Well done on that explanation Nate. Even the most novice person should have grasped that well enough. Yes, we like those types of videos and thanks again to you and Steph : )
Hi Nate, Excellent video! I suggest you do a video on the difference between volt-amps and watts, including power factor. Victron tends to emphasize VA, rather than watts. Of course, due to power factor, the watt rating is below the VA rating.
Nate, this stuff is so incredibly helpful and your teaching is so plain-spoken and easy to understand. Thanks! And Steph was cute as a button in this 😊
Great video thanks. I shared it with one of our customers who has an Airstream trailer with a Victron inverter charger, and he wants to use a CarGenerator to provide shore power, using the "power assist" feature so that when he runs his Air Conditioner, his tow vehicle provides about 1500 watts of power, and the RV trailer batteries provide a few hundred extra watts needed. So that when running the AC unit, instead of pulling all 1800 watts out of the RV batteries, we pull 1500 out of the tow vehicle engine, and pull only a few hundred watts from the RV battery bank. Happy to send you guys a CarGenerator demo unit if you would like to check it out. thanks.
LOVE your channel (you and Will Prowse) . You both are the driving force for me building a solar setup for my cabin, total amateur here and still managed! Victron is the way to go for quality and getting the most from your setup.
Thank you for this video. Getting information at a basis level helps me to better understand the elements involved with the power requirements and sources for my RV. Keep bringing these kind of videos to your line up. Thanks…
Great video, thanks Nate. I love this style that explains why decisions were made. Maybe you could do a video on multiplus wiring and why you use 4/0 for ground and negative.
Hi can I work inverter using battery at 3000 watt and will shore power adding power for load ect as have solar and looking to use batterys as main power with shore power helping
Hi, I built my system based on one of your plan and it works great. My question is if I on shore power can I take advantage of 1100 watts of solar panel to save on electricity. My inverter is a Victron MultiPlus II 3000. I have 2 12v 100 amps batteries and a Epever 40 amps controller.
Nice video on power management. It's always fun when boondocking to keep everything alive without tripping the system. But, it never fails. A few days into the trip and you forget about the coffee maker reheat mode coming back on for a few seconds and POP...everything goes dead. Love your videos and keep them coming!
deep and detailed explanations in every video. I really appreciate your work man. I only wish all those fancy equipment's were affordable to all then the world would really be a better place.
Good deal… I wasn’t going to mess with that feature as I didn’t really understand it … now I do.. so now I will set up the multiplus to work that way… thanks.
Really like these type videos. I’m not building a van I’m upgrading a Coachmen Nova 20RB from AGM to Victron smart batteries with multiplus 3k. Would love to see how you would approach something like that. Great job explaining everything!
Sure! We've got diagrams for that already good-to-go at www.explorist.life/solarwiringdiagrams and will be making videos about each of them later this year.
Brilliant explanation! You can even start & stop your generator automatically with the Multiplus II GX triggered by a couple of parameters including AC load effectively reversing the process of load assist. Your generator will then assist the inverter when drawing a high AC load.
Hi. Watching from uk and ALL your videos have been super helpful in planning my build. Struggled to get my head round all of the awesome features Victron have and this video was a light bulb moment in the understanding of power assist. Planning on installing a multi rs solar 6000 so confirmed my power needs. An awesome channel. Thx guys
Was looking for a video like this, did not know the correct search word to find it. For ignorant people like me, please make a video on sizing inverters and include this valuable information. I kept searching for sizing, best inverters, etc. etc.. Thank you.
