Amazing Hidden Inverter Feature!
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2021
- Today I wanted to take a look at a feature on the Multiplus II RV Inverter that has a great setting if you need to use a generator with your RV Inverter. This gives you the ability to run items that may not be able to typically run on the generator because it would bog the generator down. It is an excellent option to be able to run an RV Air Conditioning off a small generator.
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The series of videos you put out on this Inverter has both educated me on the epic features available by this product, as well as made up my mind on which one we need. To potentially not ever need something bigger than our current 2k watt generator is just additional good news! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing. I am installing my victron multiplus 2 inverter in my enclosed trailer now.
Thank you Jason this is also the second time I watch this video after your install of this inverter because I’m changing out the standard multiplies for the multiplies II
Excellent quality and works great as an alternate power source for my Winnebago RV when shore power is not available. Also great for Florida storm season and our fluctuating power. On propane, this starts up easily and no messy gas to deal with, very clean and easy to operate. Build quality is better than expected should last for years.
Getting the last of my system this week and have that inverter, glad to see it has this. This is going to be a learning curve for me for sure. lol
currently testing a 12V / 600A system with Multiplus 2 and saw the setting but didnt know what it meant. Very helpful! This + Weak AC source is great for my little Honda i10 (1000VA) generator.
Just finished programming the Victron multiplus 2 that I'll be installing in my daughter's Grand design RV up in Custer South Dakota next month while we meet up there to see the Buffalo Roundup. This is a really cool option! You do have to have the programming module RJ45 to USB (MK3-USB) from Victron and your laptop with the Victron software, but it's so simple.
Love Custer, what a great place.
Love your insight on solar stuff. Learning alot from your vids
That's an awesome feature. Looking forward to trying it out 👍
👍🏻
Your drawback is that it is hard to enable...why not leave it on all the time? We frequently encounter shore power from campgrounds that drop voltage when the air conditioners kick on. Even with the Power Assist setting turned to 24A on a 30A pestle we often get disconnected by our EMS.
Thanks for finding this setting. I’ll upgrade my firmware and see if it’s included.
just ran into this issue just today as I only brought my 2200 watt generator and the first time I have wanted to run the air without shore power. How did you know to post this today????? I am going to try this tomorrow. I will update tomorrow on success or not. You rock as always! Thanks
Thanks that is great information
It would be cool if Victron could also measure shore voltage as well as amps. Here's the situation we're encountering at our current RV park and we've experienced similar situations other places as well. We have a 50 amp rig and are currently connected to 30 amp RV Park pedestal. When we pull 6 amps (basic load) we are reading 117v. When our AC kicks on, we jump to 17 amps and the voltage drops to 107v. When we had our fridge and water heater on electric (now on propane) with the AC we were at 22 amps, the voltage dropped to 98v, and our surge protector cut us off.
What I'm suggesting would be cool for Victron to do is while being able to choose 50 amps, 30 amps, etc etc, you could also have voltage limits. For example you could set a limit like 110v where no matter how many amps you are pulling, once the inverter sees 110v, it doesn't draw any additional power from the pedestal but starts inverting and drawing off the batteries any additional load. That way you never lose power by the voltage dropping too low and inverting 100% but you could do the base load + 80% of the ac load off the pedestal and invert the other 20% of the ac load off the batteries. When the ac kicks off, you can still run the base load off the pedestal and the remaining load (up to 110v and/or 30 amp) could be used to recharge the batteries.
Agreed. It seems like it depends on "which leg" gets measured. Running our AC, we're showing 1500 watts. But I ran something else the other day, and it was showing 115 watts. I knew dang well that it wasn't accurate.
I really wish I could thought process your post. I've got part, but that's not enough. Learning a lot thru it, but my brain is exhausted
Couldn't you tell the MultiPlus not to pull more than 17A-20A from shore, then it'll make up the rest from the battery?
A Hughs Autoformer is a fantastic solution to this problem. I won't connect my rig to shore power without it.
Great job thx!
Nice video. Just got my multiplus 2 invertor. 3 100amp hour renogy lithium batteries and 3 200 watt solar panels. Now to get it Ll installed. Have your wiring diagram from your install. Thanks for all you do for RVers
Thanks Scott! Have fun with the install!
