Thanks for making this video, saved me some time !

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

damn you had saved me as I am using Grid power to charge at night to my batteries and morning Solar first and when solar not enough power utility will power load together with the solar . It keeps tripping my Grid as the Earth & Neutral were bonded and i had to used it for Offgrid . I am in Malaysia and i had several single phase inverters that are not bonded and has been using almost 6 years until i bought Growatt SPF 5000 ES . Now i had to try to remove the screw that you shown in the video . Thanks mate

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@sparrowsends

9 ай бұрын

Hi I've got the growatt spf5000es also after you removed the screws how did it go please also how have you wired ac in /out now with the screws removed please 🙏

Thank you!!

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

I watched both your videos and neither of them described what the purpose is for breaking that Bond what are the problems in your system that you're having that you need to break that Bond that's the part we need to know because if we're just running off the plugs themselves then who cares if there's a neutral to bond but if we set up a little sub panel for off-grid cabin then it could be an issue?.how . inside of the light switches? inside of the wall sockets that require three wires? I don't understand ,does that mean we can only use two wires to wire our house up and get rid of one of the neutral or grounds for all sockets and switches? Idk .thanks for sharing 🍸

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

In my case I am running a panel off of two inverters so I am bonding in the panel and do not want the bonds occurring in both inverters. My understanding is ideally you want the bond happening in one place closest to the source (which is the inverter in this case) however, local code here requires the bond to be done in the panel (likely b\c the source is assumed to be the grid). So with that in mind, bonding in the inverter is not necessarily a bad thing, especially as you said if you are just running outlets. However given my scenario with a bond in the main panel, the inverter bond needs to be broken to avoid multiple paths for current to travel.

Hi, excellent video, i have a SPF3000TL LVM-48P by growatt, but the TSV is burn and i dont know the no. part. Waht is the part for this TSV? thanks you🙂

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

Not sure what the part would be but I'd email growatt support, they should be able to help usaservice@ginverter.com

So you are not using the AC in for your scenario? If so, the ground/neutral bond would be in your main service panel. Utility->MSP(bonded)->Growatt->Loads Panel.

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

That is correct - Signature Solar makes a good video regarding AC In considerations. I only have 12 gauge 20a service run from my panel to where my inverters are, which is not enough so I opt to not use it at all and instead have a separate battery charger I can employ for grid charging when needed.

Question: is the earth neutral bond made by connecting the Top layer circular PCB screw connect area of the PCB to the casing using the screw? Or is the disconnect made by a small space that happens between the case and the PCB circular PCB screw connect area when the screws are removed. I ask this question because if the bottom layer of the PCB has the same circular PCB contact area, it is possible that the bond is not removed when removing the screws. Anybody know this?

@lifewithlonsi

7 ай бұрын

That is a good question - I do not know. My two inverters are back in operation so I cannot easily check. I'd hope there is proper separation on the backside of the PCB, especially if there is solder or metal contacts there. I'd be interested to see if anyone can check...

I do onw a GrowWatt SPF300TL LVM . I followed your steps in your video but I still do not have voltage output? Do you have any other recommendations?

@lifewithlonsi

11 ай бұрын

Did you have out before removing the screws? They should have no impact on voltage. You may need to double check your settings, I believe you'll only see output voltage when the Growatt agrees with everything (i.e. battery settings & config)

I was looking for this solution because I thought the bonding in the inverter was the source of the Growatt tripping the upstream GFCI but even after breaking the bond as in your video, it still trips when plugging AC in to grid power (and a panel that is already bonded). I wanted to remove the extra bonding at the inverter because I intended to have the Growatt always connected to grid to keep batteries charged when solar is not enough, but with the bonding broken, I didn't have ANY connection between neutral and ground at the AC out of the Growatt when connected to grid and it still tripped the GFCI. So I put the bonding back and stopped using the grid for now, opting for using a generator to charge up the batteries if they get low. Something I didn't try and maybe I should is to link the AC in Neutral to AC out Neutral after breaking the bond. That should give me the ground path, I think? Do you have any idea why the Growatt would be reliably tripping the GFCI, bonding or not? I'd really like to use grid to trickle charge the batteries (just 1.5A over the AC in). Gas is too expensive to use the gen regularly. And the generator is LOUD.

