Inverter battery question

[travelingfools]

For those that are running more than 1 inverter..Do you run the different inverters off of the same battery bank or does each inverter have its own batterys ?

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi TF,

i think you can with certain set-up configurations but study this diagram from Xantrex.

http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/1076/docserve.asp

Good Luck
Nick-

[gumpy]

I think you can probably run them off the same bank, but unless the inverters are designed to be connected together, you'll have to maintain completely separate circuits. You won't be able to combine the neutrals and power each leg in a breaker box off each of the inverters, for example. BTDT. It doesn't work.

[edroelle]

You want to put each inverter is on its own 110 volt leg.

Use a common battery bank.  Charging the batteries from 2 sources is fine.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

[gumpy]

You want to put each inverter is on its own 110 volt leg.

Use a common battery bank.  Charging the batteries from 2 sources is fine.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

Ed,

It's more than just putting each on it's own 110V leg. You also have to isolate the neutrals. When we tried to do just that,
we found that using the common neutral between the two inverters caused the inverters to error out and shut down. 
Of course this also means the ground and neutral can't be bonded.

Now, these were cheaper Coleman 1000 watt inverters which were designed with outlets, vs being directly connected to
the electric system, but I'm assuming that if he had better inverters, he probably wouldn't be combining two or asking
the above question.

craig

[edroelle]

Craig,

Good point.  The commercial converters install an inverter for each leg with separate neutrals going back to the breaker box.  But, the neutrals are bonded to the grounds also, some inside the inverter.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

[niles500]

Twin Vanner 3600's (master and slave) 2 seperate battery banks

[travelingfools]

Our plan is to use each inverter as seperate circuits.

[gumpy]

Craig,

Good point.  The commercial converters install an inverter for each leg with separate neutrals going back to the breaker box.  But, the neutrals are bonded to the grounds also, some inside the inverter.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI

Aren't they using something like twin SW series Trace inverters which are designed to be connected together with a cable for this purpose?

Maybe there are some out there that don't care if their neutrals are combined, but since the neutrals are carrying current back, it seems likely that the wave forms would interfere with each other.