Quick Guide to How to Install Inverter and Battery at Home
As the term “power failure” is becoming more and more a reality, most people are eyeing to install an inverter in their homes.
You probably think you need to talk to professionals for inverter installation. But that’s not necessary, you can actually install an inverter at your home independently – without help from a professional.
That being said, we encourage people who know about electronics or electrical engineering or understand this electrical equipment to take up the DIY project of inverter installation. All things that involve power should be handled carefully!
Before we list down the steps of inverter installation, let’s look at an inverter connection diagram to understand the inverter installation process better.
The above inverter connection diagram shows that once an output wire is connected to the switchboard, it will provide electricity to appliances that are connected to it (components that have no connection with the inverter’s electric cable will not light up during the event of a power failure when your inverter is supplying electrical energy to your home.
Anyone who draws power from the inverter must connect the output wire across the switchboard.
So, per the wiring diagram, can an inverter not power all electrical appliances at home? No! If your energy demands are high, you may consider getting a large inverter whose maximum output can power all devices at your place.
Guide For Inverter Installation at Home
These easy-to-follow steps will allow you to install an inverter at your home without help from a professional. But before you set out on your indoor adventure, here are some precautions that you should take before starting:
Precautions to Take When Installing an Inverter at Home
Here are some factors that you mustn’t ignore during inverter installation:
It would help if you always mounted your inverter on a flat surface regardless of the orientation, vertical or horizontal.
The inverter must be away from flammable materials.
Having an inverter at home is quite common, but one safety requirement is to keep the device away from areas that receive direct sunlight. Similarly, the area should be clear of moisture or rain.
Never touch any electrical component of the inverter with wet hands, especially the batteries.
When installing the inverter, ensure it’s not touching the ground and is at least a few inches above the floor.
Steps to Follow for Inverter Installation
Step 1: Choose a Suitable Location
The major and most important thing is to locate the area in your house where your inverter will go. It’s extremely necessary to keep the device in areas that are not exposed to heat direct sunlight, etc. and that do not have flammable materials or toxic, flammable substances nearby.
Also, it’s better to place the inverter on a flat surface, and high temperature areas are also a no-go. Another thing that you need to see is whether the area has some free space.
So, choose a dry area with enough free space for the inverter.
Step 2: Mount the Inverter
The next step is to choose a secure wall to mount the inverter. The electrical equipment comes with pre-drilled holes, and it means you only have to mount it on a non-vibrating perpendicular wall to start it.
Also, if you don’t want it to go on your wall, you can place it on a vertical surface or a horizontal surface as well. But remember, the inverter shouldn’t be touching the floor, and it should always be a few inches above the ground.
Another thing to remember is to read the instruction manual that comes with the inverter to complete the installation process.
When installing the inverter near the ceiling, ensure the place is within reach. Ensure the wall is not exposed to a high temperature at any time throughout the day.
Step 3: Battery Installation
Now comes the most important part of the installation process. You’ll have to connect the inverter to the battery the component from which it draws power.
To begin with, this process, unscrew the rear panel of the inverter and remove it.
As you remove the top lid of the inverter, you’ll see its interior. Here, you’ll have to install the positive terminal of the first battery so that it’s on the right side of your main housing.
The second battery’s positive terminal will go to the left. Once the two batteries are installed, check if the inverter works fine. Now, put back the lid on the power inverter.
Step 4: Battery Cable Connectivity
How will you see if the batteries are mounted properly? To check battery cable connectivity, you’ll need low resistance wiring. It will send a high current to the appliances you want to power while maintaining low voltage.
Step 5: Set up the Inverter
Now the final step: your inverter is all set to get connected to your main power line – your house’s power supply.
The first thing to do is to turn off the power supply to avoid any untoward incident. (Note: It’s not safe to work with active electric wires with the current running). The inverter’s input electric cable will connect to the device’s switchboard, and this board connects with the main MCB box.