Pulling big currents together will ultimately warm up the inverter/charger and derate the output ability, we’re have a lot of those problems here in Oz🇦🇺 at the moment with hi ambient temps, have been playing around with additional fan pulling air through the top of inv/chg with some success, but well explained as always none the less🤙
Hey Nate, well done and good info. One note about how a generator interacts with the Multi-Plus II. In doing his install Chad from "Changing Lanes" discovered a problem Victron has with Pass-Thru power with an Onan generator. The way Victron handle an In-Sync connection (like a 30amp dog bone adaptor for 50amp rigs) it drop 1 leg and pulls all the power from the L1 leg and then splits it our into L1 & L2 on the far side of the MP II. Because the generator produces 5500 watts and outputs it thru (2) 30amp breakers and the power comes from the same generating source, they product In-Sync phases, thus it's interpreted as a dog bone adaptor. So the MPII attempts to get 5500w or 6500w (depending on genset) off 1 leg which in turn overloads one breaker and it trips. This in essence crippled the generator down to a 30amp source. His fix was to connect the two 30amp legs, (L1 & L2) together just before the ATS on the generator side. This makes it a parallel connection and gives back the full wattage of the generator to L1 and the MPII handles the distribution on the RV side. In his case the ATS still responded to power on L1 only and performed as the ATS should with only one input leg. So this may be something you want to cover unless Victron has done something to address this since his install. I'm about to install my MPII and believe I will have to parallel my generator outputs as well but have not done it yet. Sorry it's so long but a lot to say.... Thanks, Charles
This has been something we have been talking about with Victron and when we do our 50A OEM RV Retrofit video later this year, I'll be sure to cover the best way to approach that.
I am hooked up to 30amp shore power 24/7 in an RV Campground. I have a Victron multiplus, 300ah lithium batteries and 700 watts of PV I would like to use my solar panels to off set the cost of shore power. If I lower my AC input to the multiplus to 15 amps, will the load on the batteries during power assist mode allow the PV panels to generate power and use less shore power? Thanks for the very informative video.
Why do I always need to push the boundary. I want my 3k multiplus to get an assist from my Phoenix 1200. So already on battery power, can it get a boost? I guess thats kinda reversed. Anyways, can't find an answer to this anywhere!
Thank you so very much for this video. I have been asking all around this question: How long can a Quattro Inverter Charger 48v Input 5000va power a surge of anything between 5000Watts and Peak power 10000Watts? The reason I ask is that the Schneider XP Pro can hold a 8500 Watt for 30 minutes and it is rated at 6800Watts. Thanks again for your explanation of Power assist
I'd appreciate a follow-up video with the actual Power Assist setup process. Because this video makes it look like the inverter "automagically" detects the power limit of the network mains.
To set up with power assist, you simply set the shore power current input limit on the cerbo gx, victronconnect app via ve.bus smart dongle, or digital multicontrol. This was covered in all of the videos in the following playlist: ru-vid.com/group/PLmvhcyi4n0TUU8FUc6LE38TBkdSLjdw_5
Yes, I loved that video! Now I really want one of these Inverter-Chargers. But my RV Trailer/camper is only small couples camper with a 30amp shore power. Do they make small ones with this Power Assist? Cheers, Eric
Yep! They make a 2kVA inverter/charger like you are describing. Try the system picker on our shop homepage at shop.exploirst.life to get our recommendation there.
I see the line out wire gauge issue has been addressed in other comments but, it might be worth mentioning that in order to achieve the “..up to 3000 Watt/max output” boost for power assist, the batteries must be capable of this output power as well. Some batteries are limited by the BMS and may not be able to achieve the inverter max limit without increasing parallel battery count .Something to consider during the design phase before choosing/purchasing batteries.
Another great video Nate!! Your clear content & diagrams have allowed me to confidently create the system for my van. I wish your shop would have been open when I was buying supplies. No kidding on the Multiplus cable gland being a little too small for 6/3 wire!! OMG and the cable I purchased is NOT flexible like what you offer!! And I'm using AC Output 2 for one outlet for my fridge when on shore power (I didn't want my DC fridge switching to 120V every time I'm off grid and turn on my inverter) but having to make those grounds share a common landing spot on the inverter almost forced me to abandon that small convenience. Luckily AC Out 2 is 12/3 wire since only one outlet.
