I bought this same charger 2 years ago to our camper. The camper was not equipped with any battery when I bought it so I had to build from scratch. I did some research and was thinking about ctek but in the end I bought the 15A charger, 500VA victron inverter and victron shunt connected to a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery. Last year I installed a solar panel with the victron smartsolar regulator so I can access everything from one app, except the inverter because I don't have the bt dongle needed for it.
I have the 30 amp Victron charger and it was pretty warm charging at 30 amps. I lowered the charge rate to 15 amps and it was much cooler. Maybe it’s better to buy a higher capacity charger but underutilize its capability?
I left a damning comment about my 15A model. If you have an infrared thermometer it would be interesting to see how hot yours runs when bulk charging. I doubt that they are still manufacturing the 20A model (9/23).
It is not awesome. It is rubbish. All you need to do is ask yourself, "would I charge a battery in my grandchild's bedroom with this?" Mine run 160F on the bottom and 149F on top for most of the cycle. It has no fan since it is waterproof, so maybe you could water cool it?? I would have returned it the day I got it but InvertersRUs doesn't accept returns. When I got scared of it I changed the setting (which can only be done on the app since the contraption has only a single button) to 4A, which did bring the temperature down to 105F on the bottom and 99F on top, but then it was impossible to return it to 15A. I could list 10 more design and programming errors, but I've said my piece. If you ignore this advice, at least consider a model with a lower output, like the 10A.
I looked at the IP67 and it has similar heat complaints. One person posted a picture on Amazon US where the fuse melted in the fuse housing distorting the whole thing. That was the 12v 17a model. For the heat issues I believe you are correct. If somebody wants the IP65 or 67 maybe keep the amperage model choice down to 10A. I noticed the IP22 has venting holes on the end so it may be a better choice for overall device longevity and safety. Did you figure out how to get yours back into 15A mode? Also have you found a comparable charger to purchase? I like the adjustability of these with volts and amps. I'd rather not have Bluetooth garbage though. That's an easy failure point.
I never used the thing again. It was an expensive lesson and I wouldn't feel good about selling it on ebay. I would think Victron, which I had always thought was a stand-up company, would have recalled these or at least offered to modify them to work at a reasonable amperage. I use a cheap fan-cooled 10A Amazon charger now. But if I'm not in the same room it goes into a metal bucket in case it catches on fire. So sad.
I've just bought the 15A version and it gets considerably hotter than my 10A version to the point where I'm not comfortable using it other than sitting on the concrete floor in the garage, The 10A version is so much better and gets no where near as hot. Cheers
@UKsystems Not questioning you here but if it really should be mounted why would Victron themselves sell a rubber bumper case for the 12v/10a, 12v/15a, & 12v/25a versions that cover the bottom, that would only make the heat problem worse. From Victron's description & design I think they intended the IP65 series to be fairly portable like a CTEK. Even CTEK sells rubber bumpers for their chargers.
Thanks for the straight forward walk through... Much appreciated. I've had mine a while and like it way better than the past LiFePo4 chargers I had.
I have several Victron products, they all work right out of the box very well, never any problems.
I bought this same charger 2 years ago to our camper. The camper was not equipped with any battery when I bought it so I had to build from scratch. I did some research and was thinking about ctek but in the end I bought the 15A charger, 500VA victron inverter and victron shunt connected to a 100Ah LiFePO4 battery. Last year I installed a solar panel with the victron smartsolar regulator so I can access everything from one app, except the inverter because I don't have the bt dongle needed for it.
Victron makes good stuff and is priced to reflect that but if your going to do it do it right they say. Lol. How is your system holding up?
I have the 30 amp Victron charger and it was pretty warm charging at 30 amps. I lowered the charge rate to 15 amps and it was much cooler. Maybe it’s better to buy a higher capacity charger but underutilize its capability?
was the unit mounted properly
Have 20 amp 12volt. Mine gets hot as hell. How's yours holding up?
Hello,
So far so good. Love how easy it is to use and all the information it gives you.
I left a damning comment about my 15A model. If you have an infrared thermometer it would be interesting to see how hot yours runs when bulk charging. I doubt that they are still manufacturing the 20A model (9/23).
I wonder how the better, more expensive IP67 compares to the cheaper IP65 you have?
If we get the chance to test it we'll let you know :)
@@Jimmy2Tech k, sounds good. It just seems to be more of a robust shell that has cooling fins all over it..
How much
Mine died in 6 months, their even worse than ctek
shouldn't do please contact the dealer
It is not awesome. It is rubbish. All you need to do is ask yourself, "would I charge a battery in my grandchild's bedroom with this?" Mine run 160F on the bottom and 149F on top for most of the cycle. It has no fan since it is waterproof, so maybe you could water cool it?? I would have returned it the day I got it but InvertersRUs doesn't accept returns. When I got scared of it I changed the setting (which can only be done on the app since the contraption has only a single button) to 4A, which did bring the temperature down to 105F on the bottom and 99F on top, but then it was impossible to return it to 15A. I could list 10 more design and programming errors, but I've said my piece. If you ignore this advice, at least consider a model with a lower output, like the 10A.
I looked at the IP67 and it has similar heat complaints. One person posted a picture on Amazon US where the fuse melted in the fuse housing distorting the whole thing. That was the 12v 17a model.
For the heat issues I believe you are correct. If somebody wants the IP65 or 67 maybe keep the amperage model choice down to 10A. I noticed the IP22 has venting holes on the end so it may be a better choice for overall device longevity and safety.
Did you figure out how to get yours back into 15A mode? Also have you found a comparable charger to purchase? I like the adjustability of these with volts and amps. I'd rather not have Bluetooth garbage though. That's an easy failure point.
I never used the thing again. It was an expensive lesson and I wouldn't feel good about selling it on ebay. I would think Victron, which I had always thought was a stand-up company, would have recalled these or at least offered to modify them to work at a reasonable amperage. I use a cheap fan-cooled 10A Amazon charger now. But if I'm not in the same room it goes into a metal bucket in case it catches on fire. So sad.
I've just bought the 15A version and it gets considerably hotter than my 10A version to the point where I'm not comfortable using it other than sitting on the concrete floor in the garage, The 10A version is so much better and gets no where near as hot. Cheers
@@robbiereddog4202 should be mounted anyway
@UKsystems Not questioning you here but if it really should be mounted why would Victron themselves sell a rubber bumper case for the 12v/10a, 12v/15a, & 12v/25a versions that cover the bottom, that would only make the heat problem worse.
From Victron's description & design I think they intended the IP65 series to be fairly portable like a CTEK. Even CTEK sells rubber bumpers for their chargers.