I've just made the acquisition of a Pheonix VE.Direct 12/250 inverter for my sailboat. I understand that it has been engineered and manufactured according to european standards, but I would like to clarify some points to see if and how it should also comply with ABYC rules.
- Neutral grounding
According to ABYC E-11.5.3.2.4 and A-31.7.7.1.2:
"The inverter output neutral shall be grounded at the inverter."
Considering now the warning in the manual first page, I understand that the inverter comes by default with a floating (a.k.a. a non-grounded) neutral:
"The AC output is isolated from the DC input and the chassis. Local regulations may require a true neutral. In this case one of the AC output wires must be connected to the chassis, and the chassis must be connected to a reliable ground. Please note that a true neutral is needed to ensure correct operation of an earth leakage circuit breaker."
Am I understand properly the meaning of that paragraph and am I right to think that the neutral will have to be connected to chassis ground to comply with ABYC ? Is there gonna be any other issue that I need to be aware of in doing so (and why it shouldn't have been done by default ?)
- Circuit protection
According to ABYC A-31.5.3.5:
" Integral inverter receptacle(s) shall be protected by an integral Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) device in accordance with [ABYC E-11]."
Is there a GFCI on the inverter receptacle (NEMA 5-15 R), as the manual is silent about it ?
Also, is there any recommandation for selecting DC input wire protection device ? I've seen that many inverters recommend to use a Class-T fuse, but I'm planning to protect the DC input wire with a 60 amps circuit breakers (https://www.bluesea.com/products/7547/C-Series_Flat_Rocker_Circuit_Breaker_-_Single_Pole_60A). Is there any problem with that ?
- Certification
According to ABYC A-31.5.3.2:
"All marine power inverters shall meet the applicable requirements of UL 458"
I've seen that some older model have that certification, but I haven't found it in the documentation that came with the 12/250. So is the unit certified to the mentioned standard and/or can the stated standard by the manual (IEC-60335-1) acceptable for marine use ?
Thanks a lot everybody