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure about your specific scenario but I believe they recommend a 40a circuit for AC in on the inverter. I don't use the AC In since I only have 20a available. Instead I have a separate battery charger that I hookup if needed.

@yarnosh

2 жыл бұрын

@@lifewithlonsi Yeah, if you don't change the default settings, AC IN will draw a lot of current so having a circuit that can handle it would be recommended, but you can limit the charge current so that it won't actually need it.

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

@@yarnosh Understood - I was under the impression that it would draw the charge limit plus the inverter load. Do you know if that is the case?

@yarnosh

2 жыл бұрын

​@@lifewithlonsi Oh yeah, I think it does draw the total charge + load. I actually wish there was a config to put a hard limit on what it can draw from AC IN instead setting the charge rate of the batteries. I personally don't draw much in my use case. My load will always be well under even 15A. Anyway, are you suggesting that my AC IN being under spec'd is causing the issue? I don't want to go and upgrade my wires to 40A capacity just to find I have the same issue tripping GFCI any time I switch to AC IN. At that point there's no point in even having batteries at all. I might as well just run off the 40A line.

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

@@yarnosh I don't think overloading would trip the gfci anyway, just the breaker so that's a separate consideration anyway. Did you try replacing the outlet? I had an issue a while back where voltage spikes from the grid were popping gfcis in my house (and neighbors too). I wonder if something like that could be happening.

My guess is the rear of this circuit board also has bare metal and a slight bump or arc could cause them to be bonded once again. Is that the case?

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

I believe the board is on standoffs to keep the mounting holes clear of the case, which is why the screw is needed to create contact. I will test again once the inverters are mounted to ensure there is no inadvertent contact.

@cdevidal

2 жыл бұрын

@@lifewithlonsi press against the hole so that it makes contact with the stand-off and check if it makes a complete circuit. If so you could remove the circuit board and tape over the hole from the rear.

Hey man,. I found your video while trying to figure out why the lights flicker with a heavier load. Any ideas? Im off grid.

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

Do you mean lights on the unit or lights on a circuit powered by the inverter?

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

If you are running led lights off of a circuit I would check the voltage and frequency settings on the inverter and verify with a multimeter. I'm guessing on heavy load you are getting voltage drops which would explain it.

Hi, when we should remove N-G bonding? Some people told not to remove, some told that we have to. Im confused here, my growatt spf 5000 is arriving, so gotta prepare for that. Thank you.

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

I have another video on my channel that explains when and why you would want to. Basically you should have it bonded somewhere, where depends on your design.

@sparrowsends

9 ай бұрын

Hi how did you get on as I have the same inverter

is this issue common to SPF 5000 SE vertions too?

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

I believe so but I'm not positive. My understanding is that this is common practice with many inverters on the market.

HOWdy Lonsi, Thanks I wish someone would go into Grounding / BONDING on the GroWatt Split Phase 120/240 volt Inverters Thanks COOP the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA ...

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

Will Prowse posted a good video a while back discussing inverter grounding and ground loops. It really depends on your setup but definitely worth a watch.

Can you explain what this fixes? I was on the understanding that the bonded neutral only affected the 5000 models

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

I posted another video demonstrating the issue - The AC output on this model has Line Neutral and Ground and the Neutral and Ground are bonded by default. This is not exactly an issue, but in North America if you are going run the AC Output to a panel the bonding should be done in the panel and not the inverter, and you do not want bonding to happen in more than one place.

@todamnbad

2 жыл бұрын

@@lifewithlonsi im looking to buy two of the 3000TL LVM-ES but getting multiple answers to my question, been told the U.S version has the screw removed, been told the screw does not need removed, been told that with two units I need one with the screw and one without the screw, im so confused and frustrated that im about to give up, im not sure how else you would run it other then to a panel unless you just wire an extension cord to it

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

@@todamnbad I'm not sure if mine are the "US" versions but they obviously did have the screw(s) installed. I also have two units and have removed from both, at the end of the day my understanding is that you want the bond to happen at only one place - so the answer of removing from one inverter would make sense if you are not bonding in a panel. However, I also understand that code (here) dictates that bonding should be done in the panel, in which case you would remove from both. I believe technically speaking you want the bond to occur closest to the power source, so perhaps bonding at one of the inverters is actually the best option but again could pose potential code issues if that matters to you. The important takeaway for me is to ensure that you are bonding at one place only to prevent multiple paths for current to flow. This is all based on my research but I have not consulted a professional solar installer or electrician so I could be wrong.