Very cool! 👍🏼 👊🏼
I’m glad you covered the soft start.
They also make 12 V DC powered air conditioners now
Yes some of those 12v Ac units look impressive.
Are they super expensive?
That feature has worked well for me with my older (pre "ii" version) Multiplus 24/3000 120v inverter-charger, when using our little emergency Harbor Freight generator which supplies max 13.2 amps. I set the max input current to 13 amps to maximise the battery charging but unless this feature was enabled, the genny would bog down and have to be reset whenever the microwave or induction cooktop was switched on. This feature gives the generator just enough time to build revs and power to supply greater loads. Works perfectly!
Glad to hear it worked with the small harbor freight generator too.
@@AllAboutRVs Yeah, me too! And I must say, I'm VERY pleasantly surprised with the little 2kw Predator inverter-generator! It feels like real quality! The fit and finish is pretty good, and it starts up real easily and sips fuel and is fairly light and decently quiet. For half the cost of a Honda (which is, of course, undoubtedly better quality), and the number of times we use it, this Predator is absolutely perfect, for us. I get a pretty constant 53-54 amps into my 24v LFP, so right around 1400w, which is what it will reliably run for hours on end. Just about perfect for our 7.8KWh LFP bank. Another couple hundred watts would have been nice, but it was not worth the weight and fuel for us to go to the much larger next step up generator.
Oh i didn’t realize the older 24/3000 had that feature too! that’s really handy, i haven’t installed mine yet. I’ve got the Honda 2200 so should be able to max out the charging into my battery pack as well, same size as yours too!
@@AllAboutRVs @All About RV's Where or how does one find the access code to enable these features????! When you use the MK3 CABLE with laptop it says "dealer only" how does one know the password or security code to access these features and change those settings...
Love this feature.
Hello Jerad, thanks for sharing. First time dry camping with a similar system
You have. Would of been nice if victron left this option to flip on or off in the VRM or app. Thanks again
Cool function!
Hi Jared: Many thanks for explaining the the Dynamic Current Limiter in the Multitiplus II. I am having a strange issue in my system. I would love to upgrade but I have the older 12vdc/120 vac 3000va Multiplus in my RV along with an AM Solar SPS (Smart Phase Selector) This takes care of the second leg so all of the AC outlets and appliances are connected to the inverter. My system includes a hardwired Southwire 50a Surge Guard and when dry camping I use one or two Honda EU2200 generators with bonded plugs if I need to turn on the A/C. Otherwise I have plenty of solar and lithium batteries for everything else. On a recent firmware update my Multiplus also has an option for Dynamic Current Limiting under the general tab. I checked out the system pluged in to 50 amp ac and I assumed one or both of my generators would work as well.
Last week I went to an event in Delaware with no hookups. It was hot and I needed to turn on the A/C. When I went to connect one or both Hondas the surge guard did its normal 2 min delay and then the display would turn off for a few seconds and then it would start all over again never allowing the power to pass through. I could also see it was showing a ground fault error. I have bonded plugs on both generators and never had this problem before. The whole week I could not use the A/C. I assumed it might have been a defective SPS. If I disconnected power after the surge guard it connected fine. I had called South Guard, and AM solar tech support and they were all scratching their heads.
When I got home yesterday i plugged into my 50 amp outlet and expected to see the same issue but it connected normally. Long story short after trying many things I disabled the Dynamic Current Limiter in the MultiPlus settings and my generators connected fine. I tried several times off and on and it was very repeatable. I have no idea why this would happen. Hopefully if it happens to someone else they will know what to try.
That’s a really cool feature
The videos are super helpful. Thanks!
I’m going to go with solar power and the Victron multipluse for shore power to my trailer conversion.
I would like to add the ability to charge my trolling motor battery off shore or solar. Was thinking of a quick connect system. Like a long cable with an SAE PORT. Where would I add that to these systems?
