Power Inverter installed

Hey guys I just posted some questions about an inverter I just bought.  Could you guys check it out and see what you think?  Thanks a lot

https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=1&TopicID=8462&PagePosition=1#thread

Thanks

well...most inverters come with a warning and a disclaimer that there is NO WARRANTY if not mounted properly IN THE CAB...the extremes in weather are not good for the units...and the likelihood of them getting wet is alot greater than you think...you should really reconsider your mounting choice before you cause damage to the unit or your vehicle...

I have installed 3 or 4 inverters in the past couple of years, and just bought a 1500/3000W inverter for my father in law's new Mack truck...it goes in on Sunday...I think I paid 180 or so on ebay for the unit I bought for his truck...it is about 4 inches high by 8 inches wide by 26 inches long...quite large, really, but the interior of his truck has alot of cabin space and I dont anticipate any room problems...I will be running 4 ga and a 150A inline fuse, as the unit is unfused...

if you have any other questions jrilla, dont hesitate to ask...inverters are quite easy, but if you are an audiophile, they induce an incredible amount of noise into the system while they are on...they are quite handy though, for some things anyway...

Big Purds, I am curious where the noise come into the audio system.  Do you mean the noise is induced into the system that is plugged into the inverter or the inverter will just induce noise into any audio system in the car, like the factory system?  All I have is a FM modulated CD changer hooked up to my factory deck and still ahve factory speakers.  will running the inverter induce noise into this setup, or will it only do so if i plug in a TV or dvd player etc.  I am not exactly sure of all of my future uses for the inverter I have, but I always wanted one.  Could you explain the effects of the noise a little more.  I may be adding a LCD TFT and a dvd player to the vehicle so I judt want to know what the inverter will affect.  I think knowing will help me decide what I want to purchase as well: I wasn't sure if I wanted to get an AC or DC tv and dvd so this might help.

I also read another post you responded to about an inverter suggesting 4 gauge wire on a 800 watt inverter. which was the same gauge wire you mentioned you were using on a 1500/3000 watt unit.  I am not much into installing audio systems except replacing factory speakers, head units, and an occasional amp, so I dont get into the really heavy gauge wire.  Is 4 gauge just playing it safe for an 800 watt inverter or is it playing it smart?  I have no problem getting 4 gauge, but I dont want to if it is not necessary. 

Thanks a lot

on a short run 8 ga will be fine really, but I buy 4 ga bulk and always fear of limiting myself by wire size, so I use at least 4 ga almost everywhere...in all my personal audio setups, I use 1/0 at least...the 4 ga for the big inverter is over a very short run or it would be 1/0 too...

I wouldnt know much about the factory setups, because all of the inverters I have done have already had aftermarket stereo in them...but it induces static basically into the system...but only when its on...it will induce noise into your factory stereo, not just what you are running off of it...

also be aware that you shouldnt really plug anything rechargeable into an inverter as well...dont recharge your phone, drill batteries, razor, etc...I am not sure why, but apparently it is bad to run a battery charger off of an inverter...I havent really looked into why ever, but they say it will destroy the charger...

I would consider them a great asset in a work vehicle or like my father in laws truck, because 110 power is handy if you essentially live in your vehicle or will use it, but I dont really advocate them too much as a "nifty add on" to the average vehicle...that is just a matter of opinion tho, take it for what its worth, heh...