I was an electrician in the military and then residential for a short time. I have to say this guy knows what he's talking about. Proper cable type and gauge for a battery to inverter tie is a little complicated, but he covers it nicely.

As a certified Master electrician I approve of this tutorial video. Excellent walkthrough

Finally a guy who talks a lot with out any bull shit!! You seconded my thoughts about using jumper cables and especially the ground wire welding welding cable! Welding cable is the wire I liked best for possibly connecting a inverter in my pick up truck

Geez! Who knew how complicated it can be??? This was EXTREMELY helpful & appreciated, especially since I haven't purchased my inverter or cables yet!! (Just the panels, so far.) Thanks very much--Carry on with more videos, please!

A total electrical newbie here - best video I have come across yet for this type of information, thank you so much for putting it out there on the interwebs.

Great informative video. It will let me sleep at night knowing failure will not be A factor in my application thanks so much M.M.

Great job....very thorough I'm a house wife with no knowledge of inverter and battery..amps..ect...and I was able to follow you and retain all the information you provided. Thank you

Great video I just bought a 2000 W inverter and I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out my wire size. this helped out a lot. Thank you.

At last, some very rare information about the mystery of wiring! And you're dealing with it pretty well. I like the way you break the process down into comprehensive steps. Keep up the good work!

All I can say is AWESOME!!!!!!!! Simple explanation for getting started. I have watched dozens of videos in hopes of finding one on wire sizing. You have done a fantastic job of explaining for the beginner. I am currently setting up my camper to run on solar as much as possible. This is what I'm starting with in hopes that it will serve my needs. 100 watt mono crystalline panel 3000 watt inverter 2-160 ah AGM deep cycle communication batteries 30 amp controller And I have about 100ft of 00awg welding lead cable, score! I estimate a total of 5-6ft to tie the batteries together and connect to the inverter Mainly what I will be using would be a small camper fridge lights and radio and occasional power tools. I am a prospector and am used to not having power sometimes but would be nice to keep the food clod for longer without burning a lot of gas. Thanks again for all the info and I have subscribed and plan on checking out more. Btw This for mat is excellent if the person doing it knows their stuff and you sir do seem to.

I came across your video, I know it's many years old but I really learned a lot. Thank you.

Helpful vid, thanks. I learned in high school electronics that electricity, which is the flowing electrons in the energy of voltage and current actually travel on the outside diameter of a wire, and not through the center, per se. That is the physics of how electricity moves along a conductor. So, accordingly, with stranded wire, the diameter of each strand provides more surface area for the EMF to travel compared to the same diameter solid wire. Also, then there is the added benefit that stranded wire is much more flexible, lasting much longer before breaking.

Excellent videos! Using your explanation/demonstration on the proper selection of cabling for inverters I decided to go with the welding cables. Reason? I own and operate a tractor and trailer and need an inverter for the creature comforts of home while on the road and know that the proper investment in equipment will keep the operator and others safe. Now I may understand why some semi trucks catch on fire while parked; many of those fires start when the driver is tucked in his/her bunk with a ceramic heater for the winter months or a stand alone air conditioner for the summer months. Or, the driver has too much plugged in and the system and cabling is overloaded and the truck burns to the ground. The AWG table and calculator helped to Super Simplify the decision making process. Thanks again!

Out of everybody on KZfaq you are the best I love the way you explain everything for a beginner like myself I even watched the videos that don't pertain to me because I like the way you explain everything you're the bomb buddy

I really like this video - especially the mentioning of often unwanted copper-clad aluminium ( CCA ) cables. Always check the wight of your cables.. :)

Thank you for doing this video. The explanation of why so many strands in the wire for these setups was very helpful.

Awesome, simple and very easy to understand with very good, helpful knowledge, thankyou.

Bit late for comments on this video I know. But I've watched many of your videos and find them vary informative and easy to understand ( unlike a lot of the guff out there ). Yes these non project based videos are great ( especially in my case solar related ). Concise and to the point, keep it up. Cheers.

