Neutral/Ground Bonding Auto Switching

New_Mexico_Will
New_Mexico_Will Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
This is from my AIMS inverter manual.  It is being used in a stationary, off-grid application, although I would like to use a generator for backup at some point.  It seems a little unclear to me weather I should leave this connected, or disconnect it and install the neutral/ground bonding screw in the main panel.  What do you experts think?  For what it's worth, it is currently still connected and the neutral/ground boding screw has been removed from the panel, but now I'm thinking that I need to reverse that.




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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,626 admin
    #2
    For a fixed home/cabin installation... It is usually much less confusing to ground bond your neutral in the main breaker panel. And simply lift any ground bonding in AC inverter, Gensets, etc. Makes adding alternate power sources (such as a genset) much easier to do.

    Where you get stuck needing to use (typically) relays to do ground bonding switching is in RVs... Typically, in the RV, you would lift the ground bonds on the AC inverter and Genset, and use a switched ground bond for the Ground+White wire bonding either at the AC panel, OR lift it when connected to shore power (where the RV park/home system has their own Ground+White wire bonding).

    This has to be done because many (some/all?) RV shore power connections have their own GFI breaker/outlets. And having a Neutral+Ground bond at the RV park system, and a Neutral+Ground bond in the RV looks like a short circuit between Hot+Neutral and green wire safety ground will trip the RV park's GFI system.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • New_Mexico_Will
    New_Mexico_Will Registered Users Posts: 107 ✭✭
    #3
    That makes perfect sense.  Thanks Bill, I will fix this tonight.  I appreciate your knowledge and your willingness to share it!
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