Hi, this is exactly waht I was lookign for. But I have question: is this BluePower charger enough to feed the 12V devices when on external power supply (110/230V)? Is the BluePower charger capable to work as power supply for lights etc? Thanks for help, video is awesome. Liked and subscribed.
Hi @@petos0 this charger puts out about 400 watts, so if your 12V loads are less than that, then yes it will run them on its own, with the remaining power going into your batteries. That's in the charger mode. It does have a "power supply" mode as well, where instead of going through multi-stage charging, it will just put out a stable set voltage, a voltage chosen by the end user. Hope that helps, thanks for tuning in!
@@eladsgarr yes the inverter charger does all of this on its own, the inverter, the charger, the transfer switch, all in one package. At the end of the video I tell people to go that route if they are doing a new system.
The whole picture starts to become clear now to me. This is how I want my system work. If there were only one video from you, this would be it! Thank you so much again! :)
Hey, awesome to hear this video was really helpful for you. A lot of details on how these systems come together in this one. Thanks for the kind words!
I just finished installing a small solar system in a 1973 15x7 camper. My wife was asking me how to connect to shore power and solar also. This video explained it clearly for her to understand. Great video. Stay safe and vigilant.
thanks a lot! this video helped me kinda think out and solidify my plans for my fully 12v system (with just a little cigarette lighter inverter for my laptop). line1=solar panels>charge controller>battery bank line 2=shore power>battery charger and breaker panel so i can charge my laptop and drone and everything without draining my battery bank when hookups are available
This is the first video that covers 99% of my questions about this process. Not only do you explain what the single-unit inverter/charger does, but you also offer alternative solutions for upgrading existing systems. I’ve seen manual versions of the shore power switch when I was overseas, but I love the idea of an automatic switch that decides to use shore power when available. I also like the way you set up the battery charger. Great stuff and great video! I’m kind of curious about scenarios where you would be hooked up to shore power, but not want to have the charger topping off your batteries. 🤔 Thank you!
Hi Memo, thanks for tuning in and great to hear you got a lot out of the video! On the charger on-off option, perhaps it is rare, but I just don't like having to charge the batteries every time I decide to plug in. The charger switch is an extra layer of control, that perhaps could be left out if the end user doesn't care about that. It's not a must-have and could work either way. Great question and thanks again for stopping by-
Thanks for the tip to connect the charger directly to the mains wiring in the switch. I've wired it from the breaker so I need to make sure to turn it off when I turn on the inverter so it doesnt have a "free energy" loop lol
I have my shore power set up so I can entirely or partially bypass the house power when charging. This allows under ideal shore power situations to be able to give the house system arrest after charging, or in situations like when you're plugged into someone's residence to keep higher current items (like I microwave) on the house power so you don't blow the circuit breaker in the residence.
This video was SUPER helpful! Thank you! Quick Q - instead of splicing the charger into the shore feed at the transfer switch, do you have any thoughts on adding a 110v outlet inline with the shore feed before it gets to transfer switch? Reason being, my AC to DC charger is already wired with a type b plug.
Good afternoon sir, really liked your video. I was thinking about upgrading my set up which is really similar to what you have right now. I was looking forward to purchase additional batteries but I'm not sure if the charger that you are using in the video will work with multiple batteries in parallel.
Hey Ross I love your videos and the way you explain everything! I actually followed the same system you show in the video in my van, the only part I need help with is wiring to the distribution panel. I bought the one you recommended but am wondering do I wire both the transfer switch and inverter to the distribution box? And can I use the outlet on the back of the box to connect either the transfer switch or inverter? Sorry, these might be simple questions but I'd appreciate the help, thanks!
Subscribed! although in my small RV trailer (a 5' X 10' squaredrop) I am building pretty much this exact system, but using a Samlex 30A transfer switch. This one has two fused 120V outlets for a battery charger and whatever else. I'm using the second plug as the 120V source for my reliable, old Engel compressor fridge. I have already installed a 15A 120V light switch to better control my shore charger so it was nice to see Ross suggest this. Now I know I'm not totally nuts. hahaha... QUESTION: Chassis grounding! Can you make or do you already have a vid explanation on this topic? For example, grounding my Samlex 1500W pure sine wave inverter using 1/0 (yes, as it's case ground)... do I want to run a separate, negative ground buss bar and then run that to my trailer frame? If my inverter were to fault then send 150 amps into my trailer frame, would that possibly damage the powertrain control module of the tow vehicle (if still hitched, chained, etc to it). Thanks Ross! You are the man!
