Inverters come with TWO positive and TWO negative 4AWG cables...

[Wendy]

I have a quick question I bet someone out there knows the answer to without too much heavy lifting...

Why do Renogy and Giandal have TWO positive and TWO negative 4AWG cables included in inverter set ups?

I first was given a Renogy 2000W inverter and was surprised that it came with two sets of cables, and a fellow I asked about it said you could use BOTH to equate to a heavier size cable.

Then I realized I wanted a 3000W inverter and bought the Giandel inverter... It ALSO had two sets of cables.

Neither product comes with any kind of installation information that mentions this. Is one set EXTRA? or are they meant to be used in tandem? Why dont they just send ONE cable that is the right AWG for pos and neg?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[alfsauve]

On page 5 of the Renogy manual it is mentioned that the 1,000W inverter comes with 1pair of 4/0 cables and the 2000W with 2 pairs. The 3,000W with no cables. They do expect you to double them up evidently. The advantage is 2 4/0 cables are easier to work with than a single 0/0.

 

[Wendy]

On page 5 of the Renogy manual it is mentioned that the 1,000W inverter comes with 1pair of 4/0 cables and the 2000W with 2 pairs. The 3,000W with no cables. They do expect you to double them up evidently. The advantage is 2 4/0 cables are easier to work with than a single 0/0.

Thank you! That is what I have done. I was just wondering since I was not sure. ?

 

[alfsauve]

They could have been clearer in the installation guide about using the cables.

 

[Steve_S]

4AWG x 2 = 1AWG Wire
4/0 or OOOO AWG is HUGE I know, that is what I use

I just pulled some wire out of my bin. This is all Royal Excelene Fine Wire Welding Cable. I just happen to be doing some Pack Assembly and more in my powerhouse.


4-AWG / 1-AWG / 1/0-AWG
5/8" , 7/16" , 5/8"
4/0 = 3/4" " thick

 

[Wendy]

They could have been clearer in the installation guide about using the cables.

Since I "inherited" the renogy inverter, it did not have any documentation... I couldnt find anything online about the two cables. A manual would have been great to have. lol.

 

[Wendy]

4AWG x 2 = 1AWG Wire
4/0 or OOOO AWG is HUGE I know, that is what I use

I just pulled some wire out of my bin. This is all Royal Excelene Fine Wire Welding Cable. I just happen to be doing some Pack Assembly and more in my powerhouse.

View attachment 115987
4-AWG / 1-AWG / 1/0-AWG
5/8" , 7/16" , 5/8"
4/0 = 3/4" " thick
View attachment 115986

 

[Wendy]

Yes, the cables I got with the inverters were 4 AWG x2.

 

[Tomthumb62]

I also have the Renogy 2000W inverter. It didn't come with cables and we called about that. They sent one set of 4AWG and I called again and said they sent too small of cables (had I known at the time I would've said just send another set). They sent us 1AWG, which was good enough. But a 2000W inverter can pull over 160A, so it really should have 1/0AWG or even 2/0AWG.

Now two positive and two negative 4AWG is even better than one each of 1/0AWG, so you're fine.

If you look at BIG 12v inverters, like 5000W or bigger, they have to use double cables, because 4/0AWG (the biggest they make) isn't enough. Also, thicker cables are harder to deal with for cable management. And more expensive.

Do you have a 200A ANL fuse between the battery and inverter? You gotta have that for safety (if the inverter ever fritzes out it could start drawing massive amps from the battery and the cabling could catch fire). BOTH red wires need to go through the fuse. You can stack the lugs one face up and one face down to get them to fit better on terminal connections.

 

[chess-equality]

I also have the Renogy 2000W inverter. It didn't come with cables and we called about that. They sent one set of 4AWG and I called again and said they sent too small of cables (had I known at the time I would've said just send another set). They sent us 1AWG, which was good enough. But a 2000W inverter can pull over 160A, so it really should have 1/0AWG or even 2/0AWG.

Now two positive and two negative 4AWG is even better than one each of 1/0AWG, so you're fine.

If you look at BIG 12v inverters, like 5000W or bigger, they have to use double cables, because 4/0AWG (the biggest they make) isn't enough. Also, thicker cables are harder to deal with for cable management. And more expensive.

Do you have a 200A ANL fuse between the battery and inverter? You gotta have that for safety (if the inverter ever fritzes out it could start drawing massive amps from the battery and the cabling could catch fire). BOTH red wires need to go through the fuse. You can stack the lugs one face up and one face down to get them to fit better on terminal connections.

This is exactly my case, I've got a 12v 5kw inverter with two pairs of positive and negative terminals; currently I use one pair to connect to the battery bank (4x 200Ah) via the busbar, while the other pair is connected to the charger. But I plan on using both pairs to connect to the battery, and move the charger connection to the busbar.

Load is less than 1kw.

 

[alfsauve]

Renogy manuals are online under the download tab for each product.

https://www.renogy.com/content/RNG-INVT-2000-12V-P2/INVT-P2-Manual.pdf

 

[Tim Tim]

Yes, the cables I got with the inverters were 4 AWG x2.

Yes and most people bin those and make their own as i did with my Giandel 3000w inverter. 2 x 3 AWG but if I hadn’t been so impatient I would of made them out of 2 AWG. My 4 AWG got warm on high current draw.

 

[Steve_S]

Here is a Table from Southwire USA who makes the Royal Excelene wire I mentioned above.
Look at the AWG size, then the number of copper strands & the Ampacity it can handle.
! NOT ALL WIRE IS THE SAME ! Excelene uses ultra-fine strand pure copper. Many use more coarse wire which handles less amperage

4 AWG has 385 strands, handles 140A 12.8Vx140A = 1792W
1 AWG has 798 strands and handles 220A 12.8Vx220A = 2816W
1/0 AWG has 1026 strands and handles 260A 12.8Vx260A = 3328W
* AMPS to WATTS Formula: watts = amps × volts
* 12.8V = 4x 3.200V (LFP Cell Nominal Voltage)

I Highly recommend Tinned Terminals and in particular Selterm Brand which are Thick Pure Copper with closed ends. There are many "brands" and the quality does vary quite a bit. Offshore stuff can be dubious (copper purity & thickness). NB: Marine Suppliers do offer high-quality with tinned terminals at a reasonable price. A Co with good rep: https://www.batterycablesusa.com/battery-cables-marine-grade-tinned