Inverter for RV hookup. Manufacturers reply.
Hi all. So I read contless online info about the whole bonding issue with Rv,s. I understand the RV is basically a sub panel. The bond is made when you hook up to the pedestal. OK. with a genera...
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The inverter chassis should probably be bonded to the trailer chassis, as they say.
I don't think it makes any practical difference if the power cord has a ground wire connected or not. I would leave it connected. You're just connecting chassis ground to chassis ground with it.
I would not bond the neutral to the ground at the inverter, especially as the maker recommended against that. Some (not all) MSW inverters will not work with neutral bonded to ground because the output is not isolated from the 12V input (and typically is a bridged output composed of two 60V RMS waves that are 180 degrees out of phase of each other). Attempting to bond neutral to ground on such inverters would short out half of the output circuit. Better inverters do have the high voltage side fully isolated from the low voltage side and those would not have trouble with being bonded, but I would assume any inverter I come across is not isolated until or unless specifically specified or proved to be otherwise.
RV generators that are permanently installed have neutral and ground bonded together, and I think that is required per the NEC. I don't know offhand if the NEC would require that for an inverter permanently installed and hardwired into the system; it may very well be a requirement. I think yours would not fall under that as it's not hardwired in on the 120V side of things.
I don't think it makes any practical difference if the power cord has a ground wire connected or not. I would leave it connected. You're just connecting chassis ground to chassis ground with it.
I would not bond the neutral to the ground at the inverter, especially as the maker recommended against that. Some (not all) MSW inverters will not work with neutral bonded to ground because the output is not isolated from the 12V input (and typically is a bridged output composed of two 60V RMS waves that are 180 degrees out of phase of each other). Attempting to bond neutral to ground on such inverters would short out half of the output circuit. Better inverters do have the high voltage side fully isolated from the low voltage side and those would not have trouble with being bonded, but I would assume any inverter I come across is not isolated until or unless specifically specified or proved to be otherwise.
RV generators that are permanently installed have neutral and ground bonded together, and I think that is required per the NEC. I don't know offhand if the NEC would require that for an inverter permanently installed and hardwired into the system; it may very well be a requirement. I think yours would not fall under that as it's not hardwired in on the 120V side of things.