Nate, first KUDOS on the top notch content u produce. I’ve watched countless hours of materials from the channel and used it to install a complete solar system in my truck camper 18 months ago and it works flawlessly. But I have a question on this video. When u are augmenting the shore power load with the battery capacity, since the resulting AC is still running thru the distribution box, aren’t u still limited by the size of the master AC breaker in the unit. For example, my 30 amp truck camper would still trip the master at 30 amp (3600 watts). True?
That is indeed true! In that scenario, power assist will be beneficial when connected to 15A shore power, but less useful when connected to 30A shore power.
Suggestion for a video topic: Create a video that shows multiple inverters (preferably 4 or more, not just two), that are paralleled (stacked), to supply power to critical loads breaker panel, and show clear wiring from each inverter, to supply the breaker panel, and how and why you selected breaker size, and how you determined which leg to connect each inverter. My thinking is that it would be more organized to have a small breaker panel with a main breaker, to be used for all incoming AC from each inverter, then a mains wire from this supply side panel to go from to the mains breaker of the critical loads panel. your opinions?
Neat idea, but I probably won't make a video like that for a WHILE. I can't see any reason why a camper (what this channel is about) would need 4x inverters. We can get 30kVa out of only 2x Victron inverters.
So having purchased and am using a phoenix 1200 on a small off grid system, and am now wanting more capacity.... I don't have to replace the 1200, I can use a multiplus to supliment it!
Hey y'all. You guys do great video's. Just a thought. I wonder if you would want to do a bit more in depth video of the avalible battery power and how that effects the victron assist feature and the boost factor in conjunction with battery over draw shutdown of the battery. Hope that made sense. It's a bit complicated but interesting to me and maybe complicated for video. Similar to regulating the a/c input, the d/c source has to be big enough to give what is asked of it. Just a thought have fun. You all do good work.
Good video! Worth mentioning for others viewing (IMO), make sure you use properly sized cable (especially the cable connecting the I/C and a breaker panel). In your example of 4500W, you'd need a minimum 40A rated cable (8ga). My guess is that most will use 50A cable (6ga) for this connection but copper is super expensive these days and some may opt for less expensive cable. Be careful not to pull more watts than your cable can handle just because the components can make it happen!
An RV with a 30A OEM breaker box may not be able to handle the extra amperage either. I've been thinking about upgrading for this scenario but I think I'll have to replace the breaker/fuse distribution panel as well as running higher gauge wire.
@Cha Chi Our 30A OEM RV Retrofit upgrade wiring diagram accounts for that. We leave the 10ga wire and 30a breaker and breaker box in place. If more than 30A is asked for, that breaker simply trips. I've found that unless you are tripping breakers regularly in your camper, it usually not worth the effort to upgrade. Power Assist will still function, but will primarily be used to assist when connected to a 15A outlet.
I love victron , use Quattros 10 kVA and 15 kVA with lithium EV batteries. Quattro 48 V is capable of delivering 64V DC so that gives me great options of using 8S LG Chem cells .
Yes u can run ac input just one grid or generator plus battery also solar pv ac coupled . Depending on configuraton however Its my Home system caravan / boats r more likely mppt pv
A great tutorial on how inverters works in general and then specifically how the Victron Power Assist Works but you missed the opportunity to tell people how the battery can get charged as well when the shore power demand goes down and is available to power the Victron inverter battery charger. All in all you did a great job with what most consider a complicated topic.
There are situations with generators where users may run into difficulty with power assist. A system with significant instantaneous load increases can 'bog down' a generator to a point where a Quattro or Multiplus may consider the 'shore power' unsuitable - ie. the voltage and/or frequency drop below acceptable thresholds. The result would be that the Victron protects and drops output power.
That can be fixed in most cases by turning on Dynamic Current Limit in the multiplus settings via MK3-USB dongle. We turn that on for all multiplusses we pre-program for Battle Born batteries heading out of our doors.
is there a way to get the solar panels to do more work to take the load off shore power? being on metered shore power with available solar but I can't get the system to pull the solar wattage. Seems like my SCCs are idling too much and letting shore power do almost all the lifting.
