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Date:         Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:55:09 -0500
Reply-To:     Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MTS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MTS.NET>
Subject:      Re: gfci outlet buzzes with inverter
Comments: To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <49e02d72.1ac1f10a.04a4.ffffa88a@mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

I knew I should have taken that Science elective in University.

Jeff Arts Student

On 11-Apr-09, at 12:41 AM, David Beierl wrote:

> At 08:28 PM 4/10/2009, pickle vanagon wrote: >> I'm concerned about whether the buzzing is something to be worried >> about >> otherwise. It's faint enough that you don't really hear it unless >> you get >> down on all fours right next to the outlet. But is the vibration >> creating >> an unsafe situation? > > The maker of the GFCI should know better than we do whether that > stepped square wave is ok for his device... > > ...but we can say that the vibration is not going to hurt anything. > > Whether the rest of the installation is safe is a different > question. Tentatively, it sounds ok to me, *with the transfer > switch.* Keep in mind that normally neutral and ground are tied > together somewhere nearby, which would probably destroy the inverter > if it connected to such a situation; but with the outlet isolated I > think you're all right unless you plug in a device with a hot-ground > or neutral-ground short in it, which will take down the inverter. > > The inverter doesn't really have a neutral -- both terminals are hot > w/ respect to chassis ground, just like a (US) household 220 vac > circuit. Some inverters use a dummy ground terminal on their > socket(s). > > Another point -- I'm quite sure I've read that modern GFCIs do not > measure current flowing in the ground leg, but instead algebraically > sum the hot and neutral legs and trip when the difference exceeds 5 > ma. Thus they don't care where the missing current is going, and can > operate fine with a two-wire hookup. > > > -- > David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/ > '89 Po' White Star "Scamp"


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