Can Vue2 power harness + extra wire be connected to an AFCI or GFCI breaker?

[aunsafe2015]

I’m using wire nuts + the extra wire for my installation.  I only have one 15-amp breaker in my panel that is not either AFCI or GFCI.  The breaker immediately below that 15-amp standard breaker is a 15-amp AFCI breaker.

Are these two breakers suitable for connection to the Vue 2 power harness using the extra wire + wire nuts?  Or can Vue 2 not be connected to an AFCI breaker?

• This topic was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by aunsafe2015.

[Mukwonago]

Marty from Enphase Support has a great reply to a similar topic, and the key point is the ‘white’ neutral wire must be installed on the same GFCI/AFCI breaker as the ‘black’ line wire and of course make sure the white neutral is plugged into the breakers neutral connection, not just randomly on the neutral bar itself.  I ran into this issue tonight myself.  But after you follow this critical step, it works great.  The red wire can be connected anywhere and the blue wire onto any neutral bus.  The ‘magic’ is the black and white wire which powers the unit, again; same breaker and utilizing the neutral protection of that breaker.

[aunsafe2015]

Thanks for the info.  My panel is a plug-on neutral panel, so my AFCI and GFCI breakers don’t actually have a neutral wire coming out of them and going to a neutral bar.  I suppose that just for the breaker I connect my Vue2 to, I could replace the plug-on neutral breaker with a standard white-wire AFCI breaker.

As for the white wire from the Vue2 being connected to the same neutral slot as the white wire from the AFCI breaker, is there a preferred way to do this?  Just jam both wires into the same hole on the neutral bar?  Or a pigtail?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by aunsafe2015.

[Mukwonago]

I also have PON panels.  If you are using a PON AFCI/GFCI breaker and you look closely you will see that the breaker has both a black (hot) and behind it a white (neutral) wire plugged into each specific breaker itself.  So, if you follow the circuit, you will see the white and black wires terminate on the breaker and the ground on a separate ground bar.  As for having a neutral bar, you do have one, it’s running alongside the hot bus bar.  The breaker snaps onto it.  When you have a breaker, a normal breaker it is ‘shorter’ in length and you can then see the neutral bar which you would connect to.  The point being is the BLACK wire for the VUE2 and the white wire have to ‘tap’ into via the wire nuts into the same AFCI/GFCI breaker’s corresponding white/black wires.  Hope this helps.  I can post a picture if you would like that might help.

[Vasya919]

Thanks for bringing this up.  When I began install and watching a few videos on YouTube, not one person mentioned a different connection must be followed for AFCI GFCI breakers.  I kept tripping one of the breakers and couldn’t understand why after having followed directions exactly from the included guide from Emporia.  Thanks again for clarity on this issue.  Followed your instruction here and all is well!

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