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Santiago
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Got it - final diagram and now we can start drinking
OK: black and white from inverter; green/yellow ties the ground and neutral busses; green to ufer ground and red ties the two hot busses together so
they are both 110v. Throw the left 30 amp and everything to the right is disco. 
[img] [/img]
Bob - you're right, I'm just trying to use what I've got laying around in the shop until everyone who owes me money gets out of bankruptcy -- sheeesh.
Kinda funny how this got started: last spring SWMBO brings down a bunch of candles for lighting - OK, no problem. My fishing buddy and I go down in
early October for a fishing trip and one evening I light all the candles, put on some latin jazz, pour a couple of glasses of WHITE wine and start
making a pizza while my buddy opens a book. My neighbor comes over and remarks that it sure looks 'gay' in here.....5 minutes later we had both
coleman lanterns on full blast, switched to blues/rock and Jack Daniels. Gotta nip these things in the bud.
[Edited on 2-27-2011 by Santiago]
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Bob and Susan
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i still say don't tie the ground to the common
a common feed still has some electricty and could fry the inverter
you ARE NOT "on the grid"
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Bob and Susan
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i have one panel like that but i bought a double breaker for the main breaker
then the hot from the inverter to that and loop it
then both top and bottom strings are protected
[Edited on 2-27-2011 by Bob and Susan]
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msteve1014
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Everything is protected by the 30 the way it is wired now, you do not need a 30 on each leg. Bob may be right about the bonding. There is no need to
tie them together. The neutral can be left "floating". It is not a common practice, but some systems are wired that way to prevent "roaming" currents
in sensitive electronic equipment.
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wessongroup
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BajaGringo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
i still say don't tie the ground to the common
a common feed still has some electricty and could fry the inverter
you ARE NOT "on the grid" |
I am no electrician but folks who are (and I know) tell me the same thing - keep the common and ground separate in the panel when the power is fed
from an inverter.
Might be a good idea to check with a an experienced, licensed professional you know and trust to be completely safe on this one.
(My attorney made me say that...)
[Edited on 2-27-2011 by BajaGringo]
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captkw
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why do I see more funky wireing,the older I get?????
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BajaBruno
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
i still say don't tie the ground to the common
a common feed still has some electricty and could fry the inverter
you ARE NOT "on the grid" |
After a little research, I see that Bob/Susan is sometimes correct. Some inverters (e.g. the Sunpower model) have the following warnings:
"The inverter must be connected to an AC equipment-grounding conductor directly and a DC grounding electrode conductor to a single point ground.
"The AC Neutral connection is for voltage sensing only and is not used as a current carrying conductor, nor is it bonded to ground."
Others, however (e.g. SureSine model), require that both the AC and DC neutral and the AC grounding wire are bonded to earth at the same place. This
is the type I am familiar with.
Having been humbled, it seems that, once again, reading the manual is the best place to start. What kind of inverter is it, Santiago?
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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Bob and Susan
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the "weakest link" and MOST expensive part is the inverter
protect that at all cost
it's like a lightbulb...it could go out at any time...then you're in trouble
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Santiago
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I don't have the inverter yet - but I notice that Midnight Solar shows that their e-panel has the ground buss and the neutral buss connected. I have a
pdf file of it but can't figure how to post a pdf file. Trace's gagillion page installation manual is no help what so ever.
I'm going with the guy with the dachshunds as I'm a doxie guy - and I suspect he's living with his decisions. The green/yellow goes.
Thanks a lot for the info and opinions - it has helped. Now where's that white wine....
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Bob and Susan
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the work never ends...
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durrelllrobert
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if you total the wattage of all light, appliances and other stuff on each circuit and divide by 120 volts you get the total amps being drawn for that
circuit. the main amperage is the total watts of all circuits. even though most of the lights and appliances wil not be on all the time there only
needs to be one time for all to be on to exceed the allowed ampacity of th circuit .
US Code only allows any circuit to be loaded 80 % of its rated load. , and to be sure there is absolutely no fire hazard, the 80% rule should be
followed.
A 15 amp circuit with 14 gage wire can only be loaded with a total of 1440 watts,which is 80% of the 1800 watt maximum.
A 20 amp circuit with 20 gage wire can be loaded 1920 watts which is 80% of the 2400 watt maximum.
Bob Durrell
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Bob and Susan
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20 guage?
i'd put 6-10 guage
i guess no hairdryers if you use 15a breakers
some are 1500w
and then what about the times you need a toaster...
or
a breadmaker
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bajalou
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| Quote: | Originally posted by durrelllrobert
A 15 amp circuit with 14 gage wire can only be loaded with a total of 1440 watts,which is 80% of the 1800 watt maximum.
A 20 amp circuit with 20 gage wire can be loaded 1920 watts which is 80% of the 2400 watt maximum. |
Smaller wire for larger load????
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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msteve1014
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I think that was a topographical error.
20 amps= 12 gauge
Don't get all carried away with the calcs. If your on solar, you will probably be watching your amps and volts real close.
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durrelllrobert
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| Quote: | Originally posted by msteve1014
I think that was a topographical error.
20 amps= 12 gauge
Don't get all carried away with the calcs. If your on solar, you will probably be watching your amps and volts real close. |
yep, typo. meant 12 gauge
Bob Durrell
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Bob and Susan
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heat is a BIG factor down here
in the summer when its HOT the wire heats up and you should use BIGGER wire
don't discount this factor...we ain't in kansas anymore
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