Adding Batteries

[bud37]

Woops .....Sorry ,I meant the inverter....I have a bank of 4x6,yes plenty heavy for me

[ataylor233]

I really want to know how you wire the ac portion of the inverter and the shore power I think im going to do the same with the 6volt batteries I want to separate the house from the Starting batteries...

[MakinTime]

The inverter itself weighs around 70 lbs. On my Carver there are 2 breaker panels one for the a/c’s, and one for everything else. For the wiring we tapped into where the shore power comes in for panel number 1. The power first goes through the inverter then back to the panel. On one of my photos you can see where we tapped in the black box on the side of it.

[Viper]

Unless they have changed the design/build recently, the last time I checked, a class T fuse did not have an ignition protected rating for being used in gasoline application engine rooms. Circuit protection should be close to the source so the circuit protection device is likely to be in the engine compartment close to the battery bank even if the inverter is not. If that's the case, one should be using a device that is ignition protected such as an ANL fuse also commonly used for inverter installs, especially in the engine bay.

[MakinTime]

I was told by xantrex not to use a anl type fuse for the install for whatever reason I don’t know. I used a blue sea fuse holder and fuse. Located very close to my batteries. Reading on them now looks like they are insulated and coast guard compliant. But says nothing about being ignition protected. I may have to research this a bit more..

[Viper]

The problem is that the Xantrex inverter is not ignition protected so they have no reason to recommend a protection device that is because the assumption is that it won't be installed in a gasoline engine bay. Coast Guard compliant is a general rating for products used on vessels, it doesn't mean though that all compliant products are safe to use in the engine compartment unless it is specifically rated for that. If you check the manual of the Pronautic TruePower Combi series inverter for example that IS ignition protected, they will recommend that an ANL fuse be used because they assume you'll be installing the inverter in the engine room as it was designed to be safe for. Again, I'm basing this on my last check but I haven't heard of any changes made to the class T since.

[bud37]

Source of the post I was told by xantrex not to use a anl type fuse for the install for whatever reason I don’t know. I used a blue sea fuse holder and fuse. Located very close to my batteries. Reading on them now looks like they are insulated and coast guard compliant. But says nothing about being ignition protected. I may have to research this a bit more..

I have a question as I have been following this with interest ( might be something I do )...If the inverter maker specs a quick blowing fuse for their marine install to protect their stuff, then is it possible at all, that with the appropriate fuse holder then all is protected for gas engine because of the holder....dont know just asking.

[ataylor233]

Source of the post I was told by xantrex not to use a anl type fuse for the install for whatever reason I don’t know. I used a blue sea fuse holder and fuse. Located very close to my batteries. Reading on them now looks like they are insulated and coast guard compliant. But says nothing about being ignition protected. I may have to research this a bit m

so take the wires from the shore power to the input of the inverter and from the inverter to where the shore power plugs in

[Viper]

Source of the post....is it possible at all, that with the appropriate fuse holder then all is protected for gas engine because of the holder.....

I've never seen an ignition protected class T holder but you never know. The typical holder is open-ended. I suppose you can try and install it in a sealed box but you'd have to ensure any wiring inlet/outlet completely seals around the wiring/cable with no chance of vapor ingress. You could encase the fuse and holder in a sealed box and install thru-box studs so the posts are on the outside of the box but why go through all that trouble when you can simply install an ignition protected fuse. Considering the fuse shouldn't be more than 7" away from the source, it doesn't give you much room to mess with.

They talk about ignition protection requirements in gasoline engine rooms but really when you think about how close to the battery you should be installing the fuse, it's also a concern in a diesel application. It's not just the fossil fuel you have to worry about, if your battery is gassing off and a non-ignition protected devise fails in proximity to it, you'll have a battery explode whether it's a gasoline engine bay or not.

[km1125]

It might be easier just to protect the leads going from the battery to the end of the engine compartment and install the fuse outside the compartment. Don't you get at least 6' from the source if there wires are protected?

The possibility of a wire being compromised is much , much lower than something at the end of the circuit overdrawing current and causing the wire to overheat if it's not fused appropriately.