NOVA ELECTRIC
A DIVISION OF
TECHNOLOGY DYNAMICS, INC.
045670 100 SCHOOL STREET
04/11/2003 Revision - BERGENFIELD, NJ 07621-2915
CGL 600W INVERTER MANUAL PHONE 201-385-0500
URL: www.novaelectric.com FAX 201-385-0702
Page 7
4-1-2. Cooling: Ambient air temperature should be between 0°C. and 50°C.; the cooler,
the better.
4-1-3. Ventilation: Allow at least one inch of clearance around the inverter for air flow.
Ensure that ventilation openings on the sides, front and rear of the unit are not obstructed.
4-1-4. Safety: Do not install in a battery compartment or other areas where flammable
fumes may exist, such as fuel storage areas or engine compartments.
4-2. Cables:
DC to AC inverters require high amperage / low voltage DC power low amperage / high
voltage AC power. To operate properly, connect the inverter and generate DC input
terminals directly to battery through a fuse or circuit breaker. The different inverters in
this family require different wire sizes due to the wide input voltage choices.
4-3. Grounding:
The power inverter has a lug on the rear panel [ chassis ground ]. This is to connect the
chassis of the power inverter to the ground. The ground terminals in the AC outlets on
the front panel of the inverter are also connected to the ground lug.
The chassis ground lug must be connected to a grounding point, which will vary,
depending on where the power inverter is installed. In a vehicle, connect the chassis
ground to the chassis of the vehicle. In a boat, connect to the boat’s grounding systems.
In a fixed location, connect the chassis ground lug to earth ground.
On units with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt (GFCI), the neutral (common)
conductor of the power inverter AC output circuit is connected to the chassis ground.
Therefore, when the chassis is connected to ground, the neutral conductor will also be
grounded. This conforms to national electrical code requirements that separately derived
AC sources (such as inverters and generators) have their neutral tied to ground in the
same way that the neutral conductor from the utility line is tied to ground at the AC
breaker panel. When the chassis ground lug on the rear panel is connected to an earth
ground in the user’s location, it provides shock hazard protection. The GFCI has a test
button and a reset button. Pushing in the test button will interrupt the output power.
Pushing in the reset button will restore the output power and the green light will be on.
Note: Repeated pressing/toggling of the GFCI test button may shut down the inverter AC
output. THIS IS NORMAL.
On units without GFCI, the neutral is floating. To conform to national electrical code
requirements, the neutral must be connected to ground, or other neutrals that are
grounded.
