Hey all. I'm installing a PS2 and 15 " LCD tv. I bought a 600W inverter to power it. I think it will be enough, but probably running close to full capacity. According to the install manual, they want 4 guage going from the inverter to the battery. I was originally going to install power wires from the inverter to the power distribution buss behind the helm. Problem is, i don't think the wires going to the batteries from the helm is even close to 4 guage. How are you guys wiring these inverters up. I will never be running anything other than the tv/PS2 on the inverter at one time. Not sure if the 4 guage is necessary. I figure the tv and ps2 to pull about 5-7 amps a/c, don't know if the inverter will need more than that to make the conversion. For example, the inverter needing 20 amps of d/c to make 5-7 amps of a/c. I did note that the input of the inverter says 65 amp max??? What are your thoughts?

Put the inverter close to the batteries, use 4 guage or bigger. Then run 120V to where you need it.
The lower voltage DC will require A LOT bigger wire for watts used.

Would i be alright if i ran 4 gauge 15'?

Are you sure you have the amps right on the TV and PS 2? 5 - 7 Amps seems real high. Look on the back of the TV and PS 2 for a wattage indication. It seems to me both should not draw over 100Watts. I looked up a 15" sharp and is says only 40Watts The PS2 says 45 Watts

Regardless of the intended usage of the inverter you should run the reccomended wire to the battery as you or someone else may hook something like a hair dryer to it. To run 15' should be fine but check the manual for the inverter.

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If my brain still works using my calculations you should be using .7 Amps at 120V and 7.0 amps @ 12VDC give or take a little for effeciency and inrush. A 200W inverter should be more than enough. I think a regular car battery is about 65 Ah so this could run the setup for about 8 hours.

15' x2 of 4 guage is a heck of a lot more expensive than house wire a box and receptacle and cover plate! . I'd keep the inverter close to the batt as already suggested.

This may be more than you want to know but here goes. First the conversion for amps is 10xs meaning that if you want all of the inverter wattage 600w@120VAC draws 5 amps on the 120 side. 50amps plus loss on the 12v side. Planning for 65A from the battery is not overkill. The gauge on the 12v side depends on how far the inverter is from the battery. By the way electronic equipment mostly requires what they call a pure sign wave inverter. Most of the cheepies are not pure sign wave. It is not a good idea to house the inverter in a hot engine compartment. The gauge of the wire is a function of the distance and draw. I know you plan nothing but the items specified but good engineering would call for proper wiring for max capacity. Hope this helps. West marine cat. has a chart dealing with wire gauge over distance given various ampacety.

I had to double everything in order to get mine to work as expected reliably. Twice as thick feed wire, much closer to the batteries (a foot or two), and an inverter that was rated for twice what I intended to draw. After these mods it all worked perfectly. Before it was irratic and unstable to the point of being unusable. So go big.