Battery Cable Sizing - Xantrex RV2012GS Owner's Manual

Installation

Battery Cable Sizing

2–12
Vehicle chassis ground (green)
House Battery
Figure 2-4 RV Series Grounding Diagram
Connect DC loads to Vehicle Chassis or optionally to the Inverter's Vehicle Chassis
Ground Terminal (Green). The optional connection shown in Figure 2-4 is for
ungrounded DC load distribution panels. Do not connect DC loads to battery
negative (–).
The bigger the battery cables, the better. Undersized cables result in additional
stress on the inverter, lower efficiency, reduced surge power, and lower peak
output voltage. Don't use cables that are too small in diameter because they can
degrade the RV Series Inverter/Charger's efficiency or generate enough heat to
become a fire hazard. The following table gives recommended cable sizes for
various cable run lengths and inverter voltages.
Table 2-2 Minimum Recommended Battery Cable Size (In Free Air)
Typical
Model Amps
RV2012GS 200 amps
RV2512GS 250 amps
RV3012GS 300 amps
The U.S. NEC requires that the cables be protected by a fuse or breaker rated to
match the cables' ampacity at 90 °C.
CAUTION
BATTERY POLARITY MUST BE
CORRECT OR DAMAGE WILL
RESULT
VEHICLE
CHASSIS BATTERY
GROUND POSITIVE
BATTERY
NEGATIVE
DC Load Distribution Panel
Optional
connection
Individual Cable length
Maximum
Fuse Size Under 5 ft
250 A 00
350 A 0000
400 A 0000
RV Series Inverter
30
30A
60A
5 to 10 ft
0000
0000
0000
975-0209-01-01