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Old 09-25-2021, 11:27 AM   #1
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Champion inverter Internal & PD EMS need bonded neutral ?

Have a Champion 2800-3100 watt dual fuel inverter and recently installed an internal hardwired 30A Progressive Dynamics EMS.

Champion specs say it has a “floating” neutral whereas it’s neutral is NOT tied to the Gen frame/ground.

As the EMS must see proper electrical correctness for 15-20 secs before passing power through to the AS

Does anyone know it this Gen requires a bonding neutral plug adaptor at the Gen 120v outlet (tying the neutral to ground) to pass happy power through the EMS ?

Thanks in advance !
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Old 09-25-2021, 12:56 PM   #2
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Hi

Something like 99% of the portable generators out there are (apparently) targeted at home use. They do not come with the neutral hooked to ground. That way you can hook them into the house and "run everything".

For RV use you need to bond the neutral to ground at the generator. The normal "use a plug" approach is typically used.

So yes, you need to bond / connect / strap / attach the neutral to ground at the generator.

Bob
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Old 09-26-2021, 08:28 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by uncle_bob View Post
Hi

Something like 99% of the portable generators out there are (apparently) targeted at home use. They do not come with the neutral hooked to ground. That way you can hook them into the house and "run everything".

For RV use you need to bond the neutral to ground at the generator. The normal "use a plug" approach is typically used.

So yes, you need to bond / connect / strap / attach the neutral to ground at the generator.

Bob
Thanks for the reply Bob,

Well, did a home test and fired up the Gen to see if the PD EMS blocked or passes Gen power (sans bonding method). All came up proper with all AC items working/protected.

So, is neutral bonding at Gen still required in all or “some” cases and does the eliminate the hot / voltage potential to the AS frame ?

Thanks,
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Old 09-26-2021, 09:24 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Vantair View Post
Thanks for the reply Bob,

Well, did a home test and fired up the Gen to see if the PD EMS blocked or passes Gen power (sans bonding method). All came up proper with all AC items working/protected.

So, is neutral bonding at Gen still required in all or “some” cases and does the eliminate the hot / voltage potential to the AS frame ?

Thanks,
Hi

The neutral must *always* be bonded to ground. It *must* only be done at one point. The bond should never be done inside the trailer. The bond is always done at the main breaker panel in a building or house. At a construction site with a temporary distribution setup it may be bonded at the distribution panel.

With a system that is not tied to earth, you have some possibility for leakage. Pretty much nobody drives a 12' copper rod into the ground each time they fire up their generator. With a properly maintained generator, the level of leakage should be well below anything you can easily detect.

Even without the ground rod, the neutral / ground bond will take out any possible leakage to the frame. It all will "return" via the ground wire to the bond point.

Bob
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Old 09-26-2021, 09:36 AM   #5
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Grounding Plug?

Quote:
Originally Posted by uncle_bob View Post
Hi

The neutral must *always* be bonded to ground. It *must* only be done at one point. The bond should never be done inside the trailer. The bond is always done at the main breaker panel in a building or house. At a construction site with a temporary distribution setup it may be bonded at the distribution panel.

With a system that is not tied to earth, you have some possibility for leakage. Pretty much nobody drives a 12' copper rod into the ground each time they fire up their generator. With a properly maintained generator, the level of leakage should be well below anything you can easily detect.

Even without the ground rod, the neutral / ground bond will take out any possible leakage to the frame. It all will "return" via the ground wire to the bond point.

Bob
So, having been boondocking sparingly (with a lot more to come) but also needing my Champion dual fuel to run some circuits at the house (thanks PGE) should I invest in a grounding plug for the Champion? I was planning on running the 30A cord to a 110 plug adapter from the AS to the generator to run the AS and charge the batteries as needed...

Thx!
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Old 09-27-2021, 07:45 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Justinhb View Post
So, having been boondocking sparingly (with a lot more to come) but also needing my Champion dual fuel to run some circuits at the house (thanks PGE) should I invest in a grounding plug for the Champion? I was planning on running the 30A cord to a 110 plug adapter from the AS to the generator to run the AS and charge the batteries as needed...

Thx!
Hi

Yes, you need to run a grounding plug with the gen set when you are out and about. The plug comes out when you feed the house with it.

Bob
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Old 09-27-2021, 08:48 AM   #7
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It's simple.

I may be plugged into any outlet in the generator. It fools the EMS into thinking it's a house since your house has the neutral and ground tied together in the breaker box.
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Old 09-28-2021, 07:25 AM   #8
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Made one !

Bought two types (one spare) one a larger but prefer the smaller Leviton with hefty #10 gauge jumper from ground to neutral. EASY. Will be a-boondocking leaving today for rest of the week to try it out.

Thanks for the confirmation all !
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