Combiner Ground

I have a 4 input combiner for the panels. After running the 6 awg wire to the panel array for grounding it has been said to connect that 6 awg to the ground bar inside the combiner and then through conduit (along with panel array wires) and connect that 6 awg wire to the inverter ground. whew. Now that all that is said what if the combiner box doesn't have a ground bar but has a lightning arrest din module connected to the negative leads and that has an unused output. Is that ground for the 6 awg wire? See pic. Thanks

Anyone know if this input (above) to the lightning breaker is where the 6 awg and circuit ground connects?

EDIT: Never mind. I found a photo from the maker showing a ground wire connected to that breaker.

Hi! Are you able to share the photo and maybe your schematics as well? I'm in a similar situation I think and I would appreciate knowing a bit more about grounding before installing it!

Thank you!

tonyg said:

Hi! Are you able to share the photo and maybe your schematics as well? I'm in a similar situation I think and I would appreciate knowing a bit more about grounding before installing it!

Thank you!

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Here are the pics you wanted to see. Hope it helps. I am asking around right now about bonding in the All In One. Look for that one as well.

Some folks say if you run the ground wire from the combiner box (outside) to the controller vicinity (assuming inside), you have now created a path for lightning to get in your structure and fry your solar equipment & other stuff.

We get many spectacular thunderstorms every year.

My array has breakers in the combiner box (outside) and 2 PV wires to a fused disconnect (inside) before the charge controller. I have no ground wire from outside to inside, no grid tie, no permit.

WYtreasure said:

My array has breakers in the combiner box (outside) and 2 PV wires to a fused disconnect (inside) before the charge controller. I have no ground wire from outside to inside, no grid tie, no permit.

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So do you have the panels outside grounded together and are they as a group grounded anywhere? Do you have the output of the surge protector in your combiner box tied to anything? Thanks

LSC said:

Here are the pics you wanted to see. Hope it helps. I am asking around right now about bonding in the All In One. Look for that one as well.

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Thank you very much for sharing! I'll have to look a bit more in depth to understand it.

LSC said:

So do you have the panels outside grounded together and are they as a group grounded anywhere? Do you have the output of the surge protector in your combiner box tied to anything? Thanks

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Any grounding of my panels is incidental. There is no intentional grounding between panels or to earth.
I do not have a surge protector in my combiner box at this time. I have been considering installing one though.

We are old folks and home most of the time. It's a pretty cool place to hang out. When the weather goes down the crapper, I pull a lever and disconnect the array. There isn't much "Friendly" power being generated under our thunderstorms.

There are numerous in-depth threads on grounding in this forum. I have read (and for the most part understood) many of them, as far as I know.

I stopped reading grounding threads when I could see there was no solution that all can agree upon. Hopefully folks won't jump all over my previous statement, go back and forth on the subject and jack the thread.

WYtreasure said:

Any grounding of my panels is incidental. There is no intentional grounding between panels or to earth.
I do not have a surge protector in my combiner box at this time. I have been considering installing one though.

We are old folks and home most of the time. It's a pretty cool place to hang out. When the weather goes down the crapper, I pull a lever and disconnect the array. There isn't much "Friendly" power being generated under our thunderstorms.

There are numerous in-depth threads on grounding in this forum. I have read (and for the most part understood) many of them, as far as I know.

I stopped reading grounding threads when I could see there was no solution that all can agree upon. Hopefully folks won't jump all over my previous statement, go back and forth on the subject and jack the thread.

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What lever would you pull to disconnect the array, sir? Would the solar disconnect be enough to protect even when closed?

And I'm not trying to be clever, I have just discovered the world of the "earth" debate, what you said above... You can see my post on off-grid grounding gathered no attention.
With little that I know I was convinced that two earth rods are perfect for an off-grid system... Then I have discussed by chance with a lightning specialist and a building system designer that both mentioned one rod is better... So I have read a bit more and it "struck" me... It is not easy, there's no clear answer.

tonyg said:

What lever would you pull to disconnect the array, sir? Would the solar disconnect be enough to protect even when closed?

