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Victron Charger/Inverter


Traveller

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Have boated for many years but have never used one of these. The boat we are planning to buy has one and when i questioned what the Victron does I was told it charged the batteries when 240 volt is plugged in. Well yes and a CTEK marine charger does the same presumably and this is smaller and cheaper. There-again the CTEK does not include the word Inverter it its description so what am I missing? is it that if plugged in the Victron will drive 240 volt equipment via the batteries.

Thanks

Confused from Norfolk unsure.png

Edited by Traveller
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Yes it will supply 240v from the batteries if there is no shore power or generator on. If there is shore power or a generator on, it will automatically switch to being a battery charger and pass through the shore/generator power to the sockets.

Edited by nicknorman
  • Greenie 1
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Oddly enough, this Confused of Norfolk was discussing exactly the same piece of equipment yesterday with a boat engineer who had come to mend the boat next to ours. We have a Powermaster inverter which wasn't doing its job properly and we thought we might need to buy a replacement. Luckily he found that only a minor adjustment was needed, so it cost a tenner in yer 'and, mate, rather than a grand or so. But he did say that the Victron inverter/ charger was the "industry standard", which I presume means that posh new builds have them fitted.

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If the Victron on the boat you are planning to buy is a 'Multi', it is both a charger and an inverter, with a power output as marked on the unit (There are various sizes of units). If it's a 'Multi Plus' it will also have the ability to use the output of the inverter, using the batteries, to add to the shore power output should you need a greater load than the shore power alone can provide.

 

Ken

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No, Mastervolt Mass Combi does power assist as well, although it's switched off by default, it can be activated by moving a dip switch. The Victron has the advantage of the big dial on the remote panel to easily change the max shore power, on the Mastervolt this has to be done either with dip switches (limited choice of max current) or by a device connected to the Combi eg a touchscreen panel such as I have, or a laptop. However, I would question how much this facility is actually needed for the inland waterways. When most folk plug into shore power it will be at their home mooring and so there is no need to change the setting.

 

Otherwise, my impression is that MV kit is better than Victron. You just have to do a search of the forum to see how many folk are having issues with their Victrons vs MVs

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No, Mastervolt Mass Combi does power assist as well, although it's switched off by default, it can be activated by moving a dip switch. The Victron has the advantage of the big dial on the remote panel to easily change the max shore power, on the Mastervolt this has to be done either with dip switches (limited choice of max current) or by a device connected to the Combi eg a touchscreen panel such as I have, or a laptop. However, I would question how much this facility is actually needed for the inland waterways. When most folk plug into shore power it will be at their home mooring and so there is no need to change the setting.

 

Otherwise, my impression is that MV kit is better than Victron. You just have to do a search of the forum to see how many folk are having issues with their Victrons vs MVs

 

I use the facility when on shore power to reduce how many charging amps go into the batteries. I have the charging amps set higher as usually on generator, so use the dial when on shore to be nicer to the batteries.

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I use the facility when on shore power to reduce how many charging amps go into the batteries. I have the charging amps set higher as usually on generator, so use the dial when on shore to be nicer to the batteries.

Yes that is a valid use. This cannot be set with the DIP switches on a MV but it can be if a remote panel such as a the Masterview Easy is connected (which is what I have), although this does cost around £250. Although expensive, it allows all settings and values to be set / viewed. Out of interest, does the remote panel with the big dial thing come as standard on the Victron multiplus, or is it an optional extra?

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Out of interest, does the remote panel with the big dial thing come as standard on the Victron multiplus, or is it an optional extra?

It's an optional extra. Depending on model it's £91 or £119 plus vat (list price)

Edited by NB Ellisiana
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It's an optional extra. Depending on model it's £91 or £119 plus vat (list price)

 

Plus the remote also has a "alarm" type input for when using the generator, so the power output of the genny can be set independently and ignores the dial which is handy if you have a built in generator.

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Yes, on the MV you can set separate current limits for shore input and genny input, although you gave to tell it which source is coming in (unless I suppose you have MV generator kit which can send data down the Masterbus. Unfortunately my Masterswitch (which automatically selects between shore and genny) doesn't have a Masterbus interface.

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I think only