12vdc brain fart....

212rowboat

need to make a 20'ish foot run of up to and including 200a (remote isolated battery charged both solar and through HD alt when engine running).... have two spools of 4/0 awg AGX wire @ 40' each (one red, one black)...

Battery is a group 27 AGM. Alt is 200a.. Isolator is 500a peak w/ 250 constant duty cycle mounted in engine compartment.      

will one run/leg hot and one run cold of the 4/0 awg AGX suffice or should I double up on it?  I want to keep things neat, but I don't like unanticipated hot spots, either.  

(edited.... it's four ought- 4/0 - not 4 gauge)

212rowboat

I'll be more than good with the 4/0.  Thanks anyway. 

Dream_Inn

Yep, I did my check on it as well and yes four ought should leave plenty of room that the cable should not get any more than warm.  Very interested in what you are doing.  Make sure to post some updates.

raybo3

4 aught wire should be good for about 440 amps. If it were me I would use marine grade wire. (remember you can only use 80% of the 440 amps)

youstolemybeer

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/12-volt-wire-gauge-amps.htm


this has helped me out more times than I can remember

212rowboat

thanks gents.. 

it's not actually for the floater but for the truck.  i've replaced the solar charged exclusively flooded battery with a group27 AGM which will be charged both solar and via alternator- and it's a 200a alternator.  It will never receive a full blast of the alt's capacity, but I don't want to chance things, either... why chance such a thing something as stupid as inferior wire? 

all of this to run a eberspacher hydronic d5, and an additional heater core in the bed for the dogs while traveling to the great white north next week.  it's gonna be freakin' nice to have a truck @ 180* perpetually when it's sitting in potentially -20* cold soaked ambient temps for days.  I've got both a 7 day timer for it as well as a thermostatically controlled switch- coolant drops below preset temp (120* as I've got it set up) espar fires up and takes it back to 190* and stops, starting the cycle all over again.  atop all that- I put a fan that runs off the aux battery between the cab and bed (has one of those accordion things insulating it).  I can't wait to get all the parts and pieces together and fire that thing up.