Rigging a bus right now for a job where i will have shore power and take short camping trips, i think im gonna do almost this exact setup just without the solar charging until i make a bit more money
Great video! I’m trying to figure out if I can use an older RV inverter/convertor box with my solar. (Still a work in progress). I’m thinking I might be able to use it by removing some guts. Thoughts? Anyone! Not just Luke!
I appreciate this video very much-thanks! I’m working on an experimental project that is essentially a portable version of this setup. My concern is proper grounding, any thoughts? My first thought is it’s properly grounded to vehicle when charging via DC-DC charging system. Is that true? But while connected to shore, maybe some sort of connector to a vehicle ground? How about when out of the vehicle (in house) charging via AC? Outlet grounding sufficient? How about outside solar charging? Maybe some sort of ground rod I shove into ground via the aforementioned connector? Lots of questions, sorry. But they’re all regarding proper grounding for a portable unit. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!
Thanks for tuning in and for the feedback! Sometimes I get comments that I drone on too long. I guess it comes down to different people liking different styles. In general I don't mind making more drawn out explanations. Good to hear that's your style.
Very nice presentation. Since its for a vehicle it would have been nice to have the alternator included. Would you add that from eg Orion on to the same +/- bus bar's as the MPPT and BlueSmart chargers?
Hey there, the all-in-one is the MultiPlus 2000VA by Victron, the vendor I partner with is Vanlife Outfitters: www.vanlifeoutfitters.com/store/victron-energy-12-2000-80-multiplus-inverter-charger-new/?ref=VPMM (affiliate link). Thanks for tuning in!
Great Video Ross. So informative. I have one question. Isn’t the PD converter charger, a charger? You have a separate battery charger correct? Do you need that if you have the PD converter charger which charges the battery when hooked up to shore power.
Thanks for tuning in Dan, great to hear you enjoyed the video! On the PD converter, yes that is just a battery charger built into the Progressive Dynamics distribution box. It's just a charger (120V to 12V). I guess the name is related to the inverter (12V to 120V). But yeah, sounds like you already have a charger. Hope that helps!
the only question i have is instead of the 3 way connector could you use a 4 way and add a generator to that mix where its either or for shore or gen or if the back feed may damage the other component
I just subscribed. Ever since I hooked up PV solar to my trailer, my battery won't power my interior lights, pumps, or radio. I'm guessing I need a transfer switch. I had shore power connected to trailer while my pv solar system was going. I don't know if the both of them running together fried my original factory system. I'll check fuses. I have the Renogy 40 amp charge controller with Bluetooth. I don't know what happened.
Hi John, thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! As far as WiFi specifically, no, none of the components shown here emit or communicate with WiFi signals. There are a couple that do Bluetooth, but that's all. For the Victron components in the video, they could be connected to a Victron GX device, and those devices will pick up a WiFi signal, if one is available. Hope that answers your question, thanks-
I am about to set up a van for racing karts (not much for camping). I currently use a trailer with a 120v AC system and I power it with a generator. With the van I don’t want to take my larger generator and would like to just carry my 3000 watt generator. Is there additional issues with using the generator in place of the shore power? Is the transfer switch enough? Ha. I just got to that point in the video. So I’d have a plug for grid power and a plug for generators?
Great video! I have a stand-alone system in my Travato, all it needs is the shore power added, this really covers it. My Renogy DC-DC controller has a bluetooth monitor feature, do I need to install the shunt on neg connection to the AC-DC charger and put another monitor there? I kinda don't think so, not sure, I don't know what the shunt does.
Hey Alan, thanks for stopping in, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! In general if you have a shunt it's for the battery monitor, and it will go in the negative line right before that line hits the battery or batteries. It's just monitoring current in or out of the batteries, so it can tell you how much "fuel" you have left in the "tank" so to speak. I did this video on battery monitors if you want to see a shunt being installed: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vTKBNb-cJq4.html Hope that helps, good luck with it!