Ah, I see you have a Bestek review--that is one I've been considering. Looks like I have a multitude of new videos to watch. Thanks again

really want to say thanks ive learned more than i ever even new existed about wire . very cool !!!

Fantastic video! Thanks for taking the time to explain this stuff. I have no background or experience in this kind of thing and I followed along perfectly. You really demystified a lot of concepts for me. I'd love to see more videos like this one.

Thumbs up on the informational. I've heard about voltage drops over cable runs for years & have been satisfied to use large gauge wire as much as possible when any current was being dealt with but I understand it better now.

just what i needed. Need to work on the math part some more but think I am good. You are correct about the Inverter manual. They must sell a rubber stamp to all companies for their response. That includes Xantrex. Have a Freedom XC 2000 coming looking forward to getting it connected.

Well done Sir. I'm a EE and still learned something!

Yes do more....I just got done putting together a solar system (there never real done). And wire size was a real eye opener.

Great video for the newbee. I haven't found any other videos explaining AWG size and length. Thanks

I enjoy your videos i am a retired electrician and you beat my former instructors

Well I thought it was good information because I really had no idea what the proper wire was. Thanks for the great videos!

Thank you for making this video..it was very informative and helped explain a bunch of questions I had about inverter cable types and sizes..

this guy knows his shit. Really enjoy your videos.

Thank you for the time and effort that you put into making videos like this.

so many people dont know about this and blame the product ,great video ,808 back out

That is one of the disadvantages of fuses: They add more connection/failure points and have a non-insignificant voltage drop that must be accounted for with heavier or shorter cabling. Not all audio vendors are a rip-off, but some certainly are!

Informative videos are always the most helpful. Especially to cross reference the info. To bad less people are covering doing videos about the basic technical needs like trade skills of the past. Now its videos about how to program your Amazon fire stick with Cody. Or the like.

I have been searching for this information and you provided it thankyou for that

Good Stuff man keep the videos coming!

A thumbs up on the vid. But I sure would like to hear more about crimp vs. solder ;-) I sized my cable based on voltage drop. Hadn't thought about heat. Thanks for the info. I got what looks to be a good 2AWG jumper cable for my inverter. I crimped ring terminals on one end, but couldn't wait until final installation (~3ft) to try out the inverter, So I hooked the clamp ends up to the batteries, today, and fired it up. Whooo! 20ft (x2) of cable had a huge voltage drop.

Thank you so much for doing this video! Very helpful!

I like this guy ,,, no bull shit

These videos have been very helpful . Thanks for sharing.

I just subbed, you're videos are extremely informative and I love how in some of the videos you draw up a diagram it really helps!

Hi, nice video. Thanks for explaining a theme that is really complicate and involve a lot of math, in a simple way and so clear.

I BOUGHT AN INVERTER YESTERDAY. I'M RETURNING IT TOMORROW. THANKS.

Would like to see a video on fusing a setup like this too.

Yes, on jumper cables; you will often find *'CCA'* printed on the insulation. This is the Copper Clad Aluminum designation. Since they are an inexpensive source, it is an option, but de-rate it one wire size to get the pure copper equivalent. 2 Ga. CCA ~ 4Ga Copper as a rule of thumb. But packaging lies still exist.

Awesome information. Thanks for helping me select the correct cable for my installation.

I would highly recommend this information. Thanks a lot Sr.!

Purchase welding cable , it will be of bigger and it will be flexible too for easy bending.

I just bought a Go Power 300 watt pure sine inverter from Amazon for the car. Other recommended purchases on Amazon were a 4 gauge/10 foot wire and inline fuse box so I bought both of those. The Go Power instructions say to use a 6 gauge wire for 10 feet. If the cable is a bit larger than recommended, will that fly with no troubles? Also, how the hell do you get those wires into the cab by the passenger side foot area? Is that the best place to put the inverter? Seems that distance would be about 8 foot from the battery in my 93 Corolla.

