installed new inverter, GFCI trips in my house

[RobM]

I am not an electrician. I replaced the original WFCO inverter with a new WFCO one. The other internally failed when I broke the remote cord in the basement. It is a hard-wired model designed to run the refrigerator. I hooked up the wires, white to white, black to black, and green to the copper wire. I used push-in connectors from Lowe's, rated to 600 volts. They all passed a "tug" test...all are secure. Is there any way that my wiring job could cause the GFCI to trip in my house? When I run the inverter in battery only mode, it works great. When I apply AC power and energize the refrigerator circuit breaker to turn it on, which would put the inverter in AC bypass mode, the GFCI will trip in my house where I have my trailer extension cord plugged in. This happens more than half the time when I apply AC power. The other half of the time, it bypasses fine and runs the refrigerator on AC power.
My portable generator, as well as the onboard generator, run the refrigerator fine on AC power as designed.
WFCO support was blaming this on my GFCI outlet. However, I moved the extension cord to another circuit in my house, and it would happen again. I asked if it could be an internal problem with the inverter. They said "no", and that there is no danger in using the inverter in this currrent situation.
thanks for any input.
RobM

[Country Campers]

Rob

What is the outlet you are plugging into , 50 amp or do you have an adaptor to a small 110v plug?

Brian

[howson]

I replaced the original WFCO inverter with a new WFCO one.

So the replacement is also a WF-5100 series, probably a WF-5110H? http://wfcoelectronics.com/wp-conten...00-Manual1.pdf

The only item that caught my attention from the manual is the following (but it sounds like, from your description, you're already doing this?):
To operate the WF-5100 series Inverter, turn it on by using the ON/OFF switch. The inverter is now ready to deliver AC power to your loads. If you are loading several appliances, turn them on separately after the inverter switch is on, this process is to avoid the power inverter from delivering the starting current all at once to the loads.

[RobM]

Plugged into the garage 110V plug with an extension cord. “Assuming” the culprit is the inverter since that is the only change since the GFCI started acting up. It is a 5110R...just 1000W...it is only wired to the fridge circuit.

[howson]

Plugged into the garage 110V plug with an extension cord. “Assuming” the culprit is the inverter since that is the only change since the GFCI started acting up. It is a 5110R...just 1000W...it is only wired to the fridge circuit.

The only item I see in the 5110R manual not mentioned in your OP is:

Chassis Ground
Using a 5/32” hex wrench, loosen the Ground lug screw located on the lower left side of the rear panel. Insert an 8AWG copper wire from this lug to chassis ground. Tighten the lug to 20 in-lbs.

Did you install this wire?

I have nothing else to offer--will leave it to the electricians we have here to suggest other possibilities.

Good luck!

-Howard

[RobM]

Hey Howard..yes, I installed that wire in the same place. Not being electrically savvy, I went with the same product, thinking that even I could put wires in the same place they came from. No cb’s trip anywhere, so maybe there is no problem...just seems odd though to me that something is tripping the GFCI. I am not aware how to test if the internals of the inverter are at fault.

[Country Campers]

Being as you are only plugged into a 110v outlet you may be drawing to many amps , that will cause the GFCI trip. To many things turned on in the camper will cause this.

Brian

[ncitro]

As a simple check, flip the main breaker off in the camper and plug it into the gfci. That’ll test the extension cord and shore cord for good measure. If it does not trip, then turn on the breakers one by one until you confirm what causes the issue. Assuming it’s the inverter (fridge) circuit then you have either a bad inverter or a bad gfci outlet.

[jkwilson]

Being as you are only plugged into a 110v outlet you may be drawing to many amps , that will cause the GFCI trip. To many things turned on in the camper will cause this.

Brian

A GFCI won't trip on excess current.

[howson]

I am not an electrician. I replaced the original WFCO inverter with a new WFCO one. The other internally failed when I broke the remote cord in the basement. It is a hard-wired model designed to run the refrigerator. I hooked up the wires, white to white, black to black, and green to the copper wire. I used push-in connectors from Lowe's, rated to 600 volts. They all passed a "tug" test...all are secure. Is there any way that my wiring job could cause the GFCI to trip in my house? When I run the inverter in battery only mode, it works great. When I apply AC power and energize the refrigerator circuit breaker to turn it on, which would put the inverter in AC bypass mode, the GFCI will trip in my house where I have my trailer extension cord plugged in. This happens more than half the time when I apply AC power. The other half of the time, it bypasses fine and runs the refrigerator on AC power.
My portable generator, as well as the onboard generator, run the refrigerator fine on AC power as designed.
WFCO support was blaming this on my GFCI outlet. However, I moved the extension cord to another circuit in my house, and it would happen again. I asked if it could be an internal problem with the inverter. They said "no", and that there is no danger in using the inverter in this currrent situation.
thanks for any input.
RobM

RobM--check out this article for more info on how a GFCI works (and why it normally trips): https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electric...g-gfci-part-i/