I bought the Victron Mutiplus based on this video for my 30 amp RV. I considered the Sun Gold 3000 watt inverter also recommended but opted against it because I did not want to have a case of inverter envy. I installed the Multiplus with a 300AH chins battery that can provide 200amps of continuous power as long as it lasts. The 15000 BTU GE A/C works off of the battery fairly well but with the Honda EU2000i generator it would overload. I tinkered with all sorts of settings without luck until I dialed down the current limit to 13 amps on the digital control remote then it worked perfectly. It seems that my generator can only put out 13.2 amps despite the 20 amp breaker on its panel. I need about 300 watts of assist to run this A/C drawing about 25 amps off of the battery while the compressor is on. This is ok because the battery recharges when the compressor is off so I don't down draw down the battery too much. If others are having trouble getting a large load to run off power assist then turn down the current limit to just below what you know your generator can handle. May seem obvious in hind sight but a tech rep could not point me into this solution only saying that I need a soft start. Soft start will not help me because my generator is slightly too small to handle the run current. The multiplus works like a charm. Maybe one day I will install a cerbo and gx touch!
Hi Joe! I have the same issue with my generator, 300 Ah Chins battery and MP3000. I will try setting the ps to 13 next time I can get to my camper and see if that works, as I've been having generator overload issues with my Champion 3400 while using it with my Victron set up. How are you liking your Chin 300? Last time I used mine it seemed to drain quite quickly and I wasn't pulling much of a load on it. Best regards, Lish
Great tip! We just installed our Multi plus II. Is it normal for the inverter to be humming constantly?
Very cool. I wonder if my Multiplus 3000 has this feature?
Good information
Thanks
I got mine last week and getting ready to install it, can you link the LCD monitor screen that showed the input and output
Advantage of dynamic assist helps for inverter-generators using ECO mode where rpm is reduced to save fuel and lower noise. When inverter-generator gets hit with a surge load it clips AC sinewave peaks until engine rpm reaches required load power.
Jared, my inverter is coming in today, I’ve already ran my new 6/3 with ground yesterday and just waiting for the ups guy, I still need to ask you about my 4/0 ground wire. I need to know if I can run the one going to inverter from my smart to a busbar then to the inverter?
Definitely a nice feature but I think there is a bug associated with this or maybe just something on the Multiplus itself. When my AC is running I can not get the inverter to to pull more than ~10 amps from the generator when in power assist mode. Even bumping the limit up to 16 amps (which is less than the AC load) causes it to still only pull around 10 amps. It seems to be well documented issue on the victron forums. Do you see this on the newer Multiplus?
For what its worth, when the AC is off and generator is charging batteries I can get it to respect the limit within .5 amps or so. My 2200 honda will work well all the way up until about 16 amps at 5600 feet elevation.
Great video I get it but can you tell us how to engage the DC to DC (from the alternator) as our solar works, our shore power works but we cannot get a reliable charge from our alternator, really makes living off grid difficult!
I have an Airstream and thinking about upgrading to this Victron inverter. Being that it will have to live inside the Airstream I'm curious how loud it is. My concerns would be it would get too hot/cold being installed in the space between the propane tanks and the shell. Any info is appreciated!
Smart shunt
This is a fantastic feature. I only wish I could get ahold of a Multiplis II so I could finally have an inverter!
You can get they now,, Some dealer have them in stock
I just bought a E-Pro 20FBS. It has the Rockwood Power Package on it. That is a Mastervolt hybrid system. It's a 12/3000-160. Do I need a Surgre Prosecutor when I plug into my house? I plug into a 110 outlet. When I use my surge Protector it's blows the GFI on my 110 outlet. When I remove the surge protector it doesn't blow the GFI. My question is do I need to use a surge protector with this system.
I am about to buy this 30A Multiplus II for my class C RV. I was only planning to use the new battle born C3 that puts out 270 amp hours. Is the Multiplus II compatible with this size of battery bank. I have very limited space.
I have the 48v 3000 120 MPII.. Where are you seeing\getting that blue screen...? I saw you access it on your cell also.
I'm guessing something isn't plugged in correctly.. I have the connect app but don't see the MP on the right side of the screen.. I see 2 controllers and the SmartBMV..
Appreciate the video. Any idea if this setting is available on the original Multiplus? Or only on the Multiplus II?
I believe it’s on both with the new firmware.
Is there any reason why you can't keep the Dynamic Current Limit always on? Then you don't need to worry about that one negative you mention.
@All About RV's Where or how does one find the access code to enable these features????! When you use the MK3 CABLE with laptop it says "dealer only" how does one know the password or security code to access these features and change those settings.
How are you turning this dynamic option on?
