surge protector [RE-wrenches]

[R. Sparks Scott]

> The GFI instantly pops. Trace said it was because the GFI sees the
inverter as a ground fault.....???

	Not so on my SW2512. It's plugged into a 15 amp GFI receptacle full time,
but it *does* trip the GFI if the inverter has the bond attached. When the
(inverter/battery) trailer is in stand-alone mode, I have to bond the G&N
inside the inverter load center, and feed if from a non-GFI source on the
generator output. At home, I lift the bond and let the house load center be
the bond for the system.
	Maybe later releases of the SW are internally bonded? Seems like that
would make it impossible to do a code connection into any other system, as
the inverter would have to be the sole bond in the system. I know that the
AC-1, AC-2 and inverter output neutral conductors are common inside the
inverter cabinet, but this shouldn't make any difference.
	GFI devices are common-mode detectors, essentially comparing the current
in the hot and neutral conductors. If less current returns on the neutral
than went out on the hot, the device decides that the missing current is a
fault and trips the circuit. Multiple bonds create neutral current paths in
the grounding conductors, thus alerting the GFI to a fake fault event.
Having no bond in a system doesn't necessarily make the GFI malfunction. Of
course, it's possible to get lit up when your body completes the path
between the (floating) neutral and ground. 56-60 volts isn't all that
pleasant, but better than the full line current.

	-S

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