Why is My New Watchdog Surge Protector Getting an E8 Error Code When Paired with Victron Multiplus?

Updated 06/16/2026 | Published 04/22/2026

Products Featured in This Question

Victron MultiPlus-II Inverter Charger with 2 AC Outputs - 2,400 Watts - 50 Amps - 12V - UL Listed

(3)

$1088.00

Portable Power Watchdog Surge Protector with Bluetooth, WiFi, and Emergency Shut Down - 50 Amp

(929)

$399.99

Question:

Hello, I am currently using the Victron MultiPlus-II Inverter Charger with 2 AC Outputs - 2,400 Watts - 50 Amps - 12V - UL Listed Part Number: VN43VR, paired with the Portable Power Watchdog Surge Protector with Bluetooth, WiFi, and Emergency Shut Down - 50 Amp Part Number: HU62VR. when I go to hook up to shore power the Watchdog says “E8, missing neutral” and won’t pass power. Currently I’m not using the Watchdog because I need power. What’s a good workaround?

asked by: Larry R

Expert Reply:

Hello Larry,

I’m sorry you’re running into this, but you’re definitely not alone here. We’ve started to see this come up more often when the Victron MultiPlus-II Inverter Charger - 2,400 Watts - 50 Amps - 12V # VN43VR is paired with the Hughes Portable Power Watchdog Surge Protector - 50 Amp # HU62VR.

The “E8 – Missing Neutral” code means the Watchdog thinks there’s an open or floating neutral and it won’t pass power because of that. In a lot of these Victron setups though, it’s related more to how the inverter handles the neutral to ground bonding rather than an actual wiring fault.

To be safe, I’d recommend a quick check of a couple things first. Make sure the pedestal you’re plugged into is wired correctly, and check any adapters or connections you’re using to confirm everything looks good and tight. If you have a tester and it’s not showing an issue, that lines up with what we’ve been seeing on these setups.

Once that’s confirmed, you can move forward with the workaround Hughes provided. In the new Hughes Power Watchdog app (blue and white icon), go into the settings and disable the E8 open neutral protection. That will allow the unit to pass power.

From what we’ve seen, this is a safe workaround in this situation. It will not harm your Victron system or your appliances, especially if you’ve already confirmed the shore power source is good. The Watchdog will still provide surge protection and monitor voltage, you’re just bypassing that one neutral check that doesn’t always work correctly with the MultiPlus-II.

Any big trips coming up that you are looking forward to? Where are you off to this time?

expert reply by: Kate F

Watchdog Error Codes
(click to enlarge)

Ross

6/14/2026

Hello, New to this forum & discussion, but was wondering if there had been any further detail on what was the actual cause of this error and anything that could be done to resolve it besides disabling the open neutral protection? I too came across this same error on my first hookup for my RV with a PWD and also have the MultiPlus-II inverter. Will bypass the E8 protection for now given this info, but would like to incorporate a fix where needed if possible. Thanks, Ross

Kate F.

6/14/2026

@Ross Hello Ross, That's a great question. From what we've seen, the issue appears to be related to how certain Victron MultiPlus-II inverter/chargers handle neutral-to-ground bonding, which can cause the Hughes Watchdog to interpret the connection as an open neutral even when the shore power source is wired correctly. At this time, I am not aware of a hardware modification, wiring change, or firmware update from either Hughes or Victron that permanently resolves the compatibility issue. The workaround Hughes has recommended is to disable the E8 open-neutral protection after confirming the pedestal and power source are wired correctly. I am going to reach back out to Hughes and Victron to see if this is still the case, or if they have a better solution. I will let you know when I hear back from them this week.

Kate F.

6/16/2026

@Ross I got a better explanation on why this is, I knew that the disabling the E8 was the way, but I like to know the why on things. Brett at Watchdog did a great way of explaining it. Here is the why Ross: In a nutshell, that is the best route (disable the E8). The reason is not that the PWD unit is bad, or the Victron is bad, it is just that they are not 'compatible'. The Watchdog units are looking for amperage that matches (leg 1 and leg 2), and also looking for a signal pulse (Hz) on the neutral. If they see matching amperage and no signal pulse it will shut down for E8. The thing is that for these 'pass through' inverters you have to think about what they are doing. Pass through inverters can take say 30A shore power, and couple it with 20A from the inverter (off battery), so the RVer basically has 50A. But during the 'start up phase' for the Victron it is measuring the incoming voltage and frequency of the shore power. This way when the Victron (or other pass through inverter) "makes" the AC power, it matches the same voltage and frequency as what is coming in from the shore. This makes sense, you dont want to have 119V at 59.9 Hz coming in from shore, and the inverter making 121 V 60 Hz. This could cause problems. You want the output power (combined shore and inverter) to be 100% the same, so your appliances do not see different power, etc. However, during that 'start up phase' the Victron mimics the exact conditions that the PWD or WPC units are looking for - matching current/amps and no signal pulse on neutral.

Ross

6/16/2026

@KateF Thanks for the quick and detailed follow-up Kate!