4. Installation

In this section:

Warning

This product may only be installed by a qualified electrical engineer.

4.1. Location

The product must be installed in a dry and well-ventilated area, as close as possible to the batteries.

The inverter/charger is suitable for wall mounting. A solid surface, suitable for the weight and dimensions of the product must be available (e.g., concrete, or masonry). For mounting purposes, a hook and two holes are provided at the back of the casing (see appendix G).

Warning

The interior of the product must remain accessible after installation.

Try and keep the distance between the product and the battery to a minimum in order to minimize cable losses.

Warning

For safety reasons, this product should be installed in a cool environment. Do not store or place any flammable materials (such as chemicals, curtains, textiles, synthetic items, or other combustibles) in the immediate vicinity of the installation.

Warning

Every system installation must include a way to disconnect the AC and DC circuits. Circuit breakers used for overcurrent protection can also serve as disconnects. When fuses are used, separate disconnect switches are required between the source and the fuses.

Warning

WARNING - BATTERIES CAN PRESENT A RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, BURNS FROM HIGH SHORT-CIRCUIT CURRENTS, FIRE, OR EXPLOSION FROM VENTED GASSES.

Replace batteries with the same number and type.
Refer to you local codes for proper battery disposal requirements.

Warning

WARNING – RISK OF EXPLOSIVE GASES. WORKING IN THE VICINITY OF A LEAD-ACID BATTERY IS HAZARDOUS. LEAD-ACID BATTERIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NORMAL OPERATION.

Please observe the following precautions when working in the vicinity of a lead-acid battery.

PERSONAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:

Never work alone near a lead-acid battery. Ensure someone is close-by to assist you in case of an emergency.
Ensure first aid and eye wash equipment is readily available before working on or near the battery.
Wear safety goggles or a face shield and protective clothing. Avoid touching your eyes while working near a battery.
If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water. If acid enters your eye, immediately flush the eye with cold running water for at least 10 minutes and seek medical attention right away.
NEVER smoke or allow sparks or open flames within the vicinity of a battery or engine.
Use insulated tools when working on the battery. Be extremely careful not to drop metal tools or objects onto the battery. A dropped metal tool can create sparks or cause a short circuit, which may result in an explosion or fire.
Remove metal jewelry and watches when working with a lead-acid battery. A lead-acid battery can produce a short-circuit current high enough to melt or weld a ring or similar metal object to metal, causing severe burns.
NEVER charge a frozen battery.
If removing the battery from a vehicle or vessel, always remove grounded terminal from the battery first. Switch off all circuits before connecting or disconnecting the battery terminals to prevent arcing.
Ensure the battery is installed in a well ventilated space.
Keep the battery terminals clean and free of corrosion. Prevent corrosion material from coming in contact with eyes.
Always follow the battery manufacturer’s specific precautions and instructions. This includes whether or not to remove the cell caps while charging and observe the recommended charging rates.

Warning

MARINE UNIT LOCATION

Locate marine unit away from battery in a separate, well ventilated compartment
Never place marine unit directly above the battery; corrosive battery gases will damage it.
Never allow battery acid to drip onto the marine unit when reading gravity or filling the battery.
Do not operate the marine unit in a closed-in area or restrict ventilation in any way.

Warning

DC CONNECTION PRECAUTIONS

Connect and disconnect DC output connections only after setting any marine unit switches to off position. Disconnect AC cords from electric outlets or open AC disconnect switches.

Warning

EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS SHALL COMPLY WITH THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD ELECTRICAL REGULATIONS (33CFR183, SUB PART I).

Warning

GROUNDING INSTRUCTIONS – A marine unit should be connected to a grounded, metal, permanent wiring system; or an equipment-grounding conductor should be run with circuit conductors and connected to equipment-grounding terminal or lead on unit. Connections to the unit should comply with all local codes and ordinances.

Warning

This product is not suitable for direct connection to a vehicle's electrical system. It should be connected to a DC system that includes its own dedicated service or house battery with appropriate fusing, and DC wiring gauge. For recommendations on battery capacity, fuse rating, and cable gauge, refer to Chapter Connection of battery cables in this manual."

4.2. Vibration management

Caution

CAUTION

When integrating inverter/chargers with generators in a single enclosure (hybrid generators), using shock mounts is mandatory. They mitigate damage risk to the inverter/charger by absorbing the generator's operational energy, thus extending component lifespan.

Key criteria for selecting shock mounts include:

Selection is based on the specific generator vibration frequency ranges to be isolated.
The shock mounts must bear the equipment's weight without impairing functionality.

4.3. Connection of battery cables

To fully utilize the product's capacity, ensure the use of batteries with adequate capacity, an appropriate DC fuse, and battery cables of sufficient cross-section. DC cables should be copper, with a 90ºC (194ºF) rating. Refer to the table below for sizing recommendations.

* Follow local installation rules.

** Do not locate battery cables in a closed conduit

Connection procedure

Warning

Use a torque wrench with an insulated box spanner in order to avoid shorting the battery.

Recommended torque: 12 Nm (M8 nut)

Avoid shorting the battery cables.

Proceed as follows to connect the battery cables:

Undo the two screws at the bottom of the enclosure and remove the service panel
Connect the battery cables: see A: Connection overview.
Tighten the nuts well for minimal contact resistance.
The connector goes on first, followed by the flat washer, lock washer, and nut. Tighten the nuts well for minimal contact resistance.

Notice

Internal resistance is an important factor when working with low-capacity batteries. Please consult your supplier or the relevant sections of our Energy Unlimited or Wiring Unlimited books. Both can be downloaded from our website.

4.4. Connection of the AC cabling

Warning

This is a safety class I product (supplied with a ground terminal for safety purposes). Its AC input and/or output terminals and/or grounding point on the outside of the product must be provided with an uninterruptible grounding point for safety purposes.

This product is provided with a ground relay (relay H, see appendix B) that automatically connects the Neutral output to the chassis if no external AC supply is available. If an external AC supply is provided, the ground relay H will open before the input safety relay closes. This ensures the correct operation of an earth leakage circuit breaker connected to the output.

In a fixed installation, an uninterruptable grounding can be secured by means of the grounding wire of the AC input. Otherwise, the casing must be grounded.
In a mobile installation (for example, with a shore current plug), interrupting the shore connection will simultaneously disconnect the grounding connection. In that case, the casing must be connected to the chassis (of the vehicle) or to the hull or grounding plate (of the boat).

The inverter incorporates a mains frequency isolating transformer. This precludes the possibility of DC current at any AC port. Therefore, type A RCDs can be used.

In case of a boat, direct connection to the shore ground is not recommended because of potential galvanic corrosion. The solution to this is using an isolation transformer.

Warning

This unit or system is provided with fixed trip limits and shall not be aggregated above 30kW on a single point of common connection.

The AC terminal blocks can be found on the printed circuit board, see Appendix A.

Do not invert neutral and phase when connecting the AC.

AC-out-2 (Maximum Torque: 2 Nm)
A second output is available that disconnects its load in the event of battery operation. On these terminals, equipment is connected that may only operate if AC voltage is available on AC-in-1, e.g. an electric boiler or an air conditioner. The load on AC-out-2 is disconnected immediately when the inverter/charger switches to battery operation. After AC power becomes available on AC-in-1, the load on AC-out-2 will be reconnected with a delay of approximately 2 minutes. This to allow a genset to stabilise.

4.5. Optional Connections

A number of optional connections are possible: