Routing #4 AWG wires to console

I work in the electrical industry, trust me I know about proper sizing of electrical conductors. If you are referring to me as you people who's truck will burn, I am sorry you are getting the wrong tone of the questions I am asking.

 

Have you considered a 12v air compressor instead, it seems more cost and effort effective.

$24 AIRHEAD Air Pump - Corded Electric, 12v, AHP-12H, Yellow and Black

https://www.amazon.com/AIRHEAD-AHP-...8&qid=1502906798&sr=8-3&keywords=12v+air+pump

 

I bought a little 400w inverter just for this reason.

Buy the inverter to match the biggest drawing item you plan to use on it.

 

No, not you.

 

Yes, and that works fine, but on a recent trip I only had the AC blower that came with the mattress. Anyway, I travel with a lot of electronics on most road trips. One item is my Turbo charger for my phone. Three kids in the back with DVD players and iPads and it's soon overloaded. As Dirty Deeds says, better safe than sorry. And you never know when I might want to fire up a small table saw.

 

Sounds like the best plan so far.

 

I could be wrong here but last I checked it is Watts 600 divided by volts 12 equals Amps at 50amps you will a minimum 8awg. DC voltage is not my strong point but I deal with AC current all day long. Check NEC 310/16 wire current ampacities. Also go by the name plate rating on the power supply. Safe practice is to take total amperes and multiply by 1.25 for continuous power/ over 3 hours, and gauge you wire to that sum 70ax1.25 =87.5 set your fuse and wire gauge to correct specs. do not oversize fuse because it has to be lower than the wire rating. Sorry for the mouth full but I hope it answered any questions if there was any.

 

@B100BOB This is the route I went for the power/ground harness for my cb. So since you want center console routing, figured I'd share. Through the firewall, pull up drivers side carpet, go behind the airbag module, remove center console, and voila.

 

You're forgetting efficiency of the inverter. My assumption was that the inverter was 70% efficient thus:

Fuses protect the wire to prevent heating up, a 4ga wire can be protected by a fuse no larger than 100A. I 100% agree with the 4ga and 100A fuse installation instructions per @B100BOB

chart source: https://www.bluesea.com/resources/1437

 

Just curious on what type of wire is this chart based on. The chart looks goo but it is great to know all the specs for wire insulation.

 

If you are only running the power wire, there is a grommet on the drivers side that should fit the 4awg wire. It's behind the brake booster (fender side). Direct access to the cab and can be routed to the center console easily.

 

here is a pic, you could remove the grommet completely to fit the 4awg.

 

Quality marine wire, as specified by ABYC standards, will always be stranded rather than solid, and always tin-plated copper. In addition, the DC Wire Selection Chart shown below assumes a wire insulation rating of 105°C. A lower rating will decrease the current-carrying capacity of the wire.
^^^
You could have found that paragraph if you had clicked the link... and 105°C is what they use in Marine (assuming UV and water/oil resistance) wire apparently.

Automotive is usually 85°C, 90°C, 125°C based on what I have seen.

Again... This is just information not recommendations...

 

Cool man, nice information.

 

But that's under the hood. No way I'd run 100 amps in the cab, it's asking for disaster

 

In what way?

 

I think I used 6 AWG gauge wire to install a 400-watt Bestek inverter. I installed an isolated 2nd battery so if the kids forget to turn something off, the aux battery runs dead instead of the primary battery. Hasn't happen yet as I'm good at making sure everything is shut off before I walk away from the truck. I off-road solo in the dez; so, a 2nd battery is great peace of mind should the primary battery die.

 

Just an afterthought, if there was a way to safely mount the inverter under the hood, within 2 feet of the battery, the #8 wires included with it would be acceptable. A location where the wire length would be under 9 feet, #6 would do. However, because the location where I am installing it is going to require a run of wire around 10 feet, all the charts that I have seen recommend using #4 gauge. As far as safety, the inverter is going to draw what it is going to draw, and anything abnormal that would cause a short or heavier draw enough to cause the wiring to heat up and create a fire, will blow the fuse under the hood, thereby preventing your so-called "disasters" in the cab.