Having issues with the onboard power

[chl]

I'm not aware that the Lightning is designed to 'limit' any amperage output from ProPower just because of the state of the battery pack - it only limits the number of 'miles' left before it completely disables ProPower, such as '10 miles', etc.

The Lightning has 20amp 120v output from any of the outlets, or 20amps from all outlets, combined.

The setup originally worked. I suspect that the 'dead house batteries' has caused some type of switch or interruption with his 'off grid' system. Even though incoming Utility or ProPower would seem to power the main panel, or the sub-panel, regardless, there could be some type of interruption between the house batteries, their inverter system, and the main panel, or it's own sub-panel, etc.
SOLAR and off-grid systems can have a myriad of devices, connections, switches, and buffers that are designed to 'control' the power, incoming from the Solar system, the house batteries, and the 120v/240v Inverter, to the house's electrical system.

I read in the manual and was referring to the HV battery reserve limit setting, i.e.,
this (from my manual):

SETTING THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY RESERVE LIMIT
When the vehicle is in park (P) you can set a high voltage battery reserve limit to save
a range which you can drive your vehicle before recharging.
You can set the high voltage battery reserve limit on the touchscreen.
A notification indicates when the vehicle reaches the pre-set limit and Pro Power
Onboard turns off.
Note:After your vehicle reaches the pre-set limit, the vehicle power down timer is
enabled again. See What Is the Vehicle Power Down Timer (page 194).

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[chl]

Essentially this is what you want - the neutral(s) only grounded at the Lightning, but a continuous ground to the house ground (some people "solve" the GFCI issue by disconnecting the ground wire between the Lightning and the house, but that is dangerous presenting s shock hazard - see second picture).

 

[Azgunguy]

oh it's tripping the gfci so you have a grounded neutral somewhere in your system.

If you are using a bonded (grounded neutral) source, like the Lightning, you need to lift the ground on the neutral(s) in the load panel being fed by the bonded source (unbond the neutrals) or else you have a second current path for the neutral "return current" which will be detected by the GFCI circuit and it will open.

So I don't think your EZ switch is wired to the system correctly because if it were, it would essentially lift the second ground from the neutrals (switch from panel neutrals to generator/lightning neutrals) and you would not get a GFCI trip.

All of your house neutrals have to be wired to the EZ switch load neutral instead of being wired to any bonded neutral bus in the house panel.

The EZ switch has terminals for the neutrals from the line, the generator and output to the load neutrals (house circuit neutrals) as well as for the hots.

So inside your panel, all the neutrals from the load circuits need to be connected to the EZ switch neutral load terminal and not grounded inside the panel anywhere. When the switch is in the line position the neutrals will be bonded by the line neutral (the utility neutral which is bonded by the main panel), and when in the generator position the neutrals are bonded by the generator/Lightning.

If you have no utility and only use a generator and the lightning, then there is no "LINE" neutral in the main panel.

However, without a complete diagram of how you wired the EZ switch to the house panel and all the other wiring details, it is hard to be sure, but that is my guess.

I don’t think you’re quite following what I’m saying. It was working. I’ve used it twice. Once during my install to check for function and another time in march because I needed it. Both times it worked great. I haven’t used it since march, and when I went to use it the other day it wasn’t working. The box is wired correctly, the generator switch sub panel is wired correctly. But it’s something down stream of that causing the gfci to pop on my truck.

 

[hturnerfamily]

I can tell you that even if you 'think' you have the Neutral issue(or the ground removal) taken care of, and it 'works'... it might not be the end of the story..

for example: for my Camper, I want to power it while I am towing it, and even if I am camping where there is no utility/campground power.

My previous two campers had no issue with the onboard ProPower going directly to the camper's power cord... worked great from any of the onboard outlets.

Fast forward to my 'new' camper. It causes a 'Ground Fault Interruption' every time I plug it in.
Strange.
but, why??

I removed the GROUND wire prong from the extension cord, and, 'voila!, no more GFI interruption... well, until....

I turned on the microwave in the camper, and 'pooff!', off goes the power, and ON comes the GFI interruption again. Hmmmm.

The camper works just fine with ProPower AS LONG AS you are not asking for a 'substantial' amount of amperage, usually from a high-amp device or appliance, i.e., microwave or air conditioner.
I believe this is due to the internal wiring within the Camper's own Main Panel, which also contains DC FUSES. Manufacturers have been known to have differing views of whether these panels need to be 'bonded', or not, etc.

