I am installing a 1000 watt inverter in an '07 Dodge Sprinter. How critical is it that the negative cable goes directly to the battery? I've run the positive cable to the battery and there is no more space for the neg. cable. (the battery is under the drivers feet) The inverter will be used mainly for powering laptops and other small wattage equipment, with an occasional use for a small microwave or fridge. Will this overload the vehicle ground cable or cause weird problems with the vehicles electronics? It does have two batteries, but the aux battery is in the engine compartment and I hate to run a 10 foot cable to it. I told the customer that he really needs a separate battery just for the inverter but he's not going for that.
Any thoughts or suggestions? This is all new to me.
Thanks
My work installs these inverters for progressive insurance response vehicles that use similar inverters of about 1000w. We wire it directly to battery for positive and negative connections. That way you don't have to wonder if the ground you chose was good enough to supply the right amount of amperage. It also gets a 150 amp fuse. It is kinda a pain to run both but in the long run, it will be getting the full battery current.
We install 1750 - 3000 Watt inverters at work in oilfield pickups. We use a bolt through the floor, with paint removed on both sides. We've never had a ground problem. If you do install this way, though, you should beef up your vehicle ground ie. run a large gauge cable from neg at battery to vehicle ground.
Thanks everyone.
I ran a #4 cable to battery negative ( pos is #2 ) and also a #4 to chassis ground. I was able to cram the #4 in the channel that all the other cables are in. Hopefuly this will be sufficient and not overload the vehicle ground cable. Also I started with a 125 amp fuse just to be safe.