The inverter’s installation manual describes the steps to follow for such connections. Electric cables go through a double pole switch circuit.
And all you have to do is to connect with end with an IEC connector and the other with the switch.
Once the cables have been connected to the IEC connector from the load, you should connect them to the inverter’s rear panel output connector.
Now find the input connector at the rear panel, take the wiring harness from the inverter’s battery, and connect it.
It’s also important to remember that the usual connection between the house’s MCB box and the energy meter – or the electricity board meter – is through a fuse.
This MCB box then goes to the switchboard of the main housing to power appliances.
With the inverter, you will connect its switchboard to the MCB. The inverter’s output wire will be directly connected to the switchboard, and this wiring will have its separate MCB box for safe current flow.
How to Calculate the Power Requirements of Your Home Appliances
One question that many people have is how to figure out the required power of the batteries to power your house. For this example, let’s start with a 1,500-watt inverter.
Calculations for the Power Required
To identify the amp required for powering your house, you must multiply inverter watts by the hours you want the inverter to remain on and then divide it by the DC volts.
If you want to run the electrical equipment for three hours. You’ll multiply 1,500 by 3. It equals 4,500. Now, divide it by the DC volts (12V). Your answer is 375 amp.
So, you need 375 amps for the three-hour-long run-time of the equipment. It means that you need the battery to produce 125 amps per hour to keep the inverter going.
How to Connect an Inverter to a Solar Panel System
The new trend these days is to draw power from solar – a renewable energy source. In the above paragraphs, we have talked about how you can connect a portable inverter to your house’s electricity board meter to take care of your energy needs.
Here is the step-by-step guide to understanding how you can connect a power inverter with your solar panels and supply power to your house:
The first step is safety-related. If you have working solar panels, you should remove them from the charge controller so that you can complete the process of installing an inverter safely.
The second step is to disconnect all batteries from the charge connector – another safety requirement to avoid any untoward incident.
Now you can safely connect the inverter to the batteries. First, connect the negative terminal of the inverter with the battery’s negative terminal. Next, connect the positive terminal of the inverter with that of the battery. Many experts suggest that you should connect the fuse with the positive terminal.
Now reconnect the charge connector to the battery. Also, reconnect the panels to the connector.
The final step is to turn on the inverter to see if it draws power from the batteries to which it’s connected. The screen of the device will display the volts available. Now, you can connect any appliance to the inverter to check if the device works well further.
Importance of Installing an Inverter at Home
You’ve learned how to have your set of a power inverter at home. But why should you have an inverter at your home in the first place? Here are some of the common reasons to make this investment:
Protection against Unexpected Blackouts
No one likes waking up to a house without electricity or coming back from work to a place with no air-conditioning because there is no power in the entire neighborhood.
Blackouts may happen at any time, and the best bet is to protect yourself against any resultant inconvenience.
Quiet Equipment
There’s an alternative to a power inverter generator. But the drawback of this device is the loud noise it produces when it’s switched on.
There’s no point in disturbing your peace of mind, especially when you’re already tired and want to have some moments of peace.
Inverters don’t make noise, letting you enjoy continuous power with ease.
Turn On Automatically
One good thing about a power inverter is that it turns on as soon as the power supply to the main housing discontinues.
You don’t have to go and turn on the device (as is the case with generators). It’s great to have the facility of such an automatic device.
Low-cost Maintenance
With generators, you need fuel to make them run. Inverters are a one-time investment and don’t require huge maintenance costs.
Batteries may require some care, but the overall maintenance of an inverter either a small inverter or a larger inverter is less expensive than that of a generator.
The Final Word
Power outages are a nuisance and could occur anytime, especially during extreme weather conditions like heavy snowfall or continuous rainfall.
Understanding the workings of an electrical system is a little difficult, but this DIY guide will help you install an inverter without professional help so that you can switch on your electronic device if there’s ever a blackout.
