Xantrex RV Series Inverter/Charger Owner’s Manual

Battery Cable Connection

Observe Battery Polarity! Place the ring terminal over the bolt and directly against the inverter’s battery terminal, place a lock washer over the terminal and tighten the 5/16” nut to 10–15 ft./lbs. Do not place the lock washer under the cable terminal.

Note: Connecting the battery cables to the inverter battery terminals will cause an arc, usually accompanied by a “snap”. This is normal—don’t let it scare you.

Never disconnect the battery cables while the inverter is delivering power or the battery charger is operating. Keep in mind that the on/off switch on the RV does not turn off the charger section, it only turns of the inverter. To disconnect the batteries for service, follow these steps: (1) Turn the power switch OFF, (2) disconnect all AC inputs, and (3) disconnect the battery cables.

Battery Cable Sizing

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 and degrade the RV Series Inverter/Charger’s efficiency. The following table gives recommended cable sizes for various cable run lengths and inverter voltages.

Minimum Recommended Battery Cable Size (In Free Air)

 

 

 

Cable length

 

Model

Typical

Minimum

Under 5 ft

5 to 10 ft

10 to 20 ft

 

Amps

Fuse Size

 

 

 

RV2012

200 amps

250 A

00

0000

0000

RV2512

250 amps

300 A

0000

0000

----

RV3012

300 amps

400 A

0000

0000

----

The National Electric Code requires that the cables be protected by a fuse or breaker rated to match the cables’ ampacity at 75 °C.

Cable Size

Rating in Conduit

Rating in Free Air

2 AWG cable

115 amps maximum

170 amps maximum

00 AWG

175 amps maximum

265 amps maximum

0000 AWG

250 amps maximum

360 amps maximum

The National Electrical Code (NEC) allows rounding up to the next fuse size from the cable rating. For example, a 150-amp cable size rounds up to a 175-amp fuse size.

WARNING! Battery cables that are very small will melt and burn the first time the inverter is asked to produce high power.

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