So I'm aware that USA does electricity slightly differently from Europe. Why are you removing the E-Neutral bond screws . Secondly would I have to do the same(removing the earth neutral bond)if I was living in Europe or Australia .

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

To add some clarity - Neutral and Earth Ground should be bonded. If I were to simply run the AC out of this inverter to an outlet or power strip then I would leave the bonding screws in. In my setup though, I am running the AC out to a sub panel, which will have various loads distributed from there. Most local codes in the US require that the neutral\ground bound be done in one place only and that place should be the main service panel (which is what my sub panel will be in this as it is not tied to the grid).

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE GROWATT ES 5000

@peteroldroyd7531

Жыл бұрын

me too ,, did you find a solution ?

5kw

@lifewithlonsi

Жыл бұрын

This is the 3kw version

Solar Grounding Issue I watched this video kzread.info/dash/bejne/eKKhzNigXZquaNo.html And he discusses the issue of grounding, but still a bit confusing on if the bonding screw should not be in the inverter so ground is not energized. Here is my thinking and please tell me if I am wrong: All of the inverters should not have a grounding screw in them, and the sub panels off of inverters should also keep neutral separate from ground. To get ground, either the inverters are all plugged into grid as backup power, so they connect to ground thru that plug, if you decide to unplug ALL inverters (must be all so no crossing of grounds), then ALL Inverters’ plugs that would have bern plugged into the grid for backup power - should be plugged into a NON POWERED OUTLET that only has a ground connection no hot or neutral in this outlet, so that the inverters are all connected to a ground. My thinking is to have an outlet strip or connected outlets, with a switch that in one direction connects ALL Inverters to the Grid power and grid ground (this is as backup power not for backfeed into grid). So in this scenario, all inverters have backup power and common ground. When switch is in other direction, ALL Inverters are not connected to grid power for backup, those lines hot and neutral are not connected, only the ground is connected to a separate ground rod to provide ground for entire system when not using grid as backup. Could achieve this with a separate breaker panel with two breakers that have metal piece to make so only one breaker can be on at a time. And the ground wire to the inverters are switched from grid ground with power to independent ground without power wires. One breaker feeds from grid w ground other breaker only feeds from separate ground But you do not ground the box to the grid ground, it would have to be grounded to whichever active ground is being used at the time by the inverters. Does that make any sense? Please be critical I prefer to find the correct answer, my opinions are of no relevance if they are wrong. Thank you.

@lifewithlonsi

2 жыл бұрын

I watched that other video and agree with everything he says. For your scenario, I believe this makes sense - One thing I would double check is that the ground from the AC IN on your inverter is bonded to the inverter chassis \ AC OUT to ensure it carries through - it should. In this case I agree to keep all ground \ neutral bonding done in your main panel where the grid power is coming from. If your run the AC in on a switch then when on, all good as described above. When off you need to ensure the ground is also disconnected to the grid input and you have a hard switchover to the ground rod dedicated for this system, otherwise you create a ground loop. I would think you could do this with plugs (i.e. generator cords), may be an option to consider but I am no expert and I would ultimately consult an electrician as this is probably not to code as well. At the end of the day the two rules I try to adhere to are: 1. Only have one earth ground connected to the system to prevent ground loops and 2. Only have the ground eutral bond in one location, closest to the source of power. In my scenario I am bonding in a panel and not using the AC input for grid power backup. There are a few considerations with AC IN, the main one for me is that you need to supply at least a 40a line for AC IN and I only have a 20a circuit available. So instead I have a separate battery charger with leads that I will connect up to charge from grid when needed, just not using Grid power to pass through the inverter to connected loads.

@Just_An_Idea_For_Consideration

2 жыл бұрын

This is great feedback. I appreciate your additional points of consideration, and will incorporate them into my design. Thank you