I would think not since it is not a sufficient ground.

Explain this a bit more. Is this inverter something like a UPS with a power cord connected to the house electrical system? Or is it something like a solar charger inverter for panels and a battery system? And how many watts is it?

"Would it be OK to ground the inverter to the chassis of the pellet stove?"

Should be OK IF pellet stove was properly installed & grounded. Cold water pipe would be best. Make sure you're using 8-gauge wire or thicker!

SR

Thanks for the replies. The setup is pretty simple. Deep cycle 12 V battery attached to inverter. Stove plugged into inverter. Turn inverter on :) The stove was installed by the dealer so I'm sure all electrical was done properly. The stove is in our rec room so no water pipes, etc to use for grounding. Definitely will be using 8 gauge wire for the ground as that is what the inverter manual says.

Are you certain the electrical outlet the stove is plugged into is properly wired and grounded? Have you checked it with a GFCI Receptical Tester?

SR

Not sure what the purpose is of grounding the stove to the inverter. Does the inverter manual explain why this needs to be done?

At the very least - Safety...

I would think safety is the purpose. However if you tie the inverter chassis to the stove and don't tie it to the water pipe as you suggested, then I don't think you have accomplished anything. Both can be sitting at 120V and you would get a lethal shock if you touched either one and grounded yourself.

Inverters are typically used in remote locations. How does the manufacturer expect you to find a ground connection in that situation?

Wouldn't a portable generator be a better back up solution than a battery and an inverter?

"Deep cycle 12 V battery attached to inverter. Stove plugged into inverter."

When not using battery power, does the inverter plug into the wall? Or is it entirely separate?

Mike

If the stove outlet is a properly wired 3-pronged receptacle,
then the ground of that receptacle should be wired to the cold-water inlet for
the house BEFORE the cutoff valve, from the load center. If the house is
off-grid with no municipal water entry, then the (common) ground should be
through a properly installed ground
rod.

SR

I agree, when the the stove is plugged into a house outlet it should be properly grounded. This assumes the stove uses a three prong outlet. Some appliances are double insulated so they don't require a 3-prong outlet.

But when there is a power failure, the OP wants to power the stove from the inverter. If you tie the inverter and the stove, then it is floating with respect to earth ground. If the stove has an internal short, it is possible for the stove chassis to be energized to 120V.

Unless I am overlooking something, I think the inverter manufacturer is wrong on how to prevent shock hazards. Maybe the instructions were written by a lawyer and not an engineer. :)

Mike:

The ground is always there irrespective of power on the
grid, if the stove is grounded – it’s always
grounded and not floating.

Might you be confusing ‘Common’ (Grid’s power line
transformer’s secondary centre tap) for (Earth) 'Ground'?

SR

I don't think the installer added a ground wire to the stove. So if that is the case then how is the stove grounded when it is plugged into the inverter?

I guess we should hear from the OP (make/model#) on this but wouldn't you imagine that if this is a UL approved appliance that it would have a 3-pronged line cord?

SR

But if the stove has a 3-prong cord, where is the third prong connected to when it is plugged into the inverter?

I may have misunderstood the original post. I think the OP was asking if grounding the stove to inverter was acceptable, which I say does nothing for safety. The manual probably says the stove (appliance) needs to be grounded to an earth ground which is what fsq4cw originally suggested. There I agree.

Mike

As
I understand it from the original post, if the stove has a 3-prong plug, the
ground from the plug (at its opposite end, at the stove) is connected to the
chassis or frame of the stove. The OP said they wanted to, “ground the inverter
to the chassis of the pellet stove”. I take that to mean that they want to
‘ground’ the chassis of the inverter
to the chassis of the stove. Everything ending up at ‘Earth’ ground. They could
tie it (inverter chassis) to any other
‘Earth’ ground and achieve the same result.

If
stove receptacle and house are properly
wired and stove has a 3-pronged line cord with ground pin at plug
still intact with no ‘3 to 2’ pin adaptors and the chassis of the inverter is
connected to the chassis of the stove with the proper gauge wire, then that should
make the inverter/stove system safer. An even better option would be to install
a GFCI outlet for the stove.

IMO

SR/Audio
electronic technician and amateur
(ham) radio operator (Advanced Class license)

‘73’

GFCI-Outlet

I agree with you. If the stove is plugged into the wall outlet, and the inverter and stove are tied together through a wire, then the inverter are both tied to earth ground.

But if the you pull the stove receptacle out of the wall outlet and plug it into the inverter, then you lose the connection to earth ground. Do you agree? This is the set up the OP wants to use during a power outage. The 12V battery powers the inverter which produces 120V AC. You can tie the two chassis together but there is nothing keeping them at ground potential.

I did a search on some inverters. The manuals I saw said the chassis of the inverter needs to be grounded. Also the output receptacle has a GFCI outlet so you have more protection.

You could connect the inverter with a wire to the screw on the house wall outlet. You want to make sure you have a good connection. It will be difficult to connect an 8 gauge wire. Something smaller is better than nothing.

I would be curious to know how people ground these things when they are camping or on a boat.

I fully agree with you too!

You are right that if the stove plug is pulled from the wall
and that if the stove chassis is not otherwise directly grounded, that there is
no earth ground and everything is floating. I would want to properly ground
everything to a cold water pipe.

Phew! Does that end it? LOL

SR

‘73’

That's up to the OP! I any event a good discussion.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you too Mike and everyone else that followed us down this rabbit hole this far!

SR