Inverter ground wire size

[PerryB67]

The chassis ground on an inverter is for the AC side. Nothing in my camper that is DC only has a dedicated chassis ground. That’s why I think the chassis ground for my inverter should be the same size as the AC feeding it.

Both our Victron SCC's have a chassis ground. My chassis ground is 10 awg, so that's what I used.

Enjoy,

Perry

 

[HRTKD]

Also note this language from the Samlex Evo manual:

This comes from from the ABYC (Marine) standard. I don't know if the NEC has similar language or not. I haven't found the NEC to be very clear when it comes to DC in general.

That quote from ABYC is pretty clear and seems reasonable for some devices. I looked through my Victron manual and it doesn't call out a wire gauge for the chassis ground. The PV and battery cables for my SCC are 10 and 6 gauge, respectively. I used 10 gauge on the chassis ground, mainly because that's what I could readily find in green colored insulation.

For my inverter, which will have two runs of 2/0 for both positive and negative, the ABYC guideline may not work very well. There is a single chassis ground stud that is M8. The battery studs are also M8. I'm not running two 1/0 cables from the inverter to the chassis.

 

[Dzl]

That quote from ABYC is pretty clear and seems reasonable for some devices. I looked through my Victron manual and it doesn't call out a wire gauge for the chassis ground.

For a top tier company, Victron's documentation, and general shyness towards giving specific guidelines on safety/grounding issues is frustrating. I understand that they operate in many different markets/legal frameworks, that they initially were not really a direct customer facing company, but still. Most of the other top tier brands have good or at least fair sections on grounding, with disclaimers that local codes and the specifics of your individual situation supercede any guidance or examples given. But it least allows you to get a good idea of how the designers of the product intend things to be in certain situations. I really like Victron for a lot of reasons, but I think their documentation and clarity is lacking, and hope they rethink their approach to documentation. I really wish they gave more clear guidance in some areas.

 

[HRTKD]

For a top tier company, Victron's documentation, and general shyness towards giving specific guidelines on safety/grounding issues is frustrating. I understand that they operate in many different markets/legal frameworks, that they initially were not really a direct customer facing company, but still. Most of the other top tier brands have good or at least fair sections on grounding, with disclaimers that local codes and the specifics of your individual situation supercede any guidance or examples given. But it least allows you to get a good idea of how the designers of the product intend things to be in certain situations. I really like Victron for a lot of reasons, but I think their documentation and clarity is lacking, and hope they rethink their approach to documentation. I really wish they gave more clear guidance in some areas.

Agreed. Their documentation often leads to more questions than it answers.

 

[Dzl]

Agreed. Their documentation often leads to more questions than it answers.

That's why I really miss having Justin around (That may have been before your time here), He was worked for Bay Marine Supply and was a Victron certified tech, he provided a lot of insight and clarity on all things Victron, and was an asset to the community. We've had a lot of knowledgeable, helpful, smart people, and early members drop off, I suppose that is the nature of things, but I miss a lot of those early folks.

While there documentation sucks, some of their youtube videos meant for their partners/distributors can be really enlightening.

 

[HRTKD]

That's why I really miss having Justin around (That may have been before your time here), He was worked for Bay Marine Supply and was a Victron certified tech, he provided a lot of insight and clarity on all things Victron, and was an asset to the community. We've had a lot of knowledgeable, helpful, smart people, and early members drop off, I suppose that is the nature of things, but I miss a lot of those early folks.

While there documentation sucks, some of their youtube videos meant for their partners/distributors can be really enlightening.

I do remember him. It was his presence that got me to buy a lot of my Victron equipment from Bay Marine Supply.