Magnum Inverter Battery Disconnect…
Should you disconnect the negative battery terminal first on a Magnum Inverter?
Everyone,
I published an article yesterday about disconnecting the negative battery terminal first before the positive terminal.
The reason for this disconnect sequence is to eliminate the possibility of a wrench on the positive terminal accidentally making contact with the chassis, resulting in a short circuit with hundreds of amps. If you get anything like a wedding ring in the middle of the connection it will heat up red hot in seconds. Ouch!
What about Magnum Inverters?
A few readers suggested that Magnum Inverters can be damaged if you disconnect the negative battery terminal first instead of the positive terminal.
The theory is that the Magnum remote control panel has a secondary chassis ground that will carry any return current if the negative battery terminal on the battery is disconnected first. And in theory that current can damage the remote control.
What do I know?
I’m contacting Magnum tech support and asking them to confirm if this is true or not, so hopefully I’ll have a definitive answer from the manufacturer soon.
In the meantime let’s not disconnect the battery terminals on any Magnum inverters until I get clarification from their engineers. I’ll report back as soon as I know more.
Please Stand By
I have learned much today, having talked to Magnum, Xantrex and Progressive Dynamics at length. Watch for a new post tomorrow morning that will get your attention!
I've owned two Magnum converter/inverters. One modified, one sine. I've disconnected batteries in the prescribed negative first manner numerous times with no issues. But, we shall see what the "Experts" say.