Invereter

[masonstephens55]

This isn’t necessarily about car audio but I have a 3000w inverter running from one of the front battery’s in my 2018 dodge ram 2500 6.7L. I’m running 2 gauge wire. The positive wire gets really hot and the fuse seems to blow after using my air compressor for about 5 minutes. What do I need to do to make it affectivly work?

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[Doxquzme Premium Member]

May be that your wire is CCA (copper clad aluminum) not pure copper. At any rate, wire getting really hot unusually means you have resistance issues. Use this chart to evaluate the need:

Inverter Wire Size Calculator - The Inverter Store

Unsure how to connect your inverter and battery? Check The Inverter Store's handy calculator and guide that breaks down the complex process for you easily.

theinverterstore.com

Then get some great wire like this:

Amazon product ASIN B01MR7KUOZ
Wire is always cheaper than fire!

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

This isn’t necessarily about car audio but I have a 3000w inverter running from one of the front battery’s in my 2018 dodge ram 2500 6.7L. I’m running 2 gauge wire. The positive wire gets really hot and the fuse seems to blow after using my air compressor for about 5 minutes. What do I need to do to make it affectivly work?

There's something missing here. I suspect you are overloading the inverter, but need more info. Does the fuse in the inverter blow or the fuse in the power wire? Does the inverter get hot? Is the compressor plugged into the inverter or is it a 12v compressor? How much power does the compressor draw? There should be a tag on the compressor that shows power consumption.

May be that your wire is CCA (copper clad aluminum) not pure copper. At any rate, wire getting really hot unusually means you have resistance issues. Use this chart to evaluate the need:

Inverter Wire Size Calculator - The Inverter Store

Unsure how to connect your inverter and battery? Check The Inverter Store's handy calculator and guide that breaks down the complex process for you easily.

theinverterstore.com

Then get some great wire like this:

Amazon product ASIN B01MR7KUOZ
Wire is always cheaper than fire!

That's definitely not the problem. It would take an extreme situation for the difference between cca and ofc to make a noticeable difference.

 

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

There's something missing here. I suspect you are overloading the inverter, but need more info. Does the fuse in the inverter blow or the fuse in the power wire? Does the inverter get hot? Is the compressor plugged into the inverter or is it a 12v compressor? How much power does the compressor draw? There should be a tag on the compressor that shows power consumption.

That's definitely not the problem. It would take an extreme situation for the difference between cca and ofc to make a noticeable difference.

Granted, overlooked the fuse popping thing, then again, it wouldn't be the first time that someone thought they had 2 gauge and it turned out to be 4 gauge CCA and was thinking more about the gauge that could be impacted by the fact that it is CCA - a contributing factor if you will. With what you pointed out, it could impact the end game. But I agree, it is more than just wire. The wire gauge cold definitely be an issue depending on how long the run is and what the wire is made out of.

 

[masonstephens55]

There's something missing here. I suspect you are overloading the inverter, but need more info. Does the fuse in the inverter blow or the fuse in the power wire? Does the inverter get hot? Is the compressor plugged into the inverter or is it a 12v compressor? How much power does the compressor draw? There should be a tag on the compressor that shows power consumption.

That's definitely not the problem. It would take an extreme situation for the difference between cca and ofc to make a noticeable difference.

The fuse from the wire is popping and I’m not 100% sure on the compressor but it’s a big compressor. The inverter gets warm. I know that are about 12 bars on the inverter and the compressor takes up about 6. I work around the state and paint. I constantly have my compressor running and would like to use somthing that is not as loud and space consuming as a generator

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

This isn’t necessarily about car audio but I have a 3000w inverter running from one of the front battery’s in my 2018 dodge ram 2500 6.7L. I’m running 2 gauge wire. The positive wire gets really hot and the fuse seems to blow after using my air compressor for about 5 minutes. What do I need to do to make it affectivly work?

Seems like a poor connection. Re-check all your terminals for cleanliness and tightness.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

It sounds like you need to go to a larger Inverter. I would look into a 5k and use the proper sized wiring called for by specs. Though a small generator will use less fuel and be more efficient than running your vehicle to try and keep up with the supply for the demand. A small gas compressor may be the way to go. Does sound like a poor connection id the wiring is getting hot and a fuse is blowing. Is this a Sine Wave inverter? What brand and model # is this inverter? Have a link of it? I use a 2k,2500,3k and at time a 5k myself as well as use one of my 3 generators (4k WestingHouse, 5500 Honda,13,500 Generac.)

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Does your unit have a fan or two fans that are kicking on to keep the inverter running cooler?

 

[HardofWhoring]

I would be using 1/0 OFC wire if that was me. That should solve it getting hot. Length also matters, the shorter the better, but not as important

You didn't say what size fuse is blowing.
* Your fuses needs to be the same size or larger then the load/fuse sizes downstream.
* Your wire needs to be capable of handling more than the fuse.
(The fuse is you intentionally adding in a weak point. So that if something goes wrong it is in an controlled location, that can be easily fixed).

I personally wouldn't do more than 200-150 amps on 2ga, and that's with OFC wire. Copper Clad Aluminum is closer to 150-100amp.

The other thing that might help:
3,000 watts / 12v (engine off) = 250 amps
3,000 watts / 14.4v (running ) = 208 amps. You will have a lower draw when using the inverter if your engine is running. It's a 20% difference, and might be the difference in you having it work long enough for you.
If you are already running the engine (at 14.4v) when using the inverter, then I would guess you are using a 200 amp fuse, maybe even smaller. That inverter needs at least a 250 amp fuse, and you need wire larger than 2g so that the fuse remains the weak point in that circuit.


I know for close to 20 years, GM has also been using external voltage regulators on pickups. Instead of the 14.4v being controlled by the alternator, it's controlled by the ECU. It lowers the voltage to reduce drag, and increase mpg. If your 2018 Dodge does something like this, perhaps even running/at idle, it's reducing your voltage which is increasing the draw. No clue if your Dodge does this, but it could be dropping below 12v, which would draw even more than 250 amps, and could blow a 250 amp fuse. Could also explain why it blows after 5 minutes.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

The other thing that might help:
3,000 watts / 12v (engine off) = 250 amps
3,000 watts / 14.4v (running ) = 208 amps. You will have a lower draw when using the inverter if your engine is running. It's a 20% difference, and might be the difference in you having it work long enough for you.

I think you are backwards here.
Think of it like an amp: My 5k amp makes less power if I feed it lower voltage; it doesn't pull more current to compensate for the lower voltage. I doubt the inverter is smart enough to keep output power constant, especially since it is getting hot. However, I do not know much about inverters, so this is merely speculation.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

This isn’t necessarily about car audio but I have a 3000w inverter running from one of the front battery’s in my 2018 dodge ram 2500 6.7L. I’m running 2 gauge wire. The positive wire gets really hot and the fuse seems to blow after using my air compressor for about 5 minutes. What do I need to do to make it affectivly work?

What make/model inverter?

Generally power cable getting hot is too small cable or poor connections. You do not want to over-fuse. Figure out what manufacturer recommends and go from there.

 

[Boominburban]

Go to a 5k or 6k inverter, using two runs of 1/0 power and ground cable for it. I've been running a 6k inverter in my bass ride for years, run jackhammers, table saws, circ saws, compressors, ect off it. I even use it as power for my house during power outages.
As for your current issue, I think you have a bad connection, or under sized power and ground cables ....