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I need help wiring my off grid distribution panel

RL419

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Apr 8, 2022
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Hi, I finally received my EG4 6500 inverter today. I will be connecting it to the panel below which is in the prefab shed on my property. The manufacturer did this wiring and I need the communities help to understand next steps.

I have 3 more 20 amp breakers that I want to add to the open side but I am confused by the ground-neutral bar and what I need to do here. Will I connect the inverter AC output to the 2 lugs on the right and my ground rod to the neutral-ground lug/bar? In this case would I run the neutral and ground lines all the way from the right to the bar on the left? Thanks so much in advance!


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Is your inverter a split-phase unit putting out 120V & 240V AC? What you are a piccing (is that a word?) Is a standard split-phase main electrical panel.

For the two central block screws, you would label one L1, and the second L2. Then run a black wire from L1 on your inverter to L1 in the panel. Same thing for L2. Run a red wire from L2 of the inverter to L2 of the main panel. Then run a white wire from neutral on the inverter, to the block screw below all the grounds and white wires on the neutral/ground bussbar.

Lastly you run a bare ground wire from the ground terminal on the inverter to the neutral bussbar. A 6 gauge minimum ground wire from the outside ground rod gets routed to the same bussbar. The ground rod should never be connected to anything else upstream of the rod before it gets to the neutral/ground bussbar.

That assumes your inverter is actually split-phase.
 
I would prefer to do it right. Can you recommend a 120v panel that would be ideal for this application?
 
Presently your panel has common neutral and grounds. The two lugs on the right are L1 and L2 of a split phase 240vAC arrangement. Either L1 or L2 (single breaker as pictured) would be 120vAC to the neutral bar. A breaker spanning two slots would be 240vAC. Since you mentioned keeping to 120vAC you will need to jumper L1 and L2 together.

Depending on the EG4 and how it handles neutral ground bonding, in either the AC pass through or Inverter modes, will dictate how you would setup the panel. So are you going to use AC pass through? If so, and the home has a NG bond at Main panel, than you would separate all grounds and neutrals in the panel by adding an additional ground bus. At that ground bus you would connect to a ground rod.
 
I have a very similar set up, but with victron gear and an rv style ac/dc panel. My question has to do with the grounding. the ground bar in the AC side of the panel should connect to my ground rod, but should I also tie the case grounds of the inverter and scc to the same ground rod ? Perhaps via a ground bus bar from the panel and the cases, then to the rod ? or a separate ground rod for the cases ? confused as ususual.
 
or a separate ground rod for the cases
You only want one point of connection to a ground rod. Typically in the distribution panel is where the earth ground is connected. But that depends on whether or not the inverter makes a N-G within itself, also.
Maybe you should start a thread and provide pictures and a diagram of your setup.
 
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