Acceptable Distance from 1500 watt 24 inverter to Load

[john95]

I need about 100 feet of cable from my Inverter to some TV, IP surveillance camera VR, an internet switch and 2x 9 watt lights bulbs about 400 watt load. Should I use a 12 gauge solid 2 conductors and ground? If 50' or 25' is my maximum distance to use any ideas of how to carry my stored electricity to these units? Thanks.

[sensij]

A voltage drop calculator will help you figure this out. If you were running 1500 W @ 120 V, that is 12.5 A. Over 100 ft of 12 awg, you'd lose 4 V, more than 3%. If you are only running 400 W, the loss would be less than 1%, but why have such a big inverter in that case?

[AzRoute66]

[...] but why have such a big inverter in that case?

To power other circuits? For future growth? It was the inverter that was found in the junque pile? Inquiring minds want to know.

[john95]

A voltage drop calculator will help you figure this out. If you were running 1500 W @ 120 V, that is 12.5 A. Over 100 ft of 12 awg, you'd lose 4 V, more than 3%. If you are only running 400 W, the loss would be less than 1%, but why have such a big inverter in that case?

Well, I use the 1500 Watt inverter to provide electricity to other devices also, like my garage stuff another 400 ~ 500 watts but that has a cable of only 25 feet, 2 solid conductors and ground, 12 gauge.

How did you get 4 V lose and over 3%? With the same factors the Voltage Drop Calculator gives me:

Voltage Drop = 1.99
Voltage Drop Percentage = 1.66%
Voltage @ the end = 118.01

Oh, I got you, you did single set of conductors and I did 2 conductors per phase in parallel.

If I go to 90 feet I'm under 3%, I still achieve acceptable results!

Let me tell you guys something more interesting:

I measured the volts that I get from the outlets on the inverter and I get 107 volts not 115 like the POCO. Now, I connected the 100' long 12 gauge cable to one of the inverter outlets and I get at the end of the cable the same 107 volts. This shows no loss of voltage at all.

[max2k]

...I measured the volts that I get from the outlets on the inverter and I get 107 volts not 115 like the POCO. Now, I connected the 100' long 12 gauge cable to one of the inverter outlets and I get at the end of the cable the same 107 volts. This shows no loss of voltage at all.

did you have your 1500W load connected at the time? Most likely not and as such no current was flowing through the wires so you got 0 loss. The more load you put the more loss you'd get according to formula: Ploss = Iload^2 x Rwire

[AzRoute66]

I'm more interested in why only 107 VAC on an unloaded outlet - but I know nothing of your inverter voodoos.

[sensij]

I'm more interested in why only 107 VAC on an unloaded outlet - but I know nothing of your inverter voodoos.

I'd guess this is similar to the discussion in this thread... MSW inverter output measured with a meter that is only looking at peak voltage instead of true RMS.

[AzRoute66]

Aha. Good thread, good catch. I get it. Thanx sensij.

[john95]

Update: In turned out that I have been getting perfect 110 AC volts from my 1500 watt inverter and at the end of the 90 foot cable and not 107. I got a true RMS meter and have a more accurate measurements now.