Need Inverter Install Help
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3476
Printed Date: 28 May 2025 at 6:32am
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Topic: Need Inverter Install Help
Posted By: compubmw
Subject: Need Inverter Install Help
Date Posted: 11 May 2013 at 9:01pm
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So, Installed my 2000w inverter. DC directly to battery with 4ga cable through existing hole in floor and a 200amp breaker. I added a new circuit breaker in the AC side of the box and hooked in a cable that plugs in to the AC side of the inverter. Black to breaker, white to AC bus, green to ground bus. Now, even with the inverter off, and its breaker off, if it is plugged in, the trailer will pop my house GFCI thing. Why is it doing this? What am I doing wrong? Please, this isn't a discussion of how long the batteries will last etc. I got a great deal on the inverter and only intend to use it for small things or maybe a minute or two on the microwave at a time, no long term draw over maybe 300w.
------------- 2009 FJ CRUISER (ARB BUMPER, Rear Airlift 1000, and some other stuff) 2013 Forest River R-Pod 177HRE ( http://goo.gl/NH3Kb - Mods ) |
Replies:
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 12:01am
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Is this a modified sine wave or pure sine wave inverter? Is the pod plugged into a GFCI, or do you mean the GFCI inside the pod?
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: compubmw
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 12:36am
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Modified sine wave. When the inverter is off, both its 110 and 12 breakers tripped, I plugged the shore power line into the house and it popped the house's GFCI. ------------- 2009 FJ CRUISER (ARB BUMPER, Rear Airlift 1000, and some other stuff) 2013 Forest River R-Pod 177HRE ( http://goo.gl/NH3Kb - Mods ) |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 7:41am
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Your installation has created a ground path that didn't exist before. I would start with the connection from the inverter to the AC side of the Pod. Lift those connections and see if the breaker still trips.
------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: compubmw
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 11:16am
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If the Inverter AC is disconnected, there is no issue. ------------- 2009 FJ CRUISER (ARB BUMPER, Rear Airlift 1000, and some other stuff) 2013 Forest River R-Pod 177HRE ( http://goo.gl/NH3Kb - Mods ) |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 2:42pm
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If the inverter AC leads are lifted from the breaker you installed in the Pod and the problem goes away look for a ground path in the output side of the inverter. Without prints I can't guess at what you have. Doug is most likely more able to help on this, but assuming correct hookup there may be some incompatibility between the inverter and ground power (such as a path to ground that trips your GFCI.
------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: Seanl
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 4:15pm
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I had to read this a couple of times to figure out what you did. I think you created a ground loop. The ground loop creates a voltage between your ground pin and the neutral in your shore power which trips your cgfi. The way you need to do this is to put in a switch so that you can switch between shore power and and inverter power. This is safety issue as well because the way you have it I think you would energise the shore power cord when the inverter was on. ------------- Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition 
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Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 7:48pm
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Thanks Sean. That is what I was thinking but didn't say it well. Like a transfer switch for the generator home hookup so you don't fry the guy fixing the power lines.
------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 8:19pm
Yes. Fried lineman has a really bad smell 
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 9:16pm
You've hit on what I was getting to.  Modified sine wave inverters can't function with the neutral bonded to ground. Home wiring, and campground wiring, have the neutral bonded to the ground at the main panel by code, but it isn't in the camper. MSW inverters don't have that bond internally (PSW do), but attaching the MSW output in parallel with the camper wiring while it is plugged into your house exposes it to that common bond in your service panel. Unplugging the pod from your house should allow the inverter to power up without throwing any breakers - but BIG WARNING, in your current configuration I'm worried that you are backfeeding your pod's 30 amp plug if I'm reading your post right. So it will be live if you try this. As Keith-N-Dar said, you'll need to install a transfer switch (one that breaks the neutral and not just the hot line) to allow it to power the pod, or wire the inverter to its own outlet and just run stuff from that outlet.
Edit: something else I thought of last night after signing off, in your current configuration you are backfeeding AC power into your inverter when the pod is plugged in which could "let the smoke out". Once that smoke escapes the inverter it is only good for a book end. Another reason to use a transfer switch or keep its output separate from the rest of the pod.
Oh, and by feeding the pod's wiring you will probably also be feeding the converter, which will then attempt to recharge the battery that you are actively trying to discharge with the inverter. That just ends up being a loss of energy for no good reason. Plus the converter will feed 12 volts to the lights, fridge brains, etc. instead of allowing them to be directly fed from the battery... another unnecessary loss. Personally I would wire an inverter to a separate outlet and be done with it. Let the 12 volt system draw from the battery directly, keeping the fridge in propane mode, and then just plugging in my cell phone, laptop, etc directly into that dedicated outlet. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: Seanl
Date Posted: 12 May 2013 at 9:28pm
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I originally planned on doing something similar to what you have done but in the end I just installed dedicated receptacles.
------------- Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition
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