marsh
Solar Newcomer
Posts: 5
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Post by marsh on May 10, 2019 19:00:05 GMT
There is some discussion on grounding here on the forum, but I find them somewhat confusing. There is talk of vehicle grounding in a mobile scenario. My situation is not mobile. First, my solar system is operational, and to date everything appears fine. I grounded the chassis if the panels to earth (grounding rod) with #6 AWG copper wire and set up a grounding bus for non-conductive equipment grounding. The charge controller and invert-er (Renogy 1000w) do not yet have their chassis' grounded, but I plan to do that. Second, I am wondering if I can or need to run a ground wire from the negative terminal of the bank directly to the same earth or do I need a second grounding rod? Third, my eventual goal is to place an AC outlet or two some distance from the invert-er using the distributed AC connection available on the invert-er. Do I need to worry about grounding on the AC side of the invert-er? Solar Garage Project |
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terracore
Solar Advocate
Chillin at EZwineKIT.com
Posts: 50
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Post by terracore on May 13, 2019 0:17:10 GMT
Just out of curiosity, why do you want to use the distributed AC connection on a 1000 watt inverter? The Renogy manual says the AC outlets are rated at 8.3 amps at 115v, or 954 watts. That "should" include peak surge voltage as well close to 2000w (though only for a few milliseconds). Honestly I'm not sure why the 1000w model even has a distributed AC connection as it's max output is essentially the same as one of the AC receptacles.
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marsh
Solar Newcomer
Posts: 5
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Post by marsh on May 13, 2019 13:58:33 GMT
Just out of curiosity, why do you want to use the distributed AC connection on a 1000 watt inverter? The Renogy manual says the AC outlets are rated at 8.3 amps at 115v, or 954 watts. That "should" include peak surge voltage as well close to 2000w (though only for a few milliseconds). Honestly I'm not sure why the 1000w model even has a distributed AC connection as it's max output is essentially the same as one of the AC receptacles. I want to leave the two AC outlets free for use where the invert-er is located. The location of the other outlets are much further away and will be permanently located. |
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Post by bupkis on May 13, 2019 15:06:47 GMT
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Post by bupkis on May 13, 2019 23:47:36 GMT
What is the purpose of all this grounding?  |
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marsh
Solar Newcomer
Posts: 5
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Post by marsh on May 15, 2019 13:51:44 GMT
Thank you for this link. I now see that there is a whole lot of false stuff about grounding and safety on the internet. The question now is what do I do. Is it better not to ground anything in my solar system? |
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Post by bupkis on May 15, 2019 18:25:41 GMT
No need to ground the panel/controller/battery. the 120v side might need it. What we normally call a ground wire (green) in 120v is there is a good path back to source so the breaker trips fast!
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terracore
Solar Advocate
Chillin at EZwineKIT.com
Posts: 50
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Post by terracore on May 17, 2019 4:23:28 GMT
Just out of curiosity, why do you want to use the distributed AC connection on a 1000 watt inverter? The Renogy manual says the AC outlets are rated at 8.3 amps at 115v, or 954 watts. That "should" include peak surge voltage as well close to 2000w (though only for a few milliseconds). Honestly I'm not sure why the 1000w model even has a distributed AC connection as it's max output is essentially the same as one of the AC receptacles. I want to leave the two AC outlets free for use where the invert-er is located. The location of the other outlets are much further away and will be permanently located. That is a very good reason. But be aware that the Renogy inverters don't like to mix and match use of the AC outlets with the distributed AC connection like most other inverters do (both of my Renogy inverters fail in epic fashion if try), it generally leads to nuisance ground faults. Depending on your situation you might be just fine, but if the inverter starts faulting out a work-around might be to just use the AC outlets with splitters/extension cords. |
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