Yep! It's on my radar to make a video about this, but in the meantime, You'll want to hop into the advanced programming of the Multiplus and set that up through the Self-consumption hub-1 assistant.
It might be helpful to show people how / where to configure the shore power circuit settings in the Victron. I was doing that on a Victron MPII and a Magnum (something?). They're slightly different. And for some reason don't even have the same options.
How would that work with 2 units in parallel? I just got 2 multiplus ii. Would each unit power assist or just the master? L1 says up to 75amp if boosting from a 50amp input and L2 is non power assist up to 50 amp. Could I real get up to 150amps on L1 Between both? Or would I get 75 from one and 25/30 from other?
Another good explanation, thank you. Does the victron Cerbo GX / is there a way to display how many watts are available to the system and how much you are using ? Some sort of graph for example to show that your now at 85% capacity for instance or an alarm to warn you you reaching peak capacity rather then finding out by tripping the breaker? As a side subject i would love to hear your thoughts on tankless vs tank water heaters
Hey Nate, I assume the answer is yes but since I have never heard you mention in it any of your RV electrical system upgrades and or New build I thought I would ask the following question. Should I continue to use an EMS between shore power and the Multiplus?
My question would be about surge loads. What happens when you start, for example, the air conditioner and the surge load goes for a second above what the shore power and MPII are rated for? So how quickly does the Victron respond to a surge load? Also, what about a 240volt split phase system? Is this capability there also?
Thanks! You just contacted me. 🙂 There aren't enough hours in the day for me to answer phone calls from the 13,000 people watching these videos every day, if that's what you were asking.
great channel and lots of wonderfully assistive videos. am a newbie and in the process of building a system on a boat and i may have read something wrong but is it possible for Quattro (what i have) or Multiplus to temporarily exceed three capacity, and if so how long for. Your example of the 4500w load against only 4200w of supply made me question whether the inverter could kick up for a short time to cover the excess. Sorry if a dumb question, just thought id seen a feature saying a temporary excess could be covered. Thanks again
@@EXPLORISTlife Thanks for reply but don't think my question was clear. I thought (?) that if i had a 3kw Multiplus, that it would at certain times allow a peak or overdraw above 3kw. So in your example of a 4500w load against 4200w of supply, would the inverter/charger allow a peak draw above its nameplate?
Nate, I love this video! You explain things so easily. If I have my van set up for shore power..do I have to choose 30 or 50 amp shore power when I am setting up? If I am wired for 50 amp can I use it with 30 amps?
Is the Quattro able to be set up to run both AC outputs on battery and run on battery when attached to shore using shore only as the assist. The multiplus is capable to do this. I want to run off battery and solar as primary and pull from shore only as needed. This way when on a metered site i keep the draw to a bare minimum. I am wanting to use Quattro. Thanks for your help I really appreciate your videos
Can that be setup so the Multiplus takes priority over shore power? So the Victron uses its battery power then if more than 3000w is needed it will then use shore power for assist?
hi Nate, love the informational videos. I have 2 questions 1, I am wiring the ac side of my system. I have a Victron multiples 2 50 amp. My research says in need awe 6 w ground. I do not want to use romex / can you recommend what where I need and size and where to buy. Marine anchor ? will that work? Q2, Can you recommend a way for me to wire 4 100 amp battle born. I am in need of a bus bar or something since using 4/000 the loops are to high and will not fit - looking to wire the terminals with a battery bar or something like that. Thank you Dave B
Have you ever set up 2 multi pluses in parallel? I did, and I discovered the hard way that they have a minimum current input for the power assist function to work. With two Multipluses, I cannot set the input current to less than 18.4 A, and therefore I cannot use power assist when I’m hooked up to a 15 amp shore power connection.
So here's my question: I have a multiplus II 2x120 for a 50 amp rv. Right now it's set on 50 amp (so 50 amp per hot line). If I go to a house and set it to 15 amp, is it assuming 15 amp per line? Do I really need to set it at 7.5amps?
