An Odd ATS Situation…
I rarely camp while on-grid, so my plan is to install an ATS Switch in such a way that the dominate position (normally shore power) would be reassigned to the honda 2200 generator, and the generator p...
Forum Discussion
For those who’ve been following, here’s a 04 July Update:
Upon my initial bonding check (recall, this a few days back at the main panel…), I’d discovered that several neutrals were in fact bonded at grounding bar..Honestly, this confused me a bit (what is the actual source of this bonding, and are there any reversed wires??), so I began a deeper examination…
I figured I’d start at the main with a goal of ending up with a good, cogent circuit diagram, but due to some missing circuit labels, I found it extremely difficult to visually trace, or determine one wire from another because of what was a congested birds-nest of wiring…So I’d have no other choice but to unravel this ugly birds-nest, but once disturbed I knew I’d not be able totally recall the original wiring layout - but no matter (lol!) because I intended to start out fresh…
So I began disconnecting everything and pulled all the wiring free and into the open light of day in order to identify, meter-test, and affirm each individual circuit…Concurrently, I also set out on a bottom-up approach, starting at the 30amp entrance to test each circuit at each end… This all ended up a several day project (involving two retrofitted sub-panels, one pre-existing ATS switch and one new), but I finished up by sketching a rough but extremely valuable schematic…
Armed with a bunch of new knowledge, I finished-up today by doing a camper-wide reconnect and ensuring that each circuit was working as was intended.
In the end (luckly!) I was able to resolve a few issues as follows:
First off, turns out that the source of the continuity meter’s previously mentioned ‘raspy tone’ was/is being caused by the pass-thru inverter’s floating ground - when shore power is disconnected, inverter ground and neutral become bonded, meter tone is quite normal and pleasant, but once connected to shore power (i.e. pass-thru inverter unbonded…) the tone becomes raspy and distorted, indicating the possibility of a ongoing ‘partial’ floating ground condition (??), and the ugly possibility of nagging ‘eddy-currents’…However, post-mortem this nuance seems to have had no adverse effect on what had heretofore (pre-review) been the fussy ATS relay, as time after time the relay now actuates properly to the inverter’s output…
Secondly, I can’t say with complete confidence what had originally caused the new ATS contactor-relay’s refusal to actuate via inverter power (yet work fine via shore power - huh!!), but post-examination (circuit tear-apart, end-to-end evaluation, reconnect…) all now checks out perfectly (Yea!!)…So it appears that whatever the dang glitch that was preventing the relay from working it’s magic has now thankfully been sorted-out and laid to rest !! Thanks to some perseverance, Objective Met :)
Many Thanks to all those who responded!!
3 tons
Upon my initial bonding check (recall, this a few days back at the main panel…), I’d discovered that several neutrals were in fact bonded at grounding bar..Honestly, this confused me a bit (what is the actual source of this bonding, and are there any reversed wires??), so I began a deeper examination…
I figured I’d start at the main with a goal of ending up with a good, cogent circuit diagram, but due to some missing circuit labels, I found it extremely difficult to visually trace, or determine one wire from another because of what was a congested birds-nest of wiring…So I’d have no other choice but to unravel this ugly birds-nest, but once disturbed I knew I’d not be able totally recall the original wiring layout - but no matter (lol!) because I intended to start out fresh…
So I began disconnecting everything and pulled all the wiring free and into the open light of day in order to identify, meter-test, and affirm each individual circuit…Concurrently, I also set out on a bottom-up approach, starting at the 30amp entrance to test each circuit at each end… This all ended up a several day project (involving two retrofitted sub-panels, one pre-existing ATS switch and one new), but I finished up by sketching a rough but extremely valuable schematic…
Armed with a bunch of new knowledge, I finished-up today by doing a camper-wide reconnect and ensuring that each circuit was working as was intended.
In the end (luckly!) I was able to resolve a few issues as follows:
First off, turns out that the source of the continuity meter’s previously mentioned ‘raspy tone’ was/is being caused by the pass-thru inverter’s floating ground - when shore power is disconnected, inverter ground and neutral become bonded, meter tone is quite normal and pleasant, but once connected to shore power (i.e. pass-thru inverter unbonded…) the tone becomes raspy and distorted, indicating the possibility of a ongoing ‘partial’ floating ground condition (??), and the ugly possibility of nagging ‘eddy-currents’…However, post-mortem this nuance seems to have had no adverse effect on what had heretofore (pre-review) been the fussy ATS relay, as time after time the relay now actuates properly to the inverter’s output…
Secondly, I can’t say with complete confidence what had originally caused the new ATS contactor-relay’s refusal to actuate via inverter power (yet work fine via shore power - huh!!), but post-examination (circuit tear-apart, end-to-end evaluation, reconnect…) all now checks out perfectly (Yea!!)…So it appears that whatever the dang glitch that was preventing the relay from working it’s magic has now thankfully been sorted-out and laid to rest !! Thanks to some perseverance, Objective Met :)
Many Thanks to all those who responded!!
3 tons
