I don’t have an electrical background, so I want to make sure I’m understanding the instructions and doing all this safely.
In the manual it says:
What is the best way to safely and securely do the grounding wire? Should I be looking to add clamps/alligator clips? If so, what specifications do I need to accommodate a #8 gauge wire? What tools would be needed to assemble this? Or is there a pre-made cable to do this job, and I just don’t know what it is called? Thanks!
So, it should be easy to see where to attach the one end of the ground wire to your device … the other end can go anywhere on the chassis … but I assume you want specifics …
If your rig has the negative terminal of the battery bolted to the engine … then that would be a GREAT place to attached the ground wire … make sure you thoroughly clean everything and a bit of sandpaper is good for this … all the connections and bolt should be shiny bright when you reassemble … alternately, really any bolt that can be loosened will theoretically work as all the metal parts of the chassis and engine should all be electrically connected to the negative terminal of your battery … just that closer to the battery the better …
Are electrical clamps/clips matched for the gauge wire? Or since it is grounding it doesn’t matter it just has to fit the wire? I’m concerned about a easy and fast attachment, because this would be used during a power outage and possibly bad weather outside to begin with. Thanks.
Yes, electrical clamps/clips are sized for (typically) a range of wire sizes … so do make sure they are rated for 8 gauge …
The rest of your question is unclear … usually we make the ground connection permanent and connect/disconnect the electrical “hot” wire … this is a safety thing for both us and the equipment … perhaps if you can find a toggle switch rated to handle the voltage and current requirements of the device … you could insert that on the hot wire … pouring down rain it would just be a simple flip of that switch … or even run extra wires (of the proper gauge) and mount the toggle switch on your dashboard … you’ll need not even get wet …
Nothing in this would be permanent. It is all a temporary installation. In the event of a power outage, I’d bring the power inventor out to the car and connect everything. I already have the car battery cables to connect it to the power inventor as was supplied by the manufacturer. They mention the grounding that should be done in the manual, but don’t include a ground cable. So they left this to the user to provide this.
It’s a power inverter, not an ‘inventor’. I’m assuming autocorrect is your problem?
For a connection, I would use a crimp connector similar to this, but made for #8 wire. An even better connection could be made by soldering after crimping, but since it’s for temporary use that’s probably not necessary.