What's interesting, though, is the ultimate SOLUTION:
: Unhook the trailer from the truck's ball
: Unplug the trailer's 7-pin plug from the truck
(you might get the idea that there is something 'feeding back' to the truck from the camper... a grounded wire to the trailer's frame, etc., but it has yet to be found, or solved)

ProPower, though, now works for EVERYTHING in the Camper, even the microwave and the air conditioner AT THE SAME TIME : )


so, yes, there are 'gremlins' to these GFI/GFCI scenarios, and possibly everyone will have a different outcome depending on several/many factors...

 

[chl]

I don’t think you’re quite following what I’m saying. It was working. I’ve used it twice. Once during my install to check for function and another time in march because I needed it. Both times it worked great. I haven’t used it since march, and when I went to use it the other day it wasn’t working. The box is wired correctly, the generator switch sub panel is wired correctly. But it’s something down stream of that causing the gfci to pop on my truck.

OK well then there is a ground fault somewhere in you house on one of your circuits.

By process of elimination your should be able to find it. That is, turn all the circuit breakers off and unplug everything, then one by one turn on a breaker and plug things back in on that line until the ground fault happens. Then it may be the thing you plugged back in.

There is always a chance there is a bad wire in the wall somewhere though causing a ground fault and not the thing you plugged back in. But finding which circuit it is on is the first step.

 

[chl]

I can tell you that even if you 'think' you have the Neutral issue(or the ground removal) taken care of, and it 'works'... it might not be the end of the story..

for example: for my Camper, I want to power it while I am towing it, and even if I am camping where there is no utility/campground power.

My previous two campers had no issue with the onboard ProPower going directly to the camper's power cord... worked great from any of the onboard outlets.

Fast forward to my 'new' camper. It causes a 'Ground Fault Interruption' every time I plug it in.
Strange.
but, why??

I removed the GROUND wire prong from the extension cord, and, 'voila!, no more GFI interruption... well, until....

I turned on the microwave in the camper, and 'pooff!', off goes the power, and ON comes the GFI interruption again. Hmmmm.

The camper works just fine with ProPower AS LONG AS you are not asking for a 'substantial' amount of amperage, usually from a high-amp device or appliance, i.e., microwave or air conditioner.
I believe this is due to the internal wiring within the Camper's own Main Panel, which also contains DC FUSES. Manufacturers have been known to have differing views of whether these panels need to be 'bonded', or not, etc.

What's interesting, though, is the ultimate SOLUTION:
: Unhook the trailer from the truck's ball
: Unplug the trailer's 7-pin plug from the truck
(you might get the idea that there is something 'feeding back' to the truck from the camper... a grounded wire to the trailer's frame, etc., but it has yet to be found, or solved)

ProPower, though, now works for EVERYTHING in the Camper, even the microwave and the air conditioner AT THE SAME TIME : )


so, yes, there are 'gremlins' to these GFI/GFCI scenarios, and possibly everyone will have a different outcome depending on several/many factors...

Yes finding the path the return current is taking via a ground can take a while. But removing the ground pin is a dangerous solution. Without that ground connection your body could become the path for return current. If that happens, the GFCI SHOULD open however, they sometimes fail. And even if the GFCI DOES open, you will get a momentary shock - if you have a pacemaker for example, that could be very bad.

The ground wire is there for your protection in case...

"...In every electrical circuit, there’s an active wire that carries the electricity and a neutral wire that carries the power back. An additional ‘grounding wire’ can be attached to outlets, various electrical devices, and the ground via a breaker box. The ground wire acts as a safe path for electricity to run in the event of a short circuit. In the event of a short circuit, the ground wire will trip the circuit breaker or blow a fuse, which is much more preferable to the dangerous shock that would occur otherwise

Five big reasons to have a grounding wire are:

1. Redirecting electrical overload. If lightning strikes your house or your power surges for some other reason, your system will have a dangerously high amount of voltage in the system. A grounded system will safely send all that electricity into the earth, protecting your electronics from damage.
2. Directing electricity. Even when there isn’t a problem, ground wires can make it easier to direct power to where it needs to go. This will let electrical currents safely and effectively travel through your system.
3. Stabilizing voltage levels. Having a grounded electrical system can also make it easier to keep voltage levels balanced, preventing circuits from becoming overloaded and blown.
4. The Earth is a great conductor. Excess electricity always takes the path of least resistance, and the Earth offers a safe way for that electricity to leave your home. When entering the Earth, the electricity dissipates harmlessly, which could be a literal lifesaver.
5. Protecting you from damage and injury. Without a properly grounded electrical system, you’re risking the health of your electronics as well as your own. Overloads can do a variety of nasty things like frying circuits, starting fires, or giving painful or lethal shocks..."

https://waveelectriccompany.com/importance-grounding-wires/

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