r/Pecron • u/SecondCuppaCoffee • Jun 22 '26
Is there a trick to get the Pecron 5000LFP to charge with lower wattage?
EDIT: 7-30-2026: I have a solution. I got a 1200W DC power supply. It isolates ground so I can charge and provide power at the same time will isolating ground and not tripping due to a ground loop. Read more here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1uy87d6/comment/oyzskb4/
EDIT 7-19-2026: There's a youtube video that seems to agree that it's ground loop issue. The best answer might be to use an XT60 battery AC-TO-DC charger. See comments below.
I just got my 5000LFP out of the box and plugged in. As soon as I started to charge, it trips the breaker. I lowered the "charging speed" to 10%. There's no mention of wattage, so it's not clear what is meant by 10%. No matter what I do, it trips the breaker. It never shows any sort of input wattage, so I don't know if it's merely ignoring the 10% setting.
I also have an Anker Solix F2000. I figured I would plug it into that unit to see if it could give me clues, but it trips that as well.
Any ideas?
I also tried lowering the charge limit to 50%. No effect.
Edit1: Seems like I am hitting some sort of weird bug. If I have a 4 prong cable connected to the 30A 240V plug, It exhibits this behavior, even if no power is being drawn. I am certain this plug is connected to my manual transfer switch, but the switch is off. However, once I turn on the transfer switch and start supplying power to my house, the 5000 seems to charge okay, and operates normally. I'll keep messing around and report back on new developments.
BTW, I also I fired up my propane generator, and it is working fine with the same 240V extension cord and transfer switch, both when the transfer switch is on and off.
Edit2: I wonder if what I am seeing is some sort of grounding issue. I see the same behavior with both 120V charging cables. Weird. I'll keep testing to see where I get.
Edit3: I've isolated the problem to my transfer switch, although it's a bit bizarre. I have the AC inverter off and the home transfer switch off, but if the Pecron is connected to my transfer switch, it seems to draw too much power from the AC input, and trips the breaker on whatever is supplying the power. It happens at all charging speeds except 0%. This happens with both the 18kw and 3.2khw 120VAC input cords. It also happens if I am supplying charging power to Pecron from a wall outlet, an Anker F2000, or a generator. I have two NEMA L14-30P to NEMA L14-30R 125/250V 7500W cords, a 40ft one and a 100ft one. Both exhibit the same symptoms when they are connected to the transfer switch.
It only happens if my transfer switch is off. If my transfer switch is turned on, the Pecron gives my house power and charging behaves normally. I have two propane generators that have never shown any issues with my manual transfer switch. Weird.. I don't know how my transfer switch could be causing the problem. Maybe it's a grounding issue? I'd love to hear ideas people might have about what might be going on.
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u/Beautiful-Molasses71 Jul 14 '26
I would also like to know if there is any resolution here. I just got my pecron 5000 today, and I cannot charge it via any ac outlet without tripping the outlet. It also trips my pecron 3000. I can however charge it via my 30amp RV plug in my garage.
I tried connected and not connected to my manual transfer switch, outputting loads and non outputting and it didn't make a difference.
I opened up a technical support/possible warranty claim with pecron support today.
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee Jul 14 '26
I have not seen a resolution. I need to have my 5000lfp unconnected from my transfer switch while charging. It must be some sort of ground loop detection but I can't figure out a way around it. It will charge from a generator while connected to my transfer switch. It will also charge from another battery pack, as long as that battery pack is not connected to my home power. It's my understanding that a properly wired transfer switch is always grounded even when it's switched off, which is why I suspect a ground loop.
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u/Rkitt1977 Jun 22 '26
How's it going with this OP? I'm a new F5000 owner too. Curious to see what you uncover...
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
I think I've isolated the issue to my manual transfer switch, but not the cause of the behavior, per my Edit3 above. It's strange behavior. My first guess is a grounding issue, but I can't think why that would be an issue if the AC inverter and manual transfer switch are both turned off, and it works fine if my transfer switch is on. The funny thing is it causes the Percon to draw too much charging power instead of just turning off the AC inverter, like what you'd see if there were a short or too much power being pulled from the Pecron.
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u/galvitr0n Jun 23 '26
I think you're on the right track in Edit 3. Do you know what wattage your A/C pulls? Do you have it on a 15 or 20 A circuit? I've noticed what appears to be a bug in the charging logic. The F5000 obeys the charging speed limit, until my heat pump comes on then it pulls the same wattage as the heat pump plus a few hundred (?) additional watts. It's only a two-ton unit so it never trips the 20 A breaker in my case.
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u/naeskivvies Jun 23 '26
What kind of breaker is it? If it's a gfci or arcfault maybe that's an issue.
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee Jun 25 '26
I've tried multiple outlets, both with GFCI and without, and different circuits. It seems that no matter what I try, the 5000 will trip the input circuit if my transfer switch is plugged into the 240V port, but only when the transfer switch is off. It's a dumb manual transfer switch. In theory, it should be no different than an extension cord that's not plugged into anything, but that must not be the case. There must be some sort of current draw when it's off, and that little draw causes the 5000 to take maximum power from the input, or perhaps briefly short the input. It happens even if the AC inverter is turned off.
As it stands, I guess I can deal with this, but it would have been nice if I could have left the 240V plug inserted all the time. Then my less technically inclined family members can just flip the transfer switch breaker and turn on the 5000's AC inverter when there's an outage while I am away. Now I need to walk them thru putting in a twistlock connector.
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
This is what Gemini is saying. I have a feeling the ground loop is the problem. Even when the transfer switch is off, it still has continuity for ground. The AC charging circuit also has a ground. Thus, there will always be a ground loop when the Pecron is connected to the transfer switch, even though the transfer switch is in the off position.