If the inverter itself has an on/off switch built into the case you could always open the case and run a much smaller wire to a light duty switch that splices into the case switch. But you would not get the indicator light like you would in his setup. That transfer switch is huge, smaller ones?
Hi Herb, you would plug in shore power and the generator into one of these transfer switches. The alternator wouldn't go through the transfer switch, it would just connect to system positive and negative, the 12V part of the system that links to the batteries.
If instead of the batteries, inverters, chargers, and all of that, if I used this transfer switch to connect a 30 amp battery bank like an Eco flow Delta pro and the other side of the switch being a standard 30 amp shore power. Would the fact that the battery bank having a floating neutral, cause an issue with the AC power in my camper? The reason I ask, is that EcoFlow sells an adapter that changes the battery bank from floating to bonded neutral, and I’m curious if it’s necessary in this configuration with the ground being connected to the frame of the camper?
So I have a question I have a 50 amp 5th wheel and I have a shore power plug in the far back of the trailer and I want to add another shore power plug closer to the convince center on the side of the trailer the original plug wire goes to a surge guard in the storage bay in and out to the Victron Multi plus 2 then to the main panel so what do I need to NOT remove the original shore power inlet plug but to have both plugs work if I chose to plug into one or the other? Having the option of both locations.
Ross, thanks for your videos. Quick question on this one - I saw you have the chargers on the switched side of the batteries. Any reason for that? I thought it'd be better to have the chargers on a separate switch than house supply (so you can kill supply but still have batteries charging etc.) Or were you just being efficient for the purpose of the video?
Hi Nick, I suppose there is a bit of an art to it, and you could arrange the switches differently if you had a reason. I typically have a "battery isolation switch" as I call it, so that I can isolate the batteries when the system (in this case "the van") is not being used, and I want to prevent any parasitic loads from taking the battery down over a long duration. This switch also removes battery power from the system during maintenance and installations. I think it could be good to have chargers and loads on separate switches, although I try to make these systems as simple as I can. As I said it's sort of an art so no two electrical designers would come up with the same layout. It's whatever you think is best for the outcome/operability you want to create. Hope that helps!
Hi, sorry to ask such a specific question but you obviously know what you're talking about and i'm pretty clueless. I have an Sargent ec160 power supply in my van and it's currently only hooked up to the alternator charging the leisure battery. I want to add shore power, do you know if i'd need to add in a charger and transfer switch, as per your example, or is this built into the EC160? Any advice you could offer would be very much appreciated.
I have a 12 I 1200 victron inverter. I just added it to an old rig I'm working on and when I plug in a clock radio the radio buzzes a lot when it is moved within about 3' of the inverter. I have yet to wire in the inverter for 120 in the camper and switch it on and off ... great video about this transfer switch. I was thinking of a rotary switch to go from one and the other. I am looking too make a switch to select between two different solar panel configuration as not to put in too much into my victron 220 W 15 amp controller. I may be parked under trees and want to use portable panels in the sunlight...
Hi David, interesting to hear about the clock radio buzzing when it gets close to the inverter. I will take note. On the rotary switch, it is the same functionality and I have dealt with vans using those (Blue Sea Systems has some switches like that), but I try to automate the system as much as possible so the user doesn't have to do things manually. I like your idea though on the solar panel switch. Mixing different banks of panels can be tricky and it seems clean to switch from one to the other based on conditions...Thanks for the comment!
I'm bit confused about last bit you've mentioned in your video - EasyPlus switching off inverter when you plug in shore power. I've got EasyPlus Compact 12/1600/70 and need it to be switched ON to pass through shore power from the grid to the van. So in my set up I'm hooking up to the grid, switching Easy Plus "On" and I get 230V in all sockets on board. At the same time charger side kicks in and is topping up my Lifepo battery. My problem is, in a cold weather BMS will protect battery and cut off charging which for some reason makes easy plus cut off shore power. What I'm doing wrong? Why inverter / charger side can't be off and just pass through 230V from the grid. That was my whole point of having easy plus compact with beakers fitted to simplify install. Thanks for very informative video.