What plugin did you use to feature your screen recordings? Like at the 4:53 mark...
Wondering what your going to do on new RV. Same inverter, bigger ,less ?
Hmm do we still need softstart?
I have so many questions!!! Is there an auto battery protect when towing the RV if you have lithium batteries? I have a 30 amp trailer but may change and do not want to repurchase another system....thoughts? Multiplus 1 or 2? I currently have 510 watts of solar which maxes out my controller, with future additional panels is a mpg 100/30 enough or should I up it a notch.? Is there an auto transfer feature without adding a transfer switch? I’ve called suppliers but they are so busy and vague that I can’t seem to get the information I need. I’m certainly no electrician so some of the reading is lost. Talk to me about water though....I’m a plumber. I have 3 weize 100Ah Lithium phosphate batteries. Brand new still in box but I want all my ducks in a row before I start. The goal is to be free from shore power at some point or 90% free at least. I’ve seen ur diagrams and watched urs and many others videos trying to get an understanding of it. Remember...plumber not electrician. Lol.
Is this MP2 only or also in MP? Is the access via phone or via laptop?
Jarred, talking power, if a 5th wheel has three ac’s can they all run at the same time.
Dumb question: when you travel with your 5th wheel and carry the gas generator. How do you carry the generator and keep it from being stolen? Thank you for your very informative videos!
We keep it in our storage bay which is one of the reasons we want to run it on propane instead of gas.
@@AllAboutRVs Hadn't thought about propane generators. Do you have a video on those? I would be in favor of not using/ carrying gas... so would my wife
Hey Jared! Thanks for the awesome info! I really appreciate and enjoy your content. I currently have a Champion 3400 and it worked fine on it's own. Then, I upgraded to solar (all Victron system) to be more self sufficient and it does not work with my Champion 3400 at all! It overloads the generator and eventually disconnects from my Victron MP3 (120v) system.....no power assist at all. 😩. Any suggestions? I looked on line and UA-cam and some other people have had good luck with the same type of set up. But I've also read that Victron systems don't work well with inverter generators. Thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated! I am also investing in a Champion 2500 dual fuel (under 40 pounds.....hallelujah) to see if my issue has to do with the larger inverter generator. Victron is impossible to reach! Thanks in advance for your input! Lish
I’ve used both the 3400 and 2500 with ours. My guess is it is seeing the 120. Volts from the generator and is instantly trying to charge the battery bank along with other things running. I have dialed back the current limit and then increase it once the generator can catch up. The other thing is there is a setting in setup for generator type power when it is “weak” and it will slowly switch to generator. It’s not an easy setting to switch on and off and you don’t want it on all the time. I hope this helps.
@@AllAboutRVs Thanks much for responding back Jared! I've tried shutting most everything off while using the generator to charge the batteries. I'll have to see if I can find someone local who can help me with the programming and accessing what needs to be changed. Also, I managed to forget my password for my apps. which meant I had to delete the app. Now I'm not able to get back into the program. Ugh! 😩
If you choose to get an easy start for your AC, does that eliminate the need to enable dynamic mode?
@altraynorea2170 - Maybe, maybe not. Your loads are different.
If you're only turning it on and off from your computer, can't you write a scrip for it to be one command on the computer and it does it?
Is there a drawback to enabling this feature?
Do you know if you can charge the batteries at will via Bluetooth or a button?
Typically, excess PV power always charges the battery bank. You can enable / disable charging from the Grid.
Jared, which app do you have? I’m not able to locate the app that connects to the multiplus II.
@timskog9909 - At time @4:57 his screen shows, "Victron Connect"
I'm a bit confused on this feature. I thought the Victron inverters power assisted all the time? If you draw more than the generator / shore input, the inverter makes up the difference. That means the surge of starting AC should be handled already?
And, I never did hear a down side of just leaving this on? If it's kind of a pain, why not just leave it on? It wouldn't do anything unless you're connected to shore/generator anyways...