@@EXPLORISTlife Being able to bypass the Inverter entirely, having the option to plug directly into the Grid AC Mains. In simple terms, Taking a Power Strip normally plugged inro the AC output of the Inverter and Transferring it over to an Extension Cord connected to Shore Power. If you have Two plug strips (or branches), maybe leave one on the house power and to avoid overloading the extension cord/shore circuit breaker, to run certain items off of the inverter and plug the other into Shore power or plug them both in the shore power when the current allows (and you want to charge and/or rest your House system). Maybe with SPDT switches to avoid having to manipulate the plugs manually.
Thanks for the video. The way you described this is the way I thought my system should work. But my system has never worked this way, and I always trip the shore power breaker. Wish you would've explained what the multiplus settings should be, for the power sharing to work. I have the Multiplus 12/3000 with the smart dongle connection. My rig is 50A. Right now, for instance, I'm connected to 20A shore power and would love to get some battery assist a few times during the day. I've set the multiplus to AC-IN of 20A (so I won't over-draw from shore power), Mode is set to ON, and batteries are charged to 99.8% and in float status. If I pull too many Watts (like forget, and start the electric kettle when the electric heater is on), the shore breaker trips. If anyone has insight on this, I would really appreciate it!
Question - your example with 3600w shore power and upto 3000w inverting power = 6600w. That would require the main power wires feeding your AC panel (disconnect breaker) to handle 6600w. I've been using 10awg to a 30amp disconnect breaker. For this to work correctly/safe we need 6awg with a 60amp disconnect breaker. Is this a correct assumption?
Yep! 6ga and a 50A breaker with a 50A capable breaker box in my designs since a single pole 60A AC HOM breaker doesn't really exist. I spec 10ga wire and a 30A breaker in most RV's with 30A shore power because most of the time, those breaker boxes aren't rated for 50A, so we keep the 10ga wire and 30A breaker in place and that is just the limiting factor in power assist, but it will still work great when connected to, say, a 15A outlet. All of that is covered in my wiring diagrams, though: www.explorist.life/solarwiringdiagrams and kits at shop.explorist.life
Have you had instances where the Victron MultiPlus II trips a GFCI feeder supply? I see several instances on the Victron Forum. When I contact our retail vendor for warranty repair, they say it is not the Victron.
@@EXPLORISTlife My MP2 is on charge only, so the neutral/ground relay should not be the issue. When any %)A or 30A RV outlet is installed under 2020 or 2023 NEC at a residence or other structure, GFCI is required (NEC §210.8(A)(3) and (B)(4)). So this will be a BIG issue for anyone who plugs in their RV at home. The RV Park industry continues to fight this requirement for the pedestal, but it will be a requirement there soon.
I need it to work the other way around as I'm powering my house from a solar battery system with two other grid connect solar arrays just feeding in to make me $$$$
I have yet to put mine in the motorhome. I think one thing it will also do is eliminate the need for a soft start for the AC and I can run that thing on the 2K watt Honda. Instead of having to listen to that noisy built-in generator.
Hey Nate, You have provided me with a lot of knownlege. One thing I am confused about is you 900 watts into the inverter and 900 watts out. My system takes about 90 amps out of the battery to get 900 watts out of the inverter. What am I missing?
Hi Nate. i installed recently the ESS and it is working fine, however when my load exceeds the AC1 or AC2 input limits, it is not power assisting and the Quattro is allowing the input to exceed the limit which can end up by tripping the AC-In feeding breaker. how can i continue using the ESS while benefiting from the power assist function. (I used the ESS because without it my quattro was pushing the MPPT to throttle and not allowing the use of Solar power in the presence of the grid for both load and charging). please advise
Great video!!! I’ve got the multiplus 3000VA, and I’d love to start using this function. I see there are options for Digital Multi Control panels. Just wondering if I can purchase the smart dongle to control this function, without having to purchase a control panel. Thanks in advance Nate!
