Can I run an inverter off a starter battery that’s Far away ?

I’ve been wondering if a 1000 watt inverter can be installed in a vehicle for light use ,like 800 watt draw for 5 minutes twice a day from the starter battery .

The inverter would be mounted inside the vehicle and the cables would have to be like 15 feet long from the starter battery to reach the inverter .

The instructions for my 1000 watt inverter say the cables need to be min 2 awg ,no more than 5 feet from the battery and max battery fuse size 150 amps.

It also says for the battery to be a min 100ah and it is .

So if I ran a large cable from the battery to the inverter with a 150 amp terminal mount fuse off the battery would it work ?

The wire size chart says a 2/0 cable can carry 200 amps for up to 20 feet . That seems like it would supply enough amps to the inverter,Just like as if it was within 5 feet from the battery.

Will it work ?

I was also thinking it would be a good idea to add a main shut off switch so the inverter so it won’t drain the battery with on standby power .

Thanks in advance.

Loving plumber said:

I was also thinking it would be a good idea to add a main shut off switch so the inverter so it won’t drain the battery with on standby power .

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Yes, people in the 4WD and overland camping world have been doing it for years. Make sure you have the disconnect switch AND a fuse installed and you should be good to go.

On the other hand, most people I know who do that have a dual battery setup or an aux battery bank in the bed to feed their 120v stuff. Using it for a couple minutes on the basic battery is no big deal. Using it to run a cooktop for half an hour would be a "Bad Thing".

800 watts is closer to 80 amps.

You only need to wire for 100A (1000W / 12V / 0.85) and you would only need a 125A fuse.

Your 15' cable run means 30' of wire (round trip) so the voltage drop needs to be based on 30'. 2/0AWG cable does work out as a good choice. Just make sure it's high quality pure copper stranded wire with at least 90ºC rated insulation.

Make sure the terminals on the inverter can handle 2/0AWG cable. That's a lot bigger than the recommended 2AWG.

You definitely want a shutoff switch. An inverter usually has a high idle load that will kill your battery in a day or two. Turn it on just for the few minutes you need the inverter.

Having said all of the above, I have no idea whether any of this is a good idea for a car's starter battery. Someone else will need to chime in on that side of the setup.

AC is more capable at traveling distances, so what might work for you is to install the inverter close to the battery in the engine compartment, and then run the AC the distance required.

One important issue would then be how to protect the inverter from road dirt/dust/rain?

800W would be pulling 67amps from your battery, and starter batteries do NOT like being left in a less than full state of charge. So, when is the power going to be drawn, and when will the battery get charged back?

If you still want the inverter inside the vehicle, your best bet though is probably a separate but interconnected off-grid battery bank that can be charged from the engine, but still isolated from the starter battery. Maybe two 6V golf-cart batteries.

Will there be solar charging? You didn't mention anything about that?