I've managed to fully charge a VATRER 48V 100Ah battery using a DIY off-grid setup with an MPPT charge controller and two 450W foldable solar panels. Now, I'm planning to connect this battery to the solar input of an Anker Solix F3800 Plus power station. I've seen someone else successfully do this with an older F3800 model, but they mentioned using 10 gauge wire with fuses. I've been using 10 gauge wire between my solar panels and charge controller, but for the connection between the battery and the power station, I've heard 8 gauge might be safer. I'm trying to figure out if 10 gauge wire is sufficient for the 48V battery-to-power station connection, considering that it will pull around 17 amps. Am I worrying too much, or is 10 gauge good to go?
3 Answers
10 gauge should be fine for your setup! The F3800 Plus will pull about 17 amps max through that port, which is less than what the old model was pulling. If you're sticking with 10 gauge, you should be good. Just so you know, there’s a risky method to connect directly to the rail access of the F3800, but I definitely wouldn't recommend that one!
Just to clarify, are you really saying 100 mAh for the battery? That’s a tiny capacity! If it's actually 100 Ah, make sure to size the cable for the maximum charging current to avoid any issues down the line. It's better to overestimate than to run into problems later because of undersized wiring.
Sorry about that mix-up! It is indeed 100 Ah. Thanks for bringing that up!
The main thing to consider with wire gauge is the current it needs to carry. Make sure you know the current output beforehand; that's the crucial detail. You mentioned your panels can output up to 14 amps, but keep an eye on the battery as it discharges into the power station. It looks like from the comments above, you’ll be pulling around 17 amps, which does make 10 gauge a suitable choice.
Got it! Thanks for clarifying, I feel more confident about using 10 gauge now.
Thanks for the reassurance! I’ll go with the 10 gauge then.