Is my setup unsafe (Ground Neutral Bond)

[RobbieRobski]

I built the solar hand truck to power some computers in my garage (home office). So that's the EG4 3000EHV and one LifePower4 battery.
The garage is on its own sub panel from the main house. We are on 120v. And FWIW, the garage is finished (drywall/insulated) etc.

The inverter is on SBU mode and my computers are running on battery 24/7. We charge about once a day.

The reason I'm asking is because in Will's latest video, he was suggesting that beginners should not use the AC input.

 

[stromy]

To answer that question, you have to verify your electrical safety for each of the three operating modes (Solar, Battery, Utility).
To do a complete safety verification, you need an "installation tester", eg. something like fluke 165x/166x/167x.
If you do not have access to such a tester, the most basic problems can be tested for with an "outlet tester". Search amazon/ebay/whatever for "110v outlet tester" or "110v socket tester".

 

[DC_Ripple]

The only information in the manual about Neutral - Ground bond:

IMPORTANT:
The inverter has an internal neutral ground bonding screw preinstalled. Removing
the internal bonding screw will not void the product warranty.

Is your Bond screw still installed or did you remove it?


As suggested above, get an outlet tester. Simple to use.
Check your AC Output in each mode SBU.

For safety reasons, there should only be 1 Neutral-Ground Bond.

 

[outboard1196]

Hopefully Tim will look at this.
If your in the us chances are good your house is bonded, the inverter should be unbonded if it's hooked up to your house.
You should check to make sure.

 

[timselectric]

You are going to have to check for the N/G bond.
Some of these models were shipped with bonding and some were not.
You need to verify if bonding exists in each mode, without any AC input connected.

 

[Jurassicfish]

The manual for the Sungold Inverter does not say much about grounding.

 

[DC_Ripple]

If you are talking about the 5000W Sungold Inverter, it should be similar to the Eco Worthy 5000W Inverter.

Look at setting Item 63.
Automatic N-G bond setting

The EG4 3000W does not have this function.
It used a ground screw that was populated in some units and not populated in others.

 

[RobbieRobski]

Using a simple outlet tester, it readss "correct" whether I'm testing the wall my inverter gets power from or the outlets the inverter is providing power to.


I never removed any screws internally; I'm referring to the ground screw on the bottom outside of the inverter.

 

[DC_Ripple]

Here is how I tested my Sumry 4000 Watt inverter:

When powered by Battery Check Output AC with Receptacle tester

Without Input AC Connected: Outlet Tester Shows "Open Ground"
Measured 120VAC from L to N
Measured 43.5VAC L to G
Measured 91.5VAC N to G
No N-G bond on AC Output - when NO Utility Input connected.



Connect AC Input cord, wired Ground to G on AC Output connection

With Input AC Connected: Outlet Tester Shows "Correct"
Measured 120VAC from L to N
Measured 120VAC L to G
Measured <1VAC N to G
When AC Input applied, N-G Bond passes to the Output.

If your outlet tester shows "Correct" with no AC Input, you are fine.
Mine was not.

 

[timselectric]

If your outlet tester shows "Correct" with no AC Input, you are fine.

That gets you halfway there.
That's fine, if you never intend to connect AC input.
If you do intend to use AC input. You will have to make sure that the inverter releases its bond, while connect to AC in.

 

[Madcodger]

That gets you halfway there.
That's fine, if you never intend to connect AC input.
If you do intend to use AC input. You will have to make sure that the inverter releases its bond, while connect to AC in.

Somewhere on the forum there's a thread where you and someone else guide me on this, from a system I built about 3 or 4 years ago (my starter system at our former house, before we built our off grid home). I wired that as you describe here, so that the neutral-ground bond was made by the inverter (Victron) but the moment it sensed external AC power (which was a simple extension cord I could connect to another building) that bond was released by the internal relay, as it was being supplied by the AC in. No bonding within the panel in the building, because of that. Worked great, thanks to your help.