Welding cable uses thinner strands, which conduct AC voltage better. But for DC wiring, it is more susceptible to corrosion and has higher resistance. You are better off looking for fully tinned "number three machine wire" which is closer to battery cable.

I know it's not really your thing but reviews on solar charge controllers would be greatly appreciated and even pros and cons of 12, 24, 48 volt systems would be interesting.

Still a bit confused. I have a 75 watt solar panel connected to a 12volt 30amp charge controller, connected to a 12volt car battery. I just bought an eliminator 1500 watt inverter. from battery to inverter will be about 2 feet. what awg or gauge wire do you recommend?

Enjoy the info. New to me learning much thanks.

You are giving real valuable information to me of course thumbs up.. :)

Oh, I see what you mean now. Yes, you can use the chassis of a steel vehicle for electrical current carrying ground. You may need to beef up the battery to chassis connection, though.

I like watching your videos and you have good well researched information

Thank you for this valuable information, blessings.

Thanks!!! great explanation, greetings from mexico

Very good and informative video. Thanks.

No I mean, I wanted to save on cable. So I ran one short 00 jumper from the Battery Neg to the Chassis, and one short one form the chassis to the bolt off the alternator bracket and then in my trunk I just put the negative cable from the inverter to the chassis and just ran one positive 00 all the way back to the trunk.

Thats 100% good info - thanks (still being outside US I would face some converting issues ;)

Good video but why no links to the seller? I'd buy from them just based on your tests alone.

Thumbs up today, Oct. 15, 2018....nice presentation and explaination. 😉

Ideally the chassis of the inverter should be connected to ground. This is a safety and EMI concern, but otherwise it doesn't really matter as far as function goes.

It's a pleasure watching and learning from your video's. In this video you figured the same length of cable from battery to inverter but is there any reason that in a automotive situation you couldn't use a short length of Negative cable and ground to the closest appropriate chasis ground? Ex: Place the inverter in the bed of truck, run a positve cable from engine compartmant to inverter, say 10' and ground the negative to chasis with a 2' ground wire to bed or frame. If this is applicable do you use the same figuring for total cable lenght in the formulas? Thanks for your time and keep up the good work !

very cool video man, very informative. makes me wish i had finished my electronics courses. oh well.

Thanks ... love your videos.

I'm looking to hook up a 1000W pure sine inverter in my '08 Corolla. I want to use the inverter to power a battery charger for landscaping equipment. The company of the equipment states the charger needs 550W to work properly. So I figured why not go with 1000 instead of 600. I was initially going to install the inverter in the trunk (for ease of access). Until I read your comments about a moisture free environment. Now I will install it under the passenger seat. I'm just curious about: 1) should I ground the inverter to the body instead of back to the battery? 2) will this be a problem for my battery/electrical system in the car? 3) any recommendations for wire size and in line fuse amperage? 4) anything else my noob self may have overlooked? Thanks in advance for any advice and for this truly informative set of videos!

good back ground info - Thanks.

I learn a lot, thanks!

quality car audio wire is usually over sized cheap car audio wire is undersized (for example sky high car audio 1/0 is about 3/0 size from what i have read and seen) as you said check reviews before you buy (disclaimer i dont have hands on experience with shca wire but there is plenty of info online)

How about from battery to solar charge controller to inverter? Do you have insight on that? I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Very informative. Thanks!

After watching both of these, I threw away my new inverter and took up heavy drinking!!!😱🤪🍺🍺🍺

do you have the link for the wire? thanks for all the good info on your videos

I like this sort of thing!

Thank you, it helps me a lot.

Thanks very helpful

Just bought 2/0 welding cable 20ft. Mounting my 1500w sine inverter in cargo area on my 4runner with hopefully 10ft or less each cable. Hope I it’s correct and enough to power my inverter correctly.

Great information thanks ! Just wondering though You talked about Voltage Drop and Heat effect/ High amp draw fire hazards etc. But what happens from the inverter to the load? I'm going to need probably a 25' 8/3 or 6/3 cable for AC outlets in RV parks to plug in. Then the longest run of 14/2 cable is going to be about 30'. So 25' of 6/3 plus 30' of 14/2 is the longest run. Is there a way to cut off that 25' of 6/3 cable and go straight to the 14/2 cable through the Circuit Breaker box?

