generator earthing

[the old ship]

I have just got a clarke 1kv suitcase type inverter generator and I want to connect it to my Victron multiplus inverter charger which has a normal 3 pin plug attatched for connection to the generator, I don't think my inverter or any of my 24v electrics are earthed to the boat, there is an rcd fitted, what do I need to do in terms of earthing the generator? Any practical advice massively appreciated. Thanks Joe

[nb Innisfree]

I have just got a clarke 1kv suitcase type inverter generator and I want to connect it to my Victron multiplus inverter charger which has a normal 3 pin plug attatched for connection to the generator, I don't think my inverter or any of my 24v electrics are earthed to the boat, there is an rcd fitted, what do I need to do in terms of earthing the generator? Any practical advice massively appreciated. Thanks Joe

 

You may have problems getting your Victron to accept your genny, our 3kva Multiplus and others I have witnessed requires 1kva minimum and nearly all 1kva gennies churn out less than that, we had to go to 2kva to achieve a true 1kva. Hope you achieve it but just be warned to avoid any confusion and disappointment.

[blackrose]

I have just got a clarke 1kv suitcase type inverter generator and I want to connect it to my Victron multiplus inverter charger which has a normal 3 pin plug attatched for connection to the generator, I don't think my inverter or any of my 24v electrics are earthed to the boat, there is an rcd fitted, what do I need to do in terms of earthing the generator? Any practical advice massively appreciated. Thanks Joe

 

I'm afraid what you may need to do is get a marine electrician in to have a look at your setup. I'm not sure if you're confusing the 240v AC electrical system on your boat from a 24v DC system, or if you've just made a typo and missed a 0 ? If it's the former then the marine electrician is your best option.

 

By the way, the quality of your Victron inverter and the Clarke generator seems like a mismatch to me.

Edited July 6, 2011 by blackrose

[nb Innisfree]

By the way, the quality of your Victron inverter and the Clarke generator seems like a mismatch to me.

 

Victron will mimic the genny waveform which should be PSW anyway.

[blackrose]

Victron will mimic the genny waveform which should be PSW anyway.

 

A Clarke generator with a pure sinewave? That's news to me.

 

Anyway, I just think anything from Machine Mart with the Clarke brand is best avoided.

[nb Innisfree]

A Clarke generator with a pure sinewave? That's news to me.

 

Anyway, I just think anything from Machine Mart with the Clarke brand is best avoided.

 

It is an inverter genny, we have a cheap Kipor inverter genny with is supposedly PSW, I'm not sure just how pure but it runs w/m etc, but then neither is a Victron or any other inverter really PSW, but it gets close enough to be usable.

[Justme]

I have used a cheapo 900watt genny with my Victron 3000 12 120. You just need to activate the "weak genny" option & turn down the charger amps & the max draw / pass through settings.

[nb Innisfree]

I have used a cheapo 900watt genny with my Victron 3000 12 120. You just need to activate the "weak genny" option & turn down the charger amps & the max draw / pass through settings.

 

You have the later model to us, we don't have that option though we do have the add on dial to select a limit on incoming amps for power assist.

[the old ship]

Hi, thanks for all your replies: my Victron inverter is 1600w and I'm hoping that the 1kva generator will run run fine with it, it's useful to know that I may have to specifically change some settings for it's low power,and I'm aware this is a really cheap generator but I got a discount and can't quite afford a honda or similar,so I'll see how it goes. Really I'm just interested to know about earthing the generator, the instructions say it must be, and there is a nut for earthing it. None of my electrics are earthed, so my question really is wether or not to earth the gen and how best to do it? I just want to get it up and running. Thanks all joe

Edited July 6, 2011 by the old ship

[blackrose]

Hi, thanks for all your replies: my Victron inverter is 1600w and I'm hoping that the 1kva generator will run run fine with it, it's useful to know that I may have to specifically change some settings for it's low power,and I'm aware this is a really cheap generator but I got a discount and can't quite afford a honda or similar,so I'll see how it goes. Really I'm just interested to know about earthing the generator, the instructions say it must be, and there is a nut for earthing it. None of my electrics are earthed, so my question really is wether or not to earth the gen and how best to do it? I just want to get it up and running. Thanks all joe

 

Ok, assuming the inverter is properly installed and N-E bonded then the other thing to consider is whether your boat is hull-earth bonded? It should be. There should be either one possibly two studs close together somewhere (probably the engine room) where both your AC and DC systems are earthed to the hull.

 

On the subject of the generator - the first thing you have to find out is whether the generator has a floating earth. Most portables do, but if the instructions say that it must be earthed then this suggests it doesn't have a floating earth which sounds odd to me? Generators without a floating earth are neutral-earth bonded (like the mains supply) and therefore must be used with a path to earth such as an earth spike.

 

If was me I'd probably just connect the earth stud on the chassis of the generator to the earth stud on the hull, but this assumes your boat's AC system is safe in the first place.

 

There are a couple of complications here: If it turns out that your generator does have a floating earth then it's possible that in the event of a fault your RCD won't trip because it relies on an AC supply being neutral-earth bonded (your inverter will be N-E bonded for example). Most poeple on boats don't worry too much about this (possibly because they don't understand it?), but I have modified the floating earth on my generator and N-E bonded it. My boat's AC system is hull-earth bonded and I have connected the earth stud on the generator to my hull earth stud (which will act in the same way as an earth spike as my baseplate is unpainted).

 

Please note: I'm not saying you should modify the earthing arrangement on your generator, I'm just trying to acquaint you with the issues. I think the first thing you need to do is find out whether the AC system on your boat is hull-earth bonded and then find out whether your generator has a floating earth or not. Then you can decide what to do - which may include getting a marine electrician in as I previously suggested.

Edited July 7, 2011 by blackrose