If Short-circuit AC side what happens to inverter

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fca1
fca1 Solar Expert Posts: 124 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
Hi today I start to thinking on this .
All my AC wiring have breakers on each circuit and ground fault by floors .
When I was on grid and had short-circuit in on these circuits the breaker of that circuit would trip and that's it..
Now that my power is coming from the my inverter xw6048 would the behavior be the same or what ??
If no breaker and I have short in the ac side of the xw6048 will it damage the xw or does the xw have some kind of protection (fuse /breaker ) ?

May a dumb question but never had a short in 11moths of xw powering the house but that day will come ;)

Thanks
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #2
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    Re: If Short-circuit AC side what happens to inverter

    AC inverters tend to have much faster response times to over current vs the typical thermal based circuit breaker...

    So, it is possible for a fast/heavy short to trip the inverter's over current protection before it kicks out a breaker...

    Otherwise, you should expect the normal behaviour as if you are on grid. Obviously with a bit less surge current vs the grid.

    Will the inverter be damaged from a short circuit? For the most part a good inverter should simply shut down if the output shorted beyond its capacity.

    Practically speaking--If there are any weak components in the path (especially as the inverters get 5-10+ years old)--A short could take out that weak component/subsystem.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • offgrid me
    offgrid me Solar Expert Posts: 119 ✭✭
    #3
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    Re: If Short-circuit AC side what happens to inverter

    I had a dead short on a 30 amp circuit when I was running new power in my garage. Inverter made an awful loud buz then the whole system shut down. Luckily just my 150amp battery fuse blew. Yes I know a 150 amp fuse is to small for the xw6048 but I like to play it safe with my fuses and wiring. Replaced fuse no problems.
    Ned
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  • fca1
    fca1 Solar Expert Posts: 124 ✭✭
    #4
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    Re: If Short-circuit AC side what happens to inverter

    Do you have gridsupport or only bats ?
    I can understand what happen in your case ( bat fuse )
    The inverter tryed to get all the power it can from the power source (bats) and fuse gone...
    If grid Support maybe the ac1 in breaker would trip ...
    I have a BIG problem that i need to solve ASAP (no fuse between inv and bat bus ) :(
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #5
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    Re: If Short-circuit AC side what happens to inverter

    Get one of the big Midnight DC rated Ckt Breakers. Cheaper than replacing the fu$e 1x after you buy the holder. And you can use it as a switch.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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