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Should I Ground-Neutral Bond Inverter in Small RV

The transfer switch isolates the N-G of the inverter. Sure the ground is always connected however the N is not connected when using the other power source.
This is not correct, I have a Renogy 3000w N bonded to G and a Progressive Dynamics 50a Transfer switch PD52. At the inverter, N is bonded to G. At The transfer Switch when shore power is connected I can detect continuity between Inverter N and shore & load N. HOW through Ground wire. The only way to separate the inverter N bonding from the Shore N bonding is by 1- disconnecting the inverter G to the chassis and 2- disconnecting the inverter G wire inside the Transfer Switch. THE PROBLEM then you will end with an Open Ground using the inverter.

So far I have both bonds co-existing I have not figured out how to isolate the inverter bonding from shore at the TS unless I disconnect all grounding from the inverter.
 
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The N-G bond is isolated by the transfer switch. There will be no second N-G bond in the power circuit.
OK maybe the Neutral can be detected through the ground. Still there is no second N-G bond of the circuit as required by NEC.
 
The N-G bond is isolated by the transfer switch. There will be no second N-G bond in the power circuit.
OK maybe the Neutral can be detected through the ground. Still there is no second N-G bond of the circuit as required by NEC.
Do you mean that won't see the inverter bonding as long the N connection to shore doesn't get interrupted because always looks for the easiest path back?
 
Do you mean that won't see the inverter bonding as long the N connection to shore doesn't get interrupted because always looks for the easiest path back?
Hello Javier,

In the event of a short between neutral and ground, which the NG bond basically is, you will find that both both wires, will carry the neutral current. (not just the easier path) You don't want a potential difference between different parts of the building and this is one of the the reason you only bond the neutral and ground in one place. (Current only flows when there is a potential difference, although a second NG bond could make urinating "exiting")

The problem is that this NG bond can still happen through a fault which is difficult to detect with just fuses or circuit breakers, so smart people came up with a solution, the ground fault circuit breaker. The ground fault circuit breakers that I have seen, detect a small difference between the current in the neutral and phase wires, if they are not the same, the breaker will trip. So if you have a second ground neutral bond, the ground fault circuit breaker would trip the same as if there is a fault (assuming it is installed in that circuit where the fault occurs)

There are ways to deal with your issue, the problem is that there is no perfect solution and people have very strong opinions on the subject, most of them are both right and wrong at the same time, depending on the scenario you come up with. There are some good resources on the subject, you might want to look into them, but the subject is a difficult one as you also have to consider lightning, DC ground and anything else you can come up with.

You are not the only one who finds it hard to understand it, I have seen an electrical engineer do the NG bond wrong , only to be told off by the electrical inspector. I am also struggling at times to come up with adequate solutions, but I always try to follow the code, even if they differ between countries and even cities in the same country, which can be a problem for people travelling in vans who want to use mains voltage wiring.

I hope this helps you to get a better understanding of how electricity flows and a start on why there is so much confusion/disagreement on the subject.

Good luck with your project, I hope you'll post pictures and performance data for your system in your location.
 
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