And I'm not trying to be clever, I have just discovered the world of the "earth" debate, what you said above... You can see my post on off-grid grounding gathered no attention.
With little that I know I was convinced that two earth rods are perfect for an off-grid system... Then I have discussed by chance with a lightning specialist and a building system designer that both mentioned one rod is better... So I have read a bit more and it "struck" me... It is not easy, there's no clear answer.

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Siemens GF222NA Safety Switch. Works good, lasts long time, APPROVED FOR USE UNDER LOAD THOUSANDS OF TIMES.

Mine is small, like my system. They make them big too.
Things to look at when selecting one would be DC volts, Amps, Fused vs Non-Fused, number of poles.

More than one ground rod is NOT GOOD. You will be an old man, like me before you figure this grounding thing out.

WYtreasure said:

I do not have a surge protector in my combiner box at this time. I have been considering installing one though.

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If you did get one what would you do with it's output?

LSC said:

If you did get one what would you do with it's output?

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I don't know enough about the surge protector to answer that question intelligently. Boil water? ?‍

I like the Siemens disconnect. I have a hybrid AIO and use one disconnect for AC in, one for PV in (which I have mentioned) and one for AC out.

I wanted to put this in this thread to show a possible solution to the grounding issue we all have. This pic is from one of the pdf's anyone can download on this forum based on Grounding. I also ask that if you have a suggestion or anything pertaining to the diagram please do so.

There is some interesting reading & videos in this thread. The link is to page 3 but the whole thread may be of interest.

WYtreasure said:

There is some interesting reading & videos in this thread. The link is to page 3 but the whole thread may be of interest.

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I had seen this video before but I played it again and now I need to re-design my circuit. Thanks for reminding me.

This is my design. My batteries and Class-T Fuses are mounted on two 4 wheel carts and can be disconnected from the system by pulling the cart out of the solar utility room. The solar utility room is adjacent to an entry door of the house. If the batteries cause a problem, I can open the doors, pull the carts and wheel them outside within a few seconds.

WYtreasure said:

If the batteries cause a problem, I can open the doors, pull the carts and wheel them outside within a few seconds.

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Fire is not a risk with LFP. Most other problems are probably easier to resolve while connected to inverter/charger.

Ampster said:

Fire is not a risk with LFP. Most other problems are probably easier to resolve while connected to inverter/charger.

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The cart mounting also allows for relocating our stored energy to another house or trailer. ?
We're too old to be doing much weightlifting. ??

WYtreasure said:

This is my design

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Nice! I compared mine to yours and we are pretty much the same just done in a different way. I didn't notice any grounding between panels or what ever you have them mounted on. Maybe you just didn't mention it.

LSC said:

Nice! I compared mine to yours and we are pretty much the same just done in a different way. I didn't notice any grounding between panels or what ever you have them mounted on. Maybe you just didn't mention it.

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Nope, no panel grounding. I'm still waiting for someone to say "This is how it should be" and have it make sense in my head.

My panels are small and ground mounted on pallets which are anchored to the ground. If the panels take a direct hit from Mother Nature, so be it.
I don't want to collect any energy from nearby lightning strikes by sticking a ground rod near the array, running wire to my panels and then into my house. In my mind I would be creating a "ground loop" and providing an additional path to my electronics.

I admit grounding is a good idea when designed specifically for the system and installed properly.

@tonyg
To answer your question from post 9, I doubt the closed circuit will protect my charge controller but I have tried.
My combiner box accepts individual strings from the panels. Each positive string passes through a 20A breaker.
The strings are combined and leave the combiner box through another 20A breaker. PV positive is protected twice before entering the house.
The PV negative is my weak link and could carry unwanted jolts all the way to my 2 pole safety switch.
My safety switch is fused, both positive and negative. From that point the wires go directly into the AIO.
I am in search of an inline FAST fuse for my PV negative.