Best way to wire in inverter to breaker panel?

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  • 375matt
    375matt Solar Expert Posts: 39 ✭✭
    Re: Best way to wire in inverter to breaker panel?

    Ok, im back at it. Got juice flowing and cleaned my act up. When I turn on inverter n put meter from neg battery post to earth ground it shows 1.70 volts? When I shut off inverter it goes to 0. Help me keep the magic smoke out!
  • bythewren
    bythewren Registered Users Posts: 1
    Firstly thank you guys for your great info, I am trying to troubleshoot a problem with my set up and this has been helpful. I do have some questions though as my system is slightly different.
    I have a solar set up going to battery bank. Batteries connect to solar regulator, regulator to inverter and inverter to panel. There is also a generator that powers the panel when solar is not connected, as well as charges the battery bank.
    The panel is wired with 1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground. With three beakers that delegate the power through the house. No ground rod..recently while using the solar, the system got overloaded when I plugged in an electric chainsaw battery charger to breaker #1.It seemed to fry the inverter, and I have since replaced it. However breaker #2 does not worked with the solar now and shuts off the new inverter when the breaker is switched on. It does however work with the generator(which bypasses the inverter) I've checked the connections on all of breaker #2' outlets, and nothing is showing any signs of arc. There was a section of wire that had been chewed by mice and touched hot to ground potentially, but I replaced the wire and it is still shutting off the inverter. Any thoughts? And I apologize for the lengthy explanation. Thanks!!
  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,039 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2016 #34
     It looks like your inverter is connected to your load output from the charge controller. If so that's your problem. You MUST connect the inverter directly to the battery bank with appropriately sized cables.

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Is the inverter a mod sine or pure sine wave ?   Only pure sine should be wired to a grounded panel with hot+neutral wiring.   Mod sine inverters seldom have an isolation transformer
    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 ,