Hi Pete, I was saying that the inverter-charger will turn off its internal inverter when it detects shore power, but as you concluded the unit itself is left on by the user. On the BMS shutting down everything, that sort of makes sense that even the 230V grid power could not get in. Do you have a Victron BMS that's controlling the EasyPlus? An easy fix may just be to have a little heating pad on the batteries to prevent this shutdown from happening. Whether the EasyPlus can let shore power through while turning off battery charging, I am not sure. Perhaps there is a setting for this in the programming. You might also ask in the Victron Community forum. As I mentioned though, you might get a battery heater to avoid the situation altogether. I hope that helps! Thanks, Ross
Eventually, some manufacturer will put all of these components into 1 device, and that will become the new normal... MPPT, Inverter, Charger, Shore Power Transfer, Shunt, Lightning protection, all in one... The reason why it will work is because most system components are "sized alike". Another option to keep some modularity to it would be to do it like PC's do with "card slots", so that the MPPT could be an edge card inserted into a mainboard, thus allowing some flexibility in design while shrinking the wiring bird's nest into one box with slot cards on a motherboard...
Victron Multi Plus does the charging and the inverting in one unit. Would deffo get it next time since the charging on those units is pretty powerful (50A and more) plus a good inverter. Now i just have the 30a Victron Charger plus a different brand inverter.
Right on! In my perfect world, a camper van I outfit would have one huge-capacity battery box hardwired to a 30 amp cord that I plug in at home to charge to capacity. It would then be hardwired into a square D 30 amp circuit breaker box on into two separate circuits. The battery would have enough KWHs that I could run everything on house current (except maybe heat and air) for a week. Then I go home to recharge or, if on a longer trip, I get an electrical campsite for one night to recharge for another week. Is such a thing possible yet?
Can you teach me? I don't have a solar charger but my RV has a generator, please let me know how do I connect the inverter, generator and shore power to the ATS? Thanks in advance for your help.
This is a great explanation. But I'd like more information. I've got a old sliding truck camper that's got existing wiring power breaker panel. What I want to do is take all my solar components ie-solar panels,mppt,100w inverter, lithium batteries,b2b charger, and fuse block that I stripped from my van and plan on putting it in the camper. I know how to connect all the solar components together I just don't know how to tie it into the existing camp or electrical and what do I do with the existing battery in the camper. I understand the transfer switch part but how do I connect it to the RV breaker panel? And what do I do with the old existing AGM battery? Also can I connect lithium and AGM batteries together?
Hi Brian, thanks for checking out my video. I would be glad to help with this but it's beyond a RU-vid comment. I would be glad to work with you as a student of my electrical training, or via consulting. Here are those links: www.rosslukeman.com/offerings www.rosslukeman.com/vanpower Thank you, Ross Lukeman
I plan on always being plugged into shore power (with potentially adding solar). What all would you recommend if you/anyone has advice i would appreciate it!
With respect to this excellent video, for a fraction of the cost of the victron inverter/charger why not just add another 30 amp charger and a much larger inverter? Thanks
Because these systems are already complicated, you're not going to save that much, and people do double the engineering to save a few dollars. It would work, just not my style.
This is so far the closest to what I'm trying to accomplish, just without the charger. Have a 5th wheel... adding solar panels and Lith batteries. How would I bypass the trailers invertor/convertor to make this setup work? Would I need a breaker switch like you show for shore power? Or was that just for demonstration purposes?
Hi Daly, on the breaker, I tend to add my own for shore power input, but there will be one out at the power pole you plug into as well. The rest of your question is kind of difficult to answer without knowing what you have, and is beyond the scope of RU-vid comments. If you would like consulting and perhaps a hand sketch, I have that available here: www.rosslukeman.com/offers/Au4HykMc Thanks for tuning in!
So you can only run certain things off the solar 12-volt system, and so you would not be able to run something like an air conditioner off of it. My question is, if you had a generator to power things like an air conditioner when you didn't have Shore power, how would you set it up so that you could have your air conditioner running off your generator, but everything else running off the solar system ?
Very good video. But how to set up the shore power and generator together? There are times you don't have shoure and use generator. You said when generator is used, the shore hooks up in the bottom and the generator goes to the dynamic, but ehere does the inverter go? Can it be one wire for both genrator and the shore? Just make a inlet box where generator and shore can plug in alternately, no?
I have the same question as you! With OP current setup, what happens if you connect a generator to the shore power plug? Will this set up still function and will there be a 30 sec delay for the generator power?
