I'm getting ready to install the electrical stuff and I have a few last minute questions I'm hoping the forum can help me with.
My plan is similar to Dave Orton's except that I'm going with a common ground. Why?... My thought is it's more common At least that's the conclusion I've made. Most systems regardless of whether the positive terminals are joined seem to have a common ground.
The guts of my electrical system sit above the driver's wheel well and I'm running a 2awg cable from the 3 CCP (180Amps) to this area. I was planning to ground my system to the grounding point between the two seats but after lifting up the vinyl floor I realized the bolt is the same size at the one used in the grounding points towards the rear of the van. I was expecting something more heavy duty. Some folks have used the park brake as a ground point, however I'm somewhat opposed just because it's not ford BEMM recommended. I thought the grounding points towards the rear of the vehicle (GP26-GP31) were too small and the sheet metal seemed flimsy for a 2awg cable. Is this really an issue? It would be more convenient for me to use the ones in the rear.
While were on the topic of grounding, my 3 main components (Inverter/charger, inverter, and solar controller) all have a separate ground terminal. When do these come into play? Should I be using these?
Attached are two different electrical diagrams, "A" and "B", that have different grounding paths.
-- "B" seems to be the more common solution where the negative terminals all share the same bussbar regardless of power source.
-- "A" (not even sure if this is a feasible option) has the grounding terminals connected to a bussbar for the 2 device's connected to the house battery, then connected to vehicle chassis. The inverter that uses the vehicle battery would not need grounding.
I'm having trouble understanding how the grounding should be done and I would really appreciate any feedback/critiquing. Note: the parts are all purchased so I'm past the stage of using a B2B charger or combiner to charge from vehicle.
Thanks in advance!
My plan is similar to Dave Orton's except that I'm going with a common ground. Why?... My thought is it's more common At least that's the conclusion I've made. Most systems regardless of whether the positive terminals are joined seem to have a common ground.
The guts of my electrical system sit above the driver's wheel well and I'm running a 2awg cable from the 3 CCP (180Amps) to this area. I was planning to ground my system to the grounding point between the two seats but after lifting up the vinyl floor I realized the bolt is the same size at the one used in the grounding points towards the rear of the van. I was expecting something more heavy duty. Some folks have used the park brake as a ground point, however I'm somewhat opposed just because it's not ford BEMM recommended. I thought the grounding points towards the rear of the vehicle (GP26-GP31) were too small and the sheet metal seemed flimsy for a 2awg cable. Is this really an issue? It would be more convenient for me to use the ones in the rear.
While were on the topic of grounding, my 3 main components (Inverter/charger, inverter, and solar controller) all have a separate ground terminal. When do these come into play? Should I be using these?
Attached are two different electrical diagrams, "A" and "B", that have different grounding paths.
-- "B" seems to be the more common solution where the negative terminals all share the same bussbar regardless of power source.
-- "A" (not even sure if this is a feasible option) has the grounding terminals connected to a bussbar for the 2 device's connected to the house battery, then connected to vehicle chassis. The inverter that uses the vehicle battery would not need grounding.
I'm having trouble understanding how the grounding should be done and I would really appreciate any feedback/critiquing. Note: the parts are all purchased so I'm past the stage of using a B2B charger or combiner to charge from vehicle.
Thanks in advance!