Hi!
I'm building a small solar system (essentially Will's https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/2000-watt-24v-solar-system.html ) The cabin has existing, code-compliant (california) grid power. I'm building it in order to learn things, as well as provide power during frequent grid blackouts. Most times, the solar will be running in parallel and unattached to the grid to provide power to a chest freezer
Clearly, i should be able to run extension cords from the inverter during a blackout. But what about plugging directly from the inverter into a cabin receptacle via a double-male-ended extension cord after opening the main service breaker to the cabin? In order to take advantage of the existing cabin wiring.
My concern here is with neutral and ground.
The cabin is grounded at the service entrance via #4 copper to a pair of standard 8' grounding rods hammered into the earth. The solar system is grounded with the negative post of the battery bonded to this existing cabin ground wire. The inverter (giandel 2000W 24V) will also have its ground terminal bonded to this ground wire.
At the cabin grid service entrance, ground and neutral are bonded together on the cabin side of the main breaker. I'm worried that if I simply connect the inverter receptacle to a cabin receptacle via the double-ended plug, that I will be creating multiple paths to ground from every other receptacle in the cabin? Or potentially energizing the ground wire throughout the cabin? Or? It's confusing.
How do people generally do this? Or is "don't do it" the correct answer? Thanks!
I'm building a small solar system (essentially Will's https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/2000-watt-24v-solar-system.html ) The cabin has existing, code-compliant (california) grid power. I'm building it in order to learn things, as well as provide power during frequent grid blackouts. Most times, the solar will be running in parallel and unattached to the grid to provide power to a chest freezer
Clearly, i should be able to run extension cords from the inverter during a blackout. But what about plugging directly from the inverter into a cabin receptacle via a double-male-ended extension cord after opening the main service breaker to the cabin? In order to take advantage of the existing cabin wiring.
My concern here is with neutral and ground.
The cabin is grounded at the service entrance via #4 copper to a pair of standard 8' grounding rods hammered into the earth. The solar system is grounded with the negative post of the battery bonded to this existing cabin ground wire. The inverter (giandel 2000W 24V) will also have its ground terminal bonded to this ground wire.
At the cabin grid service entrance, ground and neutral are bonded together on the cabin side of the main breaker. I'm worried that if I simply connect the inverter receptacle to a cabin receptacle via the double-ended plug, that I will be creating multiple paths to ground from every other receptacle in the cabin? Or potentially energizing the ground wire throughout the cabin? Or? It's confusing.
How do people generally do this? Or is "don't do it" the correct answer? Thanks!
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