I added a shore power plug on my RV, but haven't wired anything to it. I have been looking and looking for ideas on where I need to attach a ground wire (the green wire) to something. Frame? Some component? I have inverter, converter, fuses, etc., etc., but there is NO information about where to ground or IF I need to ground that 30 amp plug. Can someone answer that question?
Hi Ross, thank you for the great videos! Quick question, also it might be a dumb question... When I syphon off power for my charger, does it affect the charger's output? I will be running a Progressive Dynamics PD9160ALV 12V Lithium Ion Battery Converter/Charger - 60 Amp. Just want to make sure my "tapping" into the lines the way you show it wont affect anything. Thanks!!
Also, do you ever do a short consulting zoom meeting where I show you what I have so far and you give recommendations / tips? I have done up all my layouts and wiring diagrams, but want to make sure it's correct. This is my first project and I am super green with electrical
Hey there, I'm not sure if I understand the charger question, but I'm going to say no, the charger will put out its full rated output in this scenario. On the zoom-style calls, yes I have those available Thu-Sat each week and would be glad to look over what you've got designed thus far. Here is my "Work with Me" page: www.rosslukeman.com/offerings Thanks, Ross
Hi Ross, I enjoy all your videos. You make everything very easy to understand. I have a question. On a 30 AMP 120 volt service into the electrical panel in a van, do you use a 10/2 with ground for your shore power feed to the electrical panel inside a van? Or do you use a 10/3 with ground? And do you use a bonding screw inside the electrical panel that the shore power wires into? I'm assuming that for a 120 system, you would use a 10/2 with ground. But I'm not sure about the bonding screw. Please help, Thanks.
Hey there, sorry for the late reply. I use 10/3 Triplex cable, which has a ground. You wouldn't typically go straight into the electrical panel, you would go to a transfer switch or inverter-charger. The output from that would go the the AC/DC distribution panel. The ground wire from the 10/3 supply line would go to a ground bus bar, and all branch lines departing from this box to places around the van would also have their ground wires connected to this ground bus bar in the box. Hope that clears it up somewhat! I would use marine triplex cable, not the 10/2 with ground that you would use in a building.
@@rosslukeman Hi Ross , Thanks for the reply. I was referring to bringing in the 10/3 cable into a disconnect shut off first, inside my van. Then run wiring to my inverter/ charger. I haven't purchased my disconnect yet, but I was wondering if disconnects have a bonding screw???? And should I use the bonding screw if the disconnect has one??? What are your thoughts?
@@koelzspeedgarage2796 Ah ok, yes I would just use a 30-amp breaker with this box (amzn.to/3P6XSnG). Use a QO series 30 amp breaker (amzn.to/3AN3cIx). It doesn't have a bonding screw, but you have to buy a Square D ground bus bar like this (amzn.to/3yYSKwf) or smaller. It will also ground the box. Hope that helps!
@@rosslukeman Thank you Thank you, That's exactly what I was wanting to know. Thanks so much for clarifying that. Im betting other people don't know to do that. Maybe you could do a video about it. As always, I enjoy all your videos. Keep them coming. Thanks for sharing your information.
If you were to stay using a 12v system, ie. a cargo trailer with lights, could you simply remove the inverter and solar charger from the system and operate the same with the switch and charger?
Hey there, yes the systems are largely modular. Everything operates on its own and can be added or removed, and the other stuff still works. If you need real help, check out rosslukeman.com for more resources. Hope that helps, thanks for tuning in!
I'll just break the tang that connects the 2 outlets on the receptacle. Wire one to shore power and one to inverter, plug in appliance to either one as needed. I don't do anything in a van that requires uninterrupted power, save money and space by not getting a transfer switch. Wire 1\2 of the outlets to a junction box connected to a shore power outlet and the other 1/2 to the inverter.
Is it ok to run wires from a 920AH LiFePO battery bank on my RV to a battery charger on my towed vehicle (lead acid 12 volt) to keep that battery charged for use of the brake controlled and lights?
Hi Ross….I would like to have my a/c system ran only by shore power when able, therefor I wouldn’t be connected to my battery and no need for an inverter. I also would like shore power to charge my battery which will supply my d/c needs. Could I run my shore line to a breaker/breakers that would feed my a/c battery charger and also my house a/c system?
