Installation Manual

© 2015 Sensata Technologies
Page 17
Installation
2.4.6 Wiring the Inverter to the Battery Bank
CAUTION: The inverter is NOT reverse polarity protected—if this happens, the inverter
will be damaged and will not be covered under warranty.
Before connecting the DC
wires from the batteries to the inverter, verify the correct battery voltage and polarity
using a voltmeter. If the positive terminal of the battery is connected to the negative
terminal of the inverter and vice versa, severe damage will result. If necessary, color
code the cables (with colored tape): RED for positive (+) and WHITE for negative (–) to
avoid polarity confusion.
Info: The DC overcurrent device (e.g., circuit breaker or fuse) must be placed in the
positive (red) DC cable line between the inverter’s positive DC terminal and the battery’s
positive terminal (red)—as close to the battery as possible.
DC Ground Wire
1. Route an appropriately sized DC grounding wire (green or bare wire) from the inverter’s DC
Equipment Ground Terminal (Figure 1-2, Item 7) to a dedicated system ground. Recommended
tightening torque is 45 lbf-in (5.1 N-m). Refer to Section 2.6 for grounding information and
sizing the DC ground wires.
DC Negative Wire
2. Route an appropriately sized DC negative wire (marked white) from the negative terminal of
the battery bank to the inverter’s Negative DC Terminal (Figure 1-2, Item 11).
Info: If installing a battery monitor such as Sensata’s ME-BMK, install a DC shunt in-
line with the negative battery cable.
DC Positive Wire
3. Mount the circuit breaker or fuse assembly as near as practical to the batteries and leave open
(i.e., no power to inverter).
WARNING: DO NOT close the DC circuit breaker or connect the fuse to connect battery
power to the inverter at this time. This will occur in the Functional Test after the
installation is complete.
CAUTION: If connecting live battery cables to the inverter DC terminals, a brief spark
or arc may occur; this is normal and due to the inverter’s internal capacitors being
charged.
4. Route and connect an appropriately sized DC positive wire (red) from the inverter’s positive
DC terminal (see Figure 1-2, Item 10) to one end of the circuit breaker (or DC fuse block).
5. Connect a short wire (same rating as the DC wires) to the other side of the DC circuit breaker
(or one end of the fuse/disconnect assembly), and the other end of the short wire to the positive
terminal of the battery bank (see Figure 2-1 for reference). This is essential to ensure even
charging and discharging across the entire battery bank.
6. Ensure the DC wire connections (on the batteries, inverter, and DC circuit breaker/fuse lugs)
are fl ush on the surface of the DC terminals, and the hardware (lock washer and nut) used to
hold these connections are stacked correctly (Figures 2-5 and 2-6). Verify all DC connections
are torqued from 10 to 12 lbf-ft (13.6 to 16.3 N-m).
7. Once the DC connections are completely wired and tested, coat the terminals with an approved
anti-oxidizing spray.
8. Attach the red and black terminal covers over the inverter’s DC connectors, and then secure
them in place with the supplied screws.
9. If the batteries are in an enclosure, perform a fi nal check of the connections to the battery
terminals, and then close and secure the battery enclosure.