Which Inverter?

[Hoovie]

I'm thinking that the best solution is to go with Phoenix Inverter Smart and separate Blue Smart IP22 charger connected to a transfer switch such as NDS Priority switch. This way it gives complete control of both devices which can be turned off when not required. Only advantage I can see of Multiplus II over this configuration is the Power Assist function. Or am I missing something.

Well .... you are I would say.

Apart from Power Assist, which is VERY useful, you don't have a way to set a current limit, which is useful even without Power Assist (not all MPs have Power Assist in fact, but they all have setable current limit).
Another benefit is cost. The Multiplus is not a cheap product by any means, but when you compare the cost of a Multiplus against the cost of a Victron Inverter of the same output AND the cost of an AC Charger of the same output (the biggest IP22 charger will not come close to any Multiplus except the very smallest ones), it becomes the economic choice.
Then you add the other advantages and ... well, say no more.


Put it this way .... I fitted the Multiplus 12/3000/120 in my last camper conversion. When I decided to get a 'pre-built' Motorhome, one of the first decisions I made was not whether to get another Multiplus, but just WHICH ONE to get

 

[Ditcha]

Please accept my apologies, after reading Autorouter post, I think the penny dropped. You mentioned ve config AES, then AES on mppt, and that’s where all the confusion kicked in. What I think you meant is trigger the fridge by the mppt load setting, rather the ve config relay. Sorry again for my part of confusing things.

I blame victron for having two AES,s

 

[Ditcha]

Will this make the Multiplus completely silent when on EHU.

I think it depends on where you mount the MultiPlus as to how quiet it is I mounted ours under the central seating area in a locker you can't hear it at all when in bed the only time you can hear it is when the missus has the coffee machine on or you are charging the later is few and far between think we have used the charger about twice on ehu in 18 months even then I don't find the noise intrusive.
I only have my 230v sockets and Aircon running from the MultiPlus the boiler and fridge are still only run on ehu for 230v supply. I have been considering adding the fridge from the MultiPlus to run on 230v but not sure.
As Hoovie explain buying the MultiPlus is a costly outlay at first but not when you add all its functionality in and I wouldn't think twice now after having one to buy another.

 

[Hoovie]

I cannot deny that I am a bit of a Victron Fanboy.....

Victron Fanboy by David, on Flickr

But .... that does not mean that they are perfect or I am 100% happy with how it works!

 

[Ditcha]

I cannot deny that I am a bit of a Victron Fanboy.....

Victron Fanboy by David, on Flickr

But .... that does not mean that they are perfect or I am 100% happy with how it works!

One thing missing from the blue collection
But you do have a good substitute

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[Hoovie]

One thing missing from the blue collection
But you do have a good substitute

View attachment 777385
View attachment 777384

Oh, you mean one of these .....

Lynx by David, on Flickr

I used that in my last Camper conversion for the three 210Ah Batteries, but not suitable for this motorhome setup.

 

[AnthonyA]

I used a standard power relay, 240V 20A, with 240V coil. 2-pole changeover contacts, also called Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT). It has two changeover switches, which have three contacts: Common (COM), Normally Closed (NC) and Normally Open (NO). The relay connects the Inverter, Hookup and Loads. For the Live, Loads = COM, Inverter = NO, Hookup - NC. The Neutral is connected the same way to the other switch.

I can't find the details of the relay I used, but I would get something like this one. You have to wade through a lot of them to find one that is 240V DPDT, 20A, with 240V coil.

https://ie.farnell.com/potter-brumfield-te-connectivity/kuhp-11a51-240/relay-dpdt-240vac-28vdc-20a/dp/1532038

If you have space in your consumer unit you could look for a relay that clips onto the DIN rail, a neat solution. Make sure it's DPDT, most of them are DP On/Off only.
This is how I wired it up: brown = live, blue = neutral.
View attachment 776830

I'm trying to work out how the EHU is connected as the Multiplus also has an incoming mains connection.

 

[nigel dewbery]

I just tried as a check on my EasyPlus 12/1600 (aka Multiplus 12/1600) ... set it to 1A and it said "Value not accepted, it was adjusted the next acceptable value" which was 2.4A.

just a bit of info

H

 

[nigel dewbery]

Oh, you mean one of these .....

Lynx by David, on Flickr

I used that in my last Camper conversion for the three 210Ah Batteries, but not suitable for this motorhome setup.

H

So being a newbie, what better capacity do you need to support a 2000w inverter?

 

[nigel dewbery]

So being a newbie, what better capacity do you need to support a 2000w inverter?

Should be battery!