Excellent ..keep them coming :-D

If you have a long run, wouldn't the best bet be to make a short run to the inverter itself, then a long run from the 120V outlets of the inverter to where you want your power? Dropping from 12 DC to 120VAC drops the current by 10, allowing you to have the long run with a standard extension cable instead of 2 or 1 gauge.

Hey all. I'm just getting started in solar power. so i apologize in advance for my novice questions. I've gotten my 2 deep cycle batteries. Next will be the 100w panel and control charger. Finally, goung with either 400, 800, 1000w pure sine inverter. my question is what size (gauge) from the charge controller to battery, battery to battery, and battery to inverter. All 3 components will be in corner of my home (roughly 3x3 area) I know distance places a part in choosing the correct wiring. also, where do I out inline fuses and what size fuses?

Thank you.👍🇺🇸great information.

I just received my new 1kw pure sine wave Odyssey 24v inverter. You haven't mentioned a hookup which goes through the Solar Charge Controller. I expect to MAKE a few lithium ion 24v batteries for this system. I suppose that the gauge wire used should be the same through the charge controller connections. Right now I have 10 gauge in place and 10 amp circuit breakers as disconnects but i see that I'll need to increase that to 60 amp circuit breakers. (Surge watts might come to 1.4 kw) It looks like they've sent me 2' of a much thicker gauge wire than the #10 that I have used so far. Should I change it or am I all right?

Hi guys, I just picked up a Cotek SD3500 and I bought 4/0 welding cable. Can I use 4/0 in a short length like that. Thanks for your knowledge.

Just bought some heavy cable for an inverter install at a surplus store. It's a length of old welding cable I thought was 4/0. Turns out it's even bigger. The copper cross section is just under 9/16". I'm guessing it's 5.5/0 from the charts I've seen. Can't find lugs for it online. Any idea where to get them? I guess I'll stop by a welding shop, but will probably be $$$

multi strand wire for a DC application works MUCH better than solid. I would run a multi strand application. this will give you a better result...

Definitely helpful....thanks.

I now see all the comments on the subject, sorry to be reppeative. Thanks.

Great info!

Good job!

Where do you recommend buying these cables and the correct ends form thanks for your video by the way

Very informative! Could you please share the URL of the site for the 2nd table you used? Also, can you provide some info on what size and type of chassis grounding wire should be used for a 2000W inverter? Thanks.

Congratulations really good explanation on how to choose the right cable for your application.i have a question for you in my case I bought a 1500 watts inverter and I planned to run cables 10ft long do I need 4/0 or 2/0 thanks

FYI, At this time ALL Autocraft jumper cables are Copper Clad Aluminum

watched pretty much all your videos .looking to do a cargo van conversation to camper.after watching your reviews i have decided on the tiger claw 15000 converter because of cost and the pure sine wave. im thinking of four 100amphr 12volt deep cycle batteries in parallel and a 400 amp controller.run off 3 100 watt flex solar panels.do you think this would power a 500k a/c unit? along with some lights.a small micro wave,small portable ice maker.small tv .not all run at the same time of course. does the set up sound ok? new to all this.

When installing an inverter in a vehicle, what are your thoughts on connecting the negative side of the inverter to the vehicle chassis rather than directly to the battery negative terminal?

Great vid thanks for the info.

I'm putting the car battery in the trunk of my race car. I need about 20ft from battery to killswitch to starter. I'll be running the neg from engine to frame and battery to frame 5ft ish total. I went to a supply store that wanted about 7 bucks a ft for 1/0 gauge. Went to Napa they told me I need 2gauge that was 3.50 a ft but I knew that was too thin. I have decided to go with welding wire because it was cheaper. I found a supplier online 1/0 gauge 20ft for about 42 bucks. I'm just wondering how well welding wire is regulated?