Thanks Travis, I'm not quite sure on your question. Typically if shore power is available you run your rig on that power. Being plugged in but running on your battery until it dies instead is not a use-case that anyone designs systems for. I suppose it could be done. You would probably have a battery monitor set to trigger its relay at some low-battery setpoint (BMV-712 has a relay like this). When the relay went off it would turn on the inverter-charger (or perhaps just a charger like we had in this video).
@@rosslukeman This seems to be what I'd also like configured, because while I have my trailer at home and plugged into shore power, I'd prefer that AC is being pulled from my inverter (powered by my batteries, and getting charged from solar) instead of paying the power company. And then if/when my batteries are too low to be used, either because there's no solar charging (or insufficient solar charging), or my AC is pulling more than my batteries & inverter can continue to support, it's at this point I'd like my shore power to kick in. The reason for this use case is to take advantage of the solar/batteries/inverter for my AC needs (as much as possible) instead of pulling from and paying to my power company. For this use case, I've also incorporated an ATS so that when my batteries (currently AGM) get down to about 94%, the ATS relay switches from the inverter supplying AC, over to shore power supplying AC. Side note and not directly related to this use case, of course I'd much rather have LiFePO4 batteries, and I plan to switch to them at some future date as they'd work out so much better and longer. Now what I'd also like to do in my system is that when my ATS has switched to shore power, *and* if there's no or insufficient solar power, then allow for shore power to supply to a battery charger that would recharge my batteries.
Hi Robert, great to hear you enjoyed the video. I would check out these switches from Victron which are available for 230V: www.victronenergy.com/transfer-switches I'm not sure of specific vendors but those models should work for you.
@@rosslukeman I've upgraded my boat with multiple victron devices and really happy with results. Wish I had watched this video first and learned what an inverter/charger was :) I have a phoenix inverter and 2 separate 25A ip67 chargers. I now select source by manually plugging into either the shore power or inverter socket. It works fine but would be nice to have it automated. My supplier didn''t have the transfer switches listed so I wasn't aware that they existed. Thanks for sharing the link!
Hi Robert, yes it is hard to know all of the options that are out there, but it sounds like you'll be able to automate things with those switches. Thanks for tuning in and good luck with it!
Hey CMB, you tie into vehicle power at the engine battery positive, the charge controller is only for solar. For engine charging you would get a separate DC-DC charger. Renogy makes some combination solar controller (MPPT)/DC-DC chargers, but you may not want to combine those functions as those units limit how much you can get from both sources simultaneously.
I don’t understand how you add the charger to the transfer switch. If you are bringing 30a into the switch from the shore power, how do you wire in a 15a switch and outlet to plug you 15a battery charger to the same Waco connector?
I have shore power running directly into a WFCO WF8735 Converter with AC CB and DC fuses. When plugged into shore power my converter charges my Battery at ~79.8% efficiency. I also have a Solar Panel with a 40A MPPT charge controller Directly to my battery. ~94% Efficiency I want to run an 3000W inverter off of my battery and my shore power into an ATS to power my AC System without my Converter trying to pick up the DC load of my battery. This runs into the problem of Concurrent Charging that you mentioned in your video. With my MPPT and the Converter both charging my battery. I would normally just pull the fuse in the converters charge to break that circuit when I am without shore power. But wondering if there is a way to power my AC Appliances with my inverter and shore power without the risk of double charge circuits to my battery or worse. My inverter running into my converter then my DC output vice just my DC circuits running off my battery
Hi, I think I understand what you're going for. I don't see the problem with your MPPT and converter charging your batteries concurrently. I am guessing you have lead batteries and this is the limitation on how much charge current can go into your batteries? Here is a video I did on concurrent charging that may be useful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x7U9oZfoJpw.html As far as avoiding charging loops, the converter in that WF8735 is just a battery charger. They just call it a converter. Anyhow, that charger is wired to one of the AC breakers in the WF8735 unit. What you need to do is shut off all power to the WF8735 unit, then pull these wires and re-route/extend them over and connect them inside the transfer switch to the shore power incoming line like I showed in the video. So the converter only turns on with shore power, and not when the inverter is in use. I hope that helps. Thanks for checking out my video.
