I have a few questions if someone can help me understand.
First, is it normal that in the picture with the yellow tester, OPEN GROUND is lit instead of CORRECT? Keep in mind it is a LIFEPO4 battery connected to an inverter. I guess this would make sense because there is no ground wire in the battery. Still, just want to run this by the experts.
Second, If I buy a few more of these LIFEPO4 batteries and Parallel connect them to the inverter, what is the best connectors to do this as well as FAST and SECURE? Right now, I am using SPADEs for the battery terminals and I am using RINGs for the inverter terminals. I prefer not to use Alligator clips. I really don't like the RINGs either. Anything else I can use for FAST and SECURE connections?
Third, any thoughts on how I have used the 5.5mm connectors? Should I avoid using them and maybe stick something like EC5?
Fourth, the wires/cables are 18 AWG.
A few reasons for the sudden interest in this setup:
Last time when I traveled for vacation, TSA was not going to let me proceed forward with my car battery jumper since it is more than 100Wh. My alternative is to buy a LIFEPO4 6-8 Ah.
**I want to run my hedge trimmer but it has been a hassle to run the extension cords. So setting this up with an inverter has helped me make my current electric hedger into a portable one. LOL, "the poor man portable".
**I want a backup battery system for my cameras, routers and a bunch of other stuffs in the case if the power goes out at my house.
NOTE:
**This maybe ignored since the LIFEPO4 Power Station that I bought on Black Friday may have resolved this interest.
Last edited by PJmax; 12-02-22 at 04:58 PM.
Reason: labeled first pic
The yellow tester No Ground indication means the inverter outlet it is plugged into does not have ground and neutral terminations connected as you would see in a household outlet wired to NEC standards where the ground termination is physically tied to earth ground. You should follow any grounding instructions that came with the inverter.
Thanks ThisOldMan and Beelzebob for the explanation about the ground.
Anyway, I found these for the quick connector solution. I think this is what I am looking for so that I can add more batteries as needed, at most probably 2-3 more. It also allows me to go higher than 18 AWG since I think the 5.5mm connectors only go up to 18 AWG and cannot handle 12-16 AWG. I think these are called lever wire connectors. Feel free to share your opinions and thoughts on these as an alternative solution for quick connecting.
Those batteries will need to be checked in your luggage.
Large Li Ion batteries are under scrutiny.... especially on airlines where their reputation is less than stellar.
Why are using coaxial power connectors between the battery and the inverter ?
Is that for charging ?
Those do not carry heavy current and are high loss connectors.
Pete, lithium batteries cannot be in checked luggage. They can only be in carry-on luggage.
As for the question about coaxial power connectors, it is also the reason why i started this thread because not sure if that is the best way of connecting the battery, including and seeking for a quick connector. You just confirmed it that it is not a good carry of heavy current.
Therefore, I will switch over using these connectors and 16 AWG.
But then I found this: Spare (uninstalled) lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries, electronic cigarettes and vaping devices are prohibited in checked baggage.
Recetly, I am in the process of installing a nema 14-50R (receptacle) which is rated for up to 50Amps. The double pole circuit breaker itself is rated for 45amps. The cable is nominally rated for up to 55amps (6/3).
I am mostly familiar with nm-b (romex) cable, bx, thhn, etc. In a nec publication, the table 310.15 shows the ampacity for current carrying conductors (in cables, raceways, conduits) but this tables does not mention nm-b (or romex).
The cables I bought has 3 current carrying conductors (and ground) and is rated for up to 55 amps. It is made by Southwire, and is named Romex Simpull . Looking in the aforementioned table, the best fit would likely be the first column and seventh row: which shows 55 amps, thus likely the TW type of cable. UF probably means some type of underground rated cable. Is that a correct assumption? In other words, TW = nm-b?
Below is the aforementioned table:
[img]https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/1121x1237/nec_tables_ampacity_wires_58d63f42a7986390bfd58929c1317768aa9bad9b.jpg[/img]
Also, the nema 14-50R receptacle will used in the garage whereby the load center is located. So, the installation is very straightforward. Codes and regulations can be finicky sometimes; so, I was wondering if there would be any problem in installing the receptacle right below the panel (rectangle pointed by arrow) besides the other regular receptacle, as shown in the pic below:
[img]https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/1500x2000/columbus_condo_garage_nema_14_50r_install_63429ed4b70e91e05bbd607a2f47049f10182ff5.jpg[/img]
Due to the existing wall construction, I can only install a surface-mounted switch. I need to bring the cable from behind the wall on one end of the wall to the surface. Then run the cable in a raceway to the new surface-mounted switch on the other end of the wall. It will be a surface-mount box to accept the cable from behind the wall to the raceway leading to the surface-mount box with the switch. I am in Ontario Canada and I hope the electrical code here allows me to do this. I was wondering if I can just feed the cable directly from behind the drywall into a surface-mounted box (see picture 1 below) or if I have to first get the wire into an electrical box behind the drywall first and then feed the wire through to the surface mount box.(picture 2 below)
[img]https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/1500x2000/k4u76u_d2d32ce8e7690fbf8c8d437cd4b6c79460540ff4.jpg[/img]
12-02-22, 12:19 AM
