question

Todd Landfried avatar image
Todd Landfried asked

When connecting MultiPlus 24/3000/70 to generator causes generator breaker to trip

I‘m new to this, so please try not to be too technical or use uncommon acronyms because I may not know what you mean.

I just installed a MultiPlus inverter, which went smoothly. I’m now trying to connect a generator to it and everything is wired right, but as soon as I connect the generator, the GFCI on the generator trips. I have:

  1. Read the generator FAQ and followed its recommendations
  2. Contacted by distributor for help (they have provided it)
  3. Made sure the settings for the “Charger” were correct
  4. Read through the forum and tried a couple of things that sounded like they might help

Nothing works.

The generator is a Wen DH475 and worked fine with the previous inverter. It’s a 3800w unit with pure sine wave and either 120v (20a) or 240v (30a) output.

Even adjusting the amps down to 5, the GFCI breaker still trips.

What could be the problem?

Multiplus-IIGenerator
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Rob Duthie avatar image Rob Duthie commented ·

Hi

Need to check the ground wiring etc, as changing the current settings wont help, as this is a ground fault leakage fault which the GFCI is detecting and tripping off, different models of inverters have different impedance on the output filtering etc. which could cause the trip.

Regards

Rob D

NZ

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1 Answer
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered ·

Please have a read of this previous answer:

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/1702/multiplus-with-generator-and-residual-current-devi.html

And then please report back with your specific current configuration, perhaps a wiring diagram and what has been tried already.

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Todd Landfried avatar image Todd Landfried commented ·

I read that. I ddn’t understand all off it, but I read it. As I said in my question, I’m not up on all the lingo. But it did point me in a direction of finding the solution to my problem.

Which is, I disconnected the ground wire on the cable that was hardwired into the AC In and is connected directly to the generator.

Forgive me if I describe this inelegantly. My generator has an external ground connection, which is connected by a grounding wire to a copper grounding stake. The electrical system is also grounded in the equipment room in the gutter to a separate copper grounding stake. After reading all of the various messages, I thought why would the ground fault trip. Because there’s a ground fault. That got me to thinking what would happen if I removed the ground wire connected to the generator? So I tried it and it worked!

It’s now charging like a champ!

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ Todd Landfried commented ·

Happy to hear the system is charging. You are correct that multiple earth stakes connected through an RCD will have a potential differential and lead to tripping.

PLEASE now contact a qualified and licensed electrician in your area to test the AC wiring configuration and make sure that the current configuration it is safe and legal.

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Todd Landfried avatar image Todd Landfried Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented ·

With the exception of my disconnecting the ground wire, everything else was done by licensed installers and inspected by local officials. The inverter is properly grounded.

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