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Post by Joe on Nov 4, 2018 17:58:02 GMT
Hi all,
I am new to the world of electricity and have been building out an off grid van. When it comes to safely wiring my AC outlets into my inverter, I have been told to do a few different things and was hoping for some clarity.
1. Should I use GFCI outlets or does it matter?
2. How do I safely and/or properly ground the outlets? I have been told that I need to ground each one individually. I have also been told that I can just run them to a junction box and ground the box (not sure I even know what this means).
Thanks for the help!
-Joe
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Post by tattoo on Nov 4, 2018 19:35:53 GMT
Hi all, I am new to the world of electricity and have been building out an off grid van. When it comes to safely wiring my AC outlets into my inverter, I have been told to do a few different things and was hoping for some clarity. 1. Should I use GFCI outlets or does it matter? 2. How do I safely and/or properly ground the outlets? I have been told that I need to ground each one individually. I have also been told that I can just run them to a junction box and ground the box (not sure I even know what this means). Thanks for the help! -Joe If the junction box is metal and you mount it to the van it would be grounded but I wouldn't worry about that... Your not installing the system in a house so no need grounding the AC, inverter side... Just the DC side...
Sure using GFCI outlets will be just fine.... But not needed....
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Post by Joe on Nov 4, 2018 19:50:35 GMT
If I plug the inverter into shore power would your grounding suggestion still apply or would I then need to ground each outlet?
Thanks!
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Post by tattoo on Nov 4, 2018 20:46:56 GMT
If I plug the inverter into shore power would your grounding suggestion still apply or would I then need to ground each outlet? Thanks!Nov 4, 2018 12:58:02 GMT -5 Joe said: Hi all, I am new to the world of electricity and have been building out an off grid van. Thanks for the help! -Joe
Hooking up to an AC outlet isn't off grid that you said in your first question...
There are several people on here that have the setup just like your asking...... I'm sure they will chime in....
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Post by playersz28 on Nov 4, 2018 20:56:02 GMT
What inverter are you using? If it has a receptacle that you are plugging your AC circuits into then it may already have a GFCI. One GFCI at the start of a chain protects all the ones down the line (can find pics online of how this works in a house). I would think you want to keep the AC grounds separate from the DC chassis ground but you should research that. If they aren't tied to chassis ground then they would ground thru the inverter.
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Post by tattoo on Nov 4, 2018 21:02:54 GMT
I would think you want to keep the AC grounds separate from the DC chassis ground but you should research that. If they aren't tied to chassis ground then they would ground thru the inverter. Yep that's what I was thinking when he said he was building an off grid system but now it's both on and off grid....
Now he has to have a switch to go back and forth AC to DC etc.....
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v10
Solar Advocate
Posts: 81
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Post by v10 on Nov 4, 2018 22:58:19 GMT
I like to keep the AC and the DC isolated from each other because it keeps things as simple as possible. Unless the inverter is a charger too
I like to use a metal junction box and wire the outlets as if you were installing them in your home, ie, bare wire on green screw
Tell us more about what you are looking to build.
Inverter type, methods of charging batteries solar ect... How many AC outlets and are they going in the doors? How often is shore power available? How much DC stuff will you be using? ect...
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v10
Solar Advocate
Posts: 81
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Post by v10 on Nov 4, 2018 23:33:49 GMT
Outlets in doors:
You must use stranded cable. Ive seen guys use 12/2 household cable (solid) for door outlets and it will fail every time.
If you've done it, undo it now while you are still in the build stage
Solid wire breaks inside the insulation from the constant bending and stretching from open and closing the door. Aside from the fact that the outlets stop working, if uncorrected eventually this can burn your van to the ground
The easiest thing to use is 12guage extension cord
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Post by swampmonster on Nov 5, 2018 1:06:18 GMT
For outlet feeds that will often flex, use SOOW portable cord cable that contains black, white, green.,,For fixed outlets with no flex, plain romex id perfect.
Wire your 120V exactly like any motorhome or travel trailer with respect to grounds and neutrals...keep them separate with grounds NOT bonded to the same as neutrals....Do NOT wire the grounds and neutrals like in your house in the main panel.
In other words, for your 120V distribution in your RV, DO NOT ground your outlets to the vehicle body. Run grounds all the way back to your distribution panel, then tie it to your chassis separate of your neutrals....Neutrals go to shore power in.
If your inverter has both A/C in and A/C out with transfer switch, then interrupt shore power IN before your panel where you divert to the inverter, then back from the inverter into the panel A/C input.....ALL THREE WIRES!...Then run chassis ground from inverter case to vehicle chassis.
Either way, the D/C side of your inverter must be grounded to your chassis of vehicle with same size conductor as your D/C positive to inverter.
So,.... your inverter might possibly have 3 separate grounds- one for D/C power to chassis, one for A/C, and one for inverter case to chassis.
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Post by Joe on Nov 5, 2018 14:38:20 GMT
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Post by tattoo on Nov 5, 2018 15:02:11 GMT
That 2000w inverter is going to use a lot of power when it's on just by it's self......
Your going to need more and larger batteries.... Just those two small batteries aren't going to do very much...
Also how many panels do you have and what are the watts?
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Post by Joe on Nov 5, 2018 23:05:10 GMT
I have the 200 watt setup (2 100 watt panels) with the rover mppt charger.
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Post by tattoo on Nov 5, 2018 23:57:25 GMT
I have the 200 watt setup (2 100 watt panels) with the rover mppt charger. Your 2 panels should charge your batteries just fine, But I'd keep an eye on your usage... |
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Post by swampmonster on Nov 6, 2018 4:34:31 GMT
Install also a quality shunt and perhaps a Trimetic battery monitor off the shunt.
That install will go a huge way toward helping you assess the actual charge condition of your batteries....Do NOT rely just on voltage or even a hydrometer when assessing battery charge status. Instead add a true battery monitoring system that incorporates a quality shunt wired correctly and a batt monitor programmed correctly....It will double the life of your batteries and allow you to properly charge them.
Best monitors today are the Trimetric RV2030 and the Zantrex...Both should use the same high quality Deltec 500 AMP/50MV shunt....I prefer the Trimetric due to it's very extensive programming and readout ability....And yeah they both cost money, but they are forever compared to batteries.
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Post by tattoo on Nov 6, 2018 13:31:07 GMT
That install will go a huge way toward helping you assess the actual charge condition of your batteries....Do NOT rely just on voltage or even a hydrometer when assessing battery charge status. Instead add a true battery monitoring system that incorporates a quality shunt wired correctly and a batt monitor programmed correctly....It will double the life of your batteries and allow you to properly charge them. I totally disagree,,,,, A Hydrometer is the best way to check your batteries if you have flooded batteries... Much better than what any meter will ever tell you....
Now with a sealed battery what he suggested is correct...
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