This is probably best understood with a very basic example using some simple not-adjusted-for-complex electrical-principles math. And remember, the assumption here is that you are using a generator, and likely a small generator. So, you have a generator of 2000w (approx 15 amp) and set the Power Assist setting to 15amps so it will assist after 15amps of demand. Fire up the 13amp air conditioner, microware, coffee maker, or whatever and the Power Assist would not kick in because you didn’t hit the 15amp threshold. Yet the generator will likely gag and sputter and result in voltage drop until the RPMs can recover - not good for your equipment. With the Dynamic Current Limit enabled, it sets the Power Assist ‘dynamically’ at just above the present amperage draw. So let’s assume there was a 1amp draw on the system before you turn on the air conditioner, and Dynamic Power Assist was at about a 2amp threshold. The Assist kicks in much sooner, as soon as a larger than the ‘normal’ 1amp load is started. The inverter provided the extra power right away and gradually reduces until the generator can get up to speed. Hope that helps.
Now that Victron has officially announced the 24v version of the Multiplus II 2 x 120v, I'm holding off until it is available!
where did you hear about this?
@@mistertapper On one of the recent Victron videos on UA-cam. Johannes (owner of Victron) annouced it.
If I have a 30 amp rv and I am using a champion 2500w dual fuel and victron multiplus 3000, can I just leave this setting on all the time? What is the draw back if I then plug into 15 or 30amp shorepower? Currently I have a problem when using generator when I am running generator and I have limiter set to 13 amps, the generator is bulk charging the batteries. Then when I kick on air conditioning it starts going into power assist and then is assisting the whole time when I am only pulling 8-9 amps/1000w from generator. It never balances out. The same thing happens when I plug into 15amp shore power at home. Main question is, is there any reason not to just leave this on?
I wish someone would state in plane English why they wouldn’t leave this on. But I’m thinking it’s because if you did, and let’s say you boon-dock one night with a 2k gen, and have your MP set to limit power to 2k, then next day your at the camp site plugged into 30 amp, I believe the MP will limit that 30 amp input to the 2k threshold set previously. So long as you keep up with the limit, I think it would work? But correct me if I am wrong, does this take priority and conflict with the other power assisting limits?
I think the Victron Digital Multi Control Panel GX can also limit current draw. Still nice to see it as a built in feature.
Yes you can change the limit current draw but I couldn’t find a way to turn on the dynamic current limit option.
I'm confused. This is not a "new" or "hidden" feature at all. This has been publically documented and available on MultiPlus units for as long as I can remember. I found references to this feature in Victron manuals from as far back as 2005.
Basically turns your battery bank into a capacitor
Does the power assist support both line 1&2?
Yes and no. When connected to a 120 source like I was in the video yes both sides of your panel have the assist. When on a 240v source only line 1 would have the assist.
@@AllAboutRVs Very nice. I wish GoPower has the assist on both legs. You probably don't need the assist when connecting to 240V source.
@@albertchuang2438I must agree
THANMS FOR TELLING US HOW "NOT TO DO""""!!!!!!!!!!
MAGIC - it's a magic box that solves so many problems! If we transition from wannabes to newbies, the MultiPlus 2, or whatever the series top of the line becomes, will be our first major upgrade.
How do you activate that setting?
Connect to your inverter using the mk3-usb from Victron after downloading the victron connect software on your laptop. I also installed their drivers in my laptop which are available from the download site at Victron. This setting is under the inverter tab. You may have to call your dealer from where you bought your picture on to get the three digit secret code for setting these parameters. I don't know if they're all the same code or not. I did read somewhere in the blogs that having this turned on and the UPS option on, might cause some issues.
@@MarkSpencerAZ FWIW, It's worked perfectly for me.
How does one find the 3 digit code to access these advanced settings???
what's the password to get in
As always a good video and well timed. We also did a video this week on the inverter (well on how long we could run AC). We used some of your videos to help with putting together our system. So thanks!
ua-cam.com/video/X4IFAgkK_V8/v-deo.html
Rich folk toys
Leaves me out
Victron products are the premier RV solution. Their price, features and quality reflect it. It is however possible to build an inexpensive solution. It all depends on your needs, goals and finances allow. Check out Diysolar.
Hidden... Lol... if you do not read the manual yea....
too complicated.
@Lesthehandyman - Compared to what alternative?
Chinese junk. Buy a Magnum made in the USA and the best inverter period.
Thumbs down! We're so tired of content providers hyping lies like "hidden settings" or "secret menus" just to be shown something widely advertised for clicks. Not nice. Deceptive.