How to install a Power inverter - InsideSMA.com SMA Spinal Muscular Atrophy

An overview on installing a Pure Sine Wave Inverter into a car or van. It details how to punch through the firewall and hook up the power and ground wires. Pure Sine Wave Inverters are used by families, specifically those with Spinal Muscular Atrophy to run their medical equipment in the car. A Cough Assist CA3000 machine requires a true sine wave (AC) to function.

SMA (spinal Muscular Atrophy) is a disease that affects the muscles in the body. SMA is a terminal disease with no treatment of cure. You can read additional Tips and How-tos on http://www.insideSMA.com.

I used an amp wiring kit like this from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/PK4Z-Gauge-Power-Amplifier-Installation/dp/B000Q6DLTK/r...

Category:

Education

Tags:

• True
• Pure
• Sine
• Wave
• Inverter
• InsideSMA
• Install
• Sienna
• 2011
• SMA
• Spinal
• Muscular
• Atrophy
• Amp
• wiring
• auto
• Power
• Wire
• ground
• toyota
• chassis
• negative
• positive

[joshsplain]

sorry to rain on your parade but 6 gauge wire isnt a good idea as you will soon find out. I tried the same install with the same exact wire kit you have (you likely got it from wal-mart to) and after the install I tested it. 500watts wasnt a problem, 750 the cable got a little warm, 1000watts the fuse holder disintegrated (melted) along with the 100amp fuse, and the wire was so hot you couldn't touch it. I am going to get 2 gauge wire and try again. aside from wrong wire this is a good video. :)

[Goodentree]

@joshsplain The wire is marked 4 gauge but yeah it's closer to 6 gauge. Coincidentally, I just got a new kit last week that I'm replacing it with. The new kit is the blue DB Link CK4Z kit which is supposed to be closer to real 4 gauge. The stuff looks nice and thick and has the better ANL fuse holder. I plan on making a little longer version of the video with this new cable. We only run about 500 Watts currently with our medical equipment so our wire stays pretty cool. Thanks for the comment

[cybermennn]

The negative on the power inverter is grounded versus running a wire to your negative battery terminal. How tyou you then grounding the chassis?

[Goodentree]

@cybermennn you can ground the chassis the same way as your ground wire by bolting it to the chassis of your vehicle. There is only one ground available in a car so there isn't a lot of options really. The ground wire can be hooked up to the battery but since it's electrically the same as connecting it to your chassis, you can save time, wire, and money . This is also why amp wiring kits come with a ground wire that's only about a foot long.

[Goodentree]

@DexterHoops a second battery isn't a bad idea as long as it can be secured safely. you don't want a 90lb box coming loose in your car if you get into an accident. If you can fit the 2nd battery in your engine compartment that would be ideal. you'll also need a get a good battery isolator device.

[DexterHoops]

@Goodentree What exact safety concerns are there i would love to know bcuz having a 2nd battery sounded like a great idea

[Goodentree]

@123buttnut updated at the bottom of description. If you run below 1000 Watts you can run 8 gauge wire but anything 1000 watts and above should be 4 or 0.

[123buttnut]

hey could you put the link in comments box for the wire u used Aa soon as possible cause i nedd it fast

[Goodentree]

@jimmydmai Yes, eventually. We've ran ours once for about 15 minutes and our van was still able to start. It all depends on how much power the device(s) you have plugged in are drawing and the size of the battery in your automobile. Unless you are out of gas, having the engine running is the safest option but if you need power quickly for 5 minutes you should be fine. The other option is adding a second battery and a transfer switch but there are some big safety concerns with that.

[jimmydmai]

if you use the inverter when the car engine is off. would it drain the car battery to a point where the engine wont be able to turn on?