Yep! The VE.Bus Smart Dongle will indeed allow you to change the shore power input current limit from the VictronConnect app: shop.explorist.life/shop/all-products/monitoring/victron-ve-bus-smart-dongle/
So the MultiPlus has settings "on, off, inverter only, and charge only", which setting should I have the MultiPlus set too if I am running my generator as shore power? Does the charger also charge the batteries if they are assisting the shore power?
QUESTION: What if I have multiple inverter systems (of any brand), can one of the additional inverter systems become a source in place of the shore power, or generator, so that you could essentially daisy chain multiple inverter systems each feeding the next until it is used by appliances
Do van electrical system batteries qualify for the tax credit? I know this isn’t a tax advice place or related to the video, but it crossed by mind, and you guys might have some insight into it.
Steph here! While I can't give tax advice, I would point you to the instructions for the tax credit, which specify who is able to claim the credit and for what. I'd recommend asking your tax accountant about your specific situation. www.irs.gov/instructions/i5695
I have really been helped with your videos and wiring kits etc. have a trailer with inverter prep. Its an orange romex wire like you find on all Grand Designs. Its a loop, a fold in the line that I assume goes back to the breaker panel on one side and from shore power on the other (I assume.) Can I wire in the multiplus II 12/3000 120 using the inverter prep loop like I would behind the breaker panel as in your video? The other issue is confirming what side of the loop is from shore power and what side in return to breaker panel. One side of the loop has green tape on it and the other side has black tape. I assume that would tell me which was out and which was in if I understood the code. I hope you can point me in the right direction.
This may take a more in-depth look at your personal setup. If you have purchased/are purchasing from our store (shop.explorist.life) reach out for some more personalized help: shop.explorist.life/support If you've purchased/are purchasing elsewhere, reach out to your dealer for support. We'd love to have you as a shop.explorist.life customer so we can provide a bit more help in the future. 🙂
Nate, Do you have to adjust your multiplus to tell it to allow 4500w to be able to use the power assist. I normally set my multiplus to 30a, as I have a 30a electrical system, not 40a. I ask because this last summer I had a problem with shore power not being able to run my A/C and my microwave at the same time (outside temp was 101*). I figured the shore power wasn’t providing the 30a it was supposed to.
I am thinking of an interesting possibility. The new Hyundai Ioniq 6 has the ability to output up to 1,800 watts 120 volts (via an adapter that plugs into the charge port -- the inverter is built into the car). I was thinking of using that as a large battery (77kwh) backup for circuits in my house. It would be the "shore power" in your example. This way, in an emergency, I could use the car's large battery to supply most of my basic power needs with the Victron supplying additional power when needed like if I run a microwave and a cooktop at the same time. Sounds crazy, I know but during most of the time, and definitely at night, 1,800 watts is all I need. This way I can have a smaller (cheaper) battery bank for my house system since in a major emergency I can draw some on the 77kwh in the car. Your thoughts? Thanks in advance, thanks for the video and thanks for your response to my previous question
Thank you for another great video :) Though, how about vice versa? Can the MultiPlus use the battery bank as primary source and use the shore power as power assist? In my case I'm building my system on my live-aboard boat and would like to limit my pull from shore as prices are quite steep...
Basically no. Not just like that, but you can reduce the shore power limit to it's lowest level like what Cha Chi said to have the multiplus do the bulk of the heavy lifting and then shore power would only contribute for small loads.
Nate, I apologize for this question (and I know that I should ask Victron directly... or read the manual), but what if I'm in an older campground with out-of-date power distribution in the middle of summer and everyone has their air conditioner running AND I'm only getting 110 volts out of the 15 amp power post. For my scenario, I've got a 3500 watt draw in the van - what does power assist do with the voltage differential? Do I get 120 volts in the van? 110 volts? Something in-between?
Is it easy to adjust the shore/grid power max allowable amps in before powerassist knows it needs to draw the balance from the DC via inverter process? What would be the process to do this on a Multiplus?