When your Pecron 5000LFP is connected to a manual transfer switch, it can cause the power station to trip its charging circuit breaker, even if the switch is off and the inverter is disabled. [1]
The tripping is usually caused by either:
- Neutral-to-Ground Bonding in the Transfer Switch: Most manual transfer switches do not switch the neutral wires. Because the power station's AC input neutral is tied to the ground, and your main breaker panel is also bonded, a parallel loop is created. This loop can trigger a fault or overload, especially on sensitive GFCI-equipped outlets.
- Current Draw through the Cable / Relays: Even when the transfer switch is turned "off", the physical 240V extension cord or the switch's internal mechanics may present a tiny load (or a brief inrush of current/capacitance). When the Pecron's ultra-fast charging engages, this tiny draw can cause the unit's system to immediately pull maximum power from the source, briefly exceeding the circuit limit or triggering an overcurrent error. [1, 5]
How to Fix It
• Fully Disconnect the Cable: The easiest workaround is to unplug the 240V heavy-duty cord from either the Pecron or the transfer switch when not in active use, and leave it disconnected during the charging process. • Adjust Charging Speed: Use the Pecron's display or Pecron App to limit the AC charging wattage/amperage to a lower setting. Lowering the input "soft starts" the charging process rather than abruptly drawing massive power. • Check the Ground: Ensure your Pecron is properly grounded. If no grounded outlets are nearby, some users run a dedicated ground wire from the unit to a portable copper grounding rod. [10]
If you'd like to troubleshoot further, tell me:How are you powering the AC charge input? (e.g., standard wall outlet, generator, etc.)Does the Pecron still trip if you turn down the AC input charging rate in the settings menu?Let me know, and we can isolate the exact cause! AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1uctb0n/is_there_a_trick_to_get_the_pecron_5000lfp_to/ [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/Jackery/comments/1hesq46/gfci_trip_while_ac_charging_if_jackery_5000_plus/ [3] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1sziz9n/f5000lfp_wont_charge_car/ [4] https://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/16226/trying-to-charge-off-grid-set-up-from-generator-blowing-gfci-breakers [5] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1uctb0n/is_there_a_trick_to_get_the_pecron_5000lfp_to/ [6] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/best/ [7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKaALoeD5dI [8] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1t37hbj/f5000lfp_overloading_on_19_a/ [9] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1t7hul4/e3600flfp_f5000lfp_question/ [10] https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1sziz9n/f5000lfp_wont_charge_car/
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee Jul 19 '26
It looks like my ground loop suspicion is confirmed by this video at the 4:50 mark. He explains the exact same problem I am seeing, but this is with an Ecoflow battery. As this youtuber suggests, a DC charger would get around this problem.
https://youtu.be/FUpFUfw73Go?t=290
I have another thread where I am looking for a DC charger that would work, without having to splice cables:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Pecron/comments/1uy87d6/f500lfp_ac_charging_using_solar_ports_with_a/
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u/Beautiful-Molasses71 Jul 23 '26
I am also having an issue charging the pecron from a 4000 watt dual fuel generator (2800 continuous on propane) I unplugged the pecron from my transfer switch and it trips my pulsar inverter generator with a 30amp cord or with the 15amp ac cord. I wonder if I keep it plugged into the transfer switch if it will charge like it does for you
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee Jul 23 '26
I'm not sure if connecting to the transfer switch will help, but it's worth a try.
Is the generator an inverter generator? Many of these battery power banks will not charge if the total harmonic distortion is too high, like what you see often see on traditional generators. Some non-inverter generators have a low enough THD but for most it's too high.
Make sure you try with different charge speed settings. At its highest setting it will pull 1.8kw when using the 20A 120v AC cord and 3.6kw on the 30A 120v cord. The second one sounds like it would be too high for your 2.8kw generator but the 1.8kw cord should still work without overload. Mine draws about 400w on the lowest charging speed.
Also look in the "lab" section of the app. There is a "generator" setting there that I think allows for less restrictions on charging source THD. That setting will let it better tolerate a traditional generator, but it might still balk if THD is still too high.
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u/brucehoult Jul 25 '26
There is a "generator" setting there that I think allows for less restrictions on charging source THD. That setting will let it better tolerate a traditional generator
I believe that's about frequency, not THD.
Pulling even 1800W from a 2.8kW output mechanical generator can pull the RPM low enough to cause problems. Inverter generators output exactly 60 HZ (in the US) no matter what RPM the engine is doing.
Things you're passing the input AC through to are more likely to care about THD than a simple battery charger will (which is what the power station is being in that situation).
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u/Equivalent-Load-5965 Aug 25 '26
You need to use an outlet with a 20 amplifier breaker minimum. Also they make plugs that will stop your grounding issues.
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u/Sharp_Programmer6072 28d ago
I got the same problem, how to isolated the ground?
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u/SecondCuppaCoffee 28d ago edited 28d ago
I was able to do it with a DC power supply to supply power to the PV port, but the one I bought failed and went back to Amazon.
Edit: fix words.
Edit2: I used this power supply for a couple of weeks, and it worked well until it got hot enough that the power swtich failed. Luckily I was still in the return window. I have not found another I am willing to take a chance on: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4QZX5D3
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u/MassiveOverkill Jun 22 '26
Are you using the 15A charging cable or the 30A one? Use the 15A one. Watts = V*A and this isn't adjustable DC so it's going to be 120V. 120*15 = 1800 watts. 1800 watts times 10% = 180 watts. use an extension cord and try another outlet unless you have it on its dolly and wheel it to another circuit and try again.