Inverter/charger bypass question

After being up at the cabin for nearly 2 months this winter we discovered a few things. By using the SCP we CAN turn off charging to the lithium modules and pass through power to the cabin load center. The inverter/charger MUST be connected to the batteries to do this though.

This from the solar engineer at NAZWS: "Looks like disabling AC Charge on the SCP would prevent the unit from charging the batteries. To be safe, you may also want to go into the SW 4048 on the SCP and manually set the charger to disabled. There is another setting for the inverter under Advanced Settings->Charger Settings->Auto Chg Enable. This is set by default to disabled, so you’ll want to verify this. If Auto Chg Enable is set to enabled, this will override the charger mode you set previously. So as long as this is set to disabled, and you set the charger to disabled you should be fine. I believe the AC charge would still work, but that is a global command which would perform that setting change on all inverters at once in case you have multiple units in the system. As long as Auto Chg is disabled, you can disable the charger either thru AC charge or disable charger." Good information for others with a similar setup/inverter/charger.

He also said an inverter bypass switch would of course work. However, since my generator outputs only 120vac I guess I'm not clear how I would wire that to the load center to feed both sides of the panel. My inverter/charger outputs 240vac so two hots, neutral and ground. I don't want to continually put on a jumper wire and remove it to go from direct generator feed to the load center to inverter feed. Can I just take 2 hots off the 120vac bypass breaker and feed into both sides of the panel?

What is an SCP?

Here's what I plan to use to bypass my 2 phase inverter/charger (so I can run high loads on grid or generator power): http://www.reliancecontrols.com/ProductDetail.aspx?TCA1006D
Also available on Amazon.

SCP = System Control Panel

Just thinking...I think I'm going to install two 50A RV twist lock receptacles and plug feeding the RV. Cheaper, simpler. One off my ATS, the other off the inverter output.

KG6S.... This says it requires a generator output of 120/240v I only have 120vac output. The question is how yo feed a 240vac load center without a jumper wire in the panel between sides.

This is done on a regular basis in the RV world.
Clicky > Kohree 30 Amp to 50 Amp RV Plug Adapter Heavy Duty Dogbone Electrical Power Adapter with Grip Handle, 30M/50F 125V/3750W, 18 Inches
You will need to provide a 50 amp receptacle inlet as well & wire it to an ATS for safety.

SCClockDr... so if I understand this correctly I would need a 50amp Male receptacle wired to the load center.... so the prongs will be hot (seems unsafe?) To plug the adapter into. Not sure where the ATS (is this automatic transfer switch?) Fits into this...? Isn't there some way to build my own adapter... hard wired into the load center from a circuit breaker? I guess I'm asking how is that adapter wired together under all that plastic?

Thank you!

Nobadays said:

SCClockDr... so if I understand this correctly I would need a 50amp Male receptacle wired to the load center.... so the prongs will be hot (seems unsafe?) To plug the adapter into. Not sure where the ATS (is this automatic transfer switch?) Fits into this...? Isn't there some way to build my own adapter... hard wired into the load center from a circuit breaker? I guess I'm asking how is that adapter wired together under all that plastic?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

Do you have any loads using the A and B side split phase @ 240v from the load center? I got a feeling you do. Please confirm. Thanks.

Archetype.... no all of my loads are 120vac. Until I installed the Schneider inverter I had no 240vac feed only 120vac from the generator. At that time there was a jumper in the load center to allow breakers on each side of the panel.

I am now looking for a way to bypass the inverter/charger completely and feed breakers on both sides of the panel from a 120vac feed WITHOUT putting a jumper back on the load center. So 120vac feed from the generator fed through a breaker with 2 120vac lines coming out of the breaker feeding breakers on both sides of the panel. I think this will work...?

Nobadays said:

Archetype.... no all of my loads are 120vac. Until I installed the Schneider inverter I had no 240vac feed only 120vac from the generator. At that time there was a jumper in the load center to allow breakers on each side of the panel.

I am now looking for a way to bypass the inverter/charger completely and feed breakers on both sides of the panel from a 120vac feed WITHOUT putting a jumper back on the load center. So 120vac feed from the generator fed through a breaker with 2 120vac lines coming out of the breaker feeding breakers on both sides of the panel. I think this will work...?

Click to expand...

Another question, how many circuits are on the existing load center panel now? Are all those are critical loads? Could you turn off some when generator is running? I understand what you tried to do. Just need clarifications before I could draw a picture for you. Thanks.

Nobadays said:

SCClockDr... so if I understand this correctly I would need a 50amp Male receptacle wired to the load center.... so the prongs will be hot (seems unsafe?) To plug the adapter into. Not sure where the ATS (is this automatic transfer switch?) Fits into this...? Isn't there some way to build my own adapter... hard wired into the load center from a circuit breaker? I guess I'm asking how is that adapter wired together under all that plastic?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

The ATS (automatic transfer switch) ensures the receptacle is disconnected when on the inverter. When it sees generator power it switches from the inverter to the generator. When the generator is powered off the ATS switches back to the inverter.

Archetype.... working from memory as I'm not at the cabin, I want to say my load center is 100 amp, 6 breakers with no main breaker. I believe there are 14 circuits fed into this panel.... yes 14, all breakers have 2 hots and obviously 2 of them have 3. It is a log cabin so wiring was stubbed out as they were stacking the logs and just made home runs with all those stubs apparently. To top this off, I have no idea... there are no labels... what circuits these 6 breakers control. That will be a job this spring/summer identifying and cleaning up this mess.

So to answer your question, the only "critical" loads would be the refrigerator and freezer but I would have to run down those circuits. That said I would prefer to power both sides of the panel so all circuits would be energized. I guess I am trying to avoid using an ATS as in the last year (living at the cabin almost 7 months within the year) I have run the generator only twice to power the cabin when inclement weather has stretched into 4 days without sun. It is a manual start generator with a 30amp breaker right by it to send the power to the inverter/or not and a 20amp breaker that powers 3 outdoor receptacles for projects around the place. The 30amp breaker is powered from the generator's 30amp receptical, the 20amp from the generator's 20amp receptical. (Using a 60amp 240v breaker/disconnect panel, 60 amp removed and the 30amp and 20amp breakers installed allowing me to feed them 120vac independently.)

My thought is to put another double breaker panel by the load center.... or an A/B switch of some kind, using this one to choose which source feeds the load center, the inverter or generator.

Hope that all makes sense!

Thank you!

SCClockDr.... actually trying to avoid the use of an ATS as I feeit is not necessary. As stated above, it is rare that I have to use the generator to power the cabin and since the generator does not have automatic start, and I have a breaker out by the generator to throw before power is sent to the cabin, I would prefer then having another switch inside.... be it a breaker panel like I use in the generator shed or an A/B switch to choose if I want to power the inverter from the generator or send the power directly to the load center. Hoe that makes sense!

Thank you!

Nobadays said:

SCClockDr.... actually trying to avoid the use of an ATS as I feeit is not necessary. As stated above, it is rare that I have to use the generator to power the cabin and since the generator does not have automatic start, and I have a breaker out by the generator to throw before power is sent to the cabin, I would prefer then having another switch inside.... be it a breaker panel like I use in the generator shed or an A/B switch to choose if I want to power the inverter from the generator or send the power directly to the load center. Hoe that makes sense!

Thank you!

Click to expand...

Then you should consider a generator interlock.

SmoothJoey.... yes probably. I understand the principle but not how it is wired in.... in my application. Apparently this is to keep from back feeding the grid.... or sending 240vac back fed to the generator.