GFCI Tripping

[lmno49]

I have a communications van that carries a lot of computer/televsion equipment. We use the van at football games and other equipment that are used at the stadium were causing voltage sags and causing problems to the equipment in the van. We installed a voltage regulator on the van and that stopped the noise in the system. The problem now is that we have since added GDCI breaker to the system and now when we turn enough equipment on it trips. I put a power quality meter on it and there is current going to ground for a splent second when turning on equipment (done without the GFCI). The question I have is could it be that voltage regulator causing current to goto ground? Anyone have any ideas? PS there are a lot of harmonics on the truck because of the computer, maybe another problem?

 

[jim dungar]

Most likely your equipment contains input circuits that reference their chassis, which is probably bonded to the grounding conductor. These circuits cause current >5mA to flow on the green wire, which will 'bypass' the GFCI device causing it to open.

 

[lmno49]

So if that is the case, which sounds logical, the solution would be to unbound the chasis of the device from ground. But if one does that you would be breaking the UL listing of that device. What could I do to get around this? I want the protection of the GFI breaker because they are out in the rain and around water.

 

[ELA]

Use a leakage meter to measure the leakage currents of the entire load to confirm that it exceeds 5-6 ma.
Then if possible replace the GFCI breaker with a number of GFCI outlets and divide up the loads across several outlets. This way the leakage currents are also divided up across multiple GFCIs.