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[Billy192]

Just be careful of the specification of the inverter. 3000W is that Max or continuous? I recently upgraded mine to 5000W Max / 3500W continuous.
I can now run the Tassimo Coffee Maker. I also wired mine in with a big 3-way switch. 1. OFF 2. Hookup 3. Inverter.

same here, i used a 3500w peter inverter recommended by "off grid garage" on utube. and a 3way switch over








1 inverter 2 hook up

Billy

 

[Raul]

Where did you get the Peter? Any Link?

 

[Hoovie]

So being a newbie, what battery capacity do you need to support a 2000w inverter?

Different people have different opinions on this.

Some will quote an extremely large capacity so you don't exceed a certain "C" rating.
The C rating is like a ratio of current draw to battery capacity. For example, if you were drawing 100A off a 100Ah battery, the C value would be 1C. If you had a 200Ah the C value would be 0.5. (100A/200Ah) also called C/2. This is a common "don't go above" number and some advocate keeping even lower.
The lower the C rating, the better for battery longevity, but you have to balance that against how much you want to spend on batteries and how much room you have for them, plus how much and how long you will be running the inverter for.
If you have this 2000W inverter (drawing maybe 200A including overhead losses) installed so you can treat yourself to a cup of coffee from a Nespresso machine once a day and it runs for 5 minutes, do you need to install the recommended 600Ah of batteries? I wouldn't personally.
But if I was using this inverter more extensively (maybe for cooking on an induction hob and heating water), then the bigger bank may be needed for the much greater power use as well as being gentler on the batteries under the load.

So long-winded way to say no size fits all in the real world. I wouldn't want to go above the 1C, but anything at that or below is ok DEPENDING on how you are using the inverter.

And to repeat the first line, this is MY opinion. Others may disagree completely with the above and that is fine.

 

[Billy192]

Where did you get the Peter? Any Link?

ali express
arrived 6 days after order. i had a 2000w victron phoenix in my last van, it was fantastic up to around 1500w but did not like going above that and it cost £800. the peter was £225 delivered. so i went for the 2500.

Billy

 

[nigel dewbery]

Different people have different opinions on this.

Some will quote an extremely large capacity so you don't exceed a certain "C" rating.
The C rating is like a ratio of current draw to battery capacity. For example, if you were drawing 100A off a 100Ah battery, the C value would be 1C. If you had a 200Ah the C value would be 0.5. (100A/200Ah) also called C/2. This is a common "don't go above" number and some advocate keeping even lower.
The lower the C rating, the better for battery longevity, but you have to balance that against how much you want to spend on batteries and how much room you have for them, plus how much and how long you will be running the inverter for.
If you have this 2000W inverter (drawing maybe 200A including overhead losses) installed so you can treat yourself to a cup of coffee from a Nespresso machine once a day and it runs for 5 minutes, do you need to install the recommended 600Ah of batteries? I wouldn't personally.
But if I was using this inverter more extensively (maybe for cooking on an induction hob and heating water), then the bigger bank may be needed for the much greater power use as well as being gentler on the batteries under the load.

So long-winded way to say no size fits all in the real world. I wouldn't want to go above the 1C, but anything at that or below is ok DEPENDING on how you are using the inverter.

And to repeat the first line, this is MY opinion. Others may disagree completely with the above and that is fine.

Thanks this is a great starting point

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[Hoovie]

ali express
arrived 6 days after order. i had a 2000w victron phoenix in my last van, it was fantastic up to around 1500w but did not like going above that and it cost £800. the peter was £225 delivered. so i went for the 2500.

Billy

I think the "2000w Victron phoenix" would have actually been a 1600W Inverter. Victron quote VA, not Watts on their headline specs.

Surprising it didn't like going to the specs (were you using in a hot environment? The 1600W drops to 1300W if it is around 40dC). I have a Victron 12/1600 - that is 1350W nominally and it will go above that for short bursts (I could run a Bosch Tassimo on it, which is a quoted 1300W device but actually hits 2000W for brief moments)
If you go above the rated power, the inverter reports 'overload' but that is ok for up to 30 seconds in fact (part of the design specs).

 

[Billy192]

I think the "2000w Victron phoenix" would have actually been a 1600W Inverter. Victron quote VA, not Watts on their headline specs.

Surprising it didn't like going to the specs (were you using in a hot environment? The 1600W drops to 1300W if it is around 40dC). I have a Victron 12/1600 - that is 1350W nominally and it will go above that for short bursts (I could run a Bosch Tassimo on it, which is a quoted 1300W device but actually hits 2000W for brief moments)

Not hot at all. i ran a few things on it fine tassimo, toaster, 850w kettle i even the truma water on the 1000w setting, just thought i would try the 2500w to have a bit spare. i sometimes use my 240 from the van in my work shop it ran many of my tools fine.

Billy