locked enclosure or room. The enclosure should be well ventilated to prevent
accumulation of hydrogen gasses that are released during the battery charging process. The enclosure should be
made of acid-resistant material or coated with an acid-resistant finish to prevent corrosion from spilled electrolyte and
released fumes. If the batteries are located outdoors, the enclosure should be rainproof and contain mesh screens to
prevent insects and rodents from entering. Before installing the batteries in the enclosure, cover the bottom with a layer
of baking soda to neutralize any acid spills.
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