Circuit Breaker Issue

[dktool]

This is a strange one to me ...

Lifepo4 200ah battery connected to a 2200 watt true sine wave inverter via a #1 awg cable, total cable length out and back is @8' with a 250 amp breaker located about 1' from the inverter, I know, should be close to the battery not the load....but, here's the weird thing.

With a 800 watt load all is good, with a 1500 watt load the inverter shuts down after about 30 seconds.
Voltage never drops below 12.5 as shown on the inverter remote panel as well as the battery bluetooth which shows slightly higher, when it shuts down there is no hiccup in voltage or amperage and the breaker does not trip.
If I connect a jumper (10 ga) from the input side of the breaker to the input on the inverter it does not shut down with a 1500 watt load.
The jumper is carrying @35 amps bypassing the breaker.

It seem obvious the breaker is funky but to have it not show obvious voltage drop across it or trip is just seems strange.

Any logic anyone can add to this ??

 

[koppted]

This is a strange one to me ...

Lifepo4 200ah battery connected to a 2200 watt true sine wave inverter via a #1 awg cable, total cable length out and back is @8' with a 250 amp breaker located about 1' from the inverter, I know, should be close to the battery not the load....but, here's the weird thing.

With a 800 watt load all is good, with a 1500 watt load the inverter shuts down after about 30 seconds.
Voltage never drops below 12.5 as shown on the inverter remote panel as well as the battery bluetooth which shows slightly higher, when it shuts down there is no hiccup in voltage or amperage and the breaker does not trip.
If I connect a jumper (10 ga) from the input side of the breaker to the input on the inverter it does not shut down with a 1500 watt load.
The jumper is carrying @35 amps bypassing the breaker.

It seem obvious the breaker is funky but to have it not show obvious voltage drop across it or trip is just seems strange.

Any logic anyone can add to this ??

What sort of Breaker is it --Brand / Type?

 

[dktool]

What sort of Breaker is it --Brand / Type?

.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I was warned long ago those are garbage.

 

[dktool]

Ya, I get that it is crap but lack of voltage drop with load, or tripping seem odd.

 

[dktool]

If I want to stay with a breaker, what brand is recommended ?
Or, fuse it ?

 

[scrubjaysnest]

Bluesea or Bussmen in that style breaker. MRBF for a fuse or maybe class T. I don't know if Midnight solar has a breaker that size, I prefer them.

 

[DPC]

I have an opinion, and a long story ( I like stories )...

Fuses are my preferred choice for all critical loads.
They are relatively cheap and seldom need to be replaced unless something seriously wrong is happening.
The cost of a fuse tends to force you to do something about a problem because it MUST be replaced.

Breakers on the other hand tend to get reset more often and the problem gets overlooked..
Because of this breakers wear and suffer from wear.
A fuse on the other hand does it job once.

You should normally under no load cycle a breaker at least once a year to clean the contacts inside.

I had a breaker fail on me once.
It was a 1200amp molded case westinghouse general purpose 600 volt three phase breaker.
It had been tripping fairly regularly 2 or 3 times a month.
Every electrician like me on shift was aware of it.
Everyone kicked the can down the road.
You had to get into a very small room and get very close to it, and it required some effort to reset and trip because thats a pretty big molded case breaker ( I'm thinking it was an N or M )

The problem with breakers is they make you complacent sometimes.
It 3 AM everyone is upset because the power out.
Its not convenient to get involved in serious trouble shooting.
IF you get it to close and stay closed for the duration of the night or your whole rotation better still you can pass off the dirty diaper to cross shift or the construction crew.

Sooner or later your luck runs out with a malfunctioning breaker.
As I type this the ringing in my ear is the loudest thing in my basement ( even with the TV on fan for the furnace running ).
And thats getting off pretty easy.
Some guys get burned.

If you have a breaker problem you should replace it.
There are also hybrid breakers that you can buy that use both fuse short circuit protection and a mechanical breaker for lock out purpose as well as clearing circuit over currents.

Batteries have the ability to deliver a lot of fault current so be warned.
One time, I was stuck in the dark with a bunch of mill writes.
I wired the kettle up to a battery pack on a service loco.
( We were getting cold, and hot cuppa something will cheer you up when that happens )

Well it happened again and I was not there and some of those fellows tried that same trick and this time it did not go so well and they fried a lot of wiring...
You can't imagine the magic smoke that created.


Your Mileage may vary....

 

[dktool]

Update...
I swapped out the breaker with a replacement exchange of same one from same source, more for shits and giggles as to variation in build quality.
This one carries a load of 1800 inverter watts but trips at 185 amps.
Goes to show quality is all over the map.

I am going to go with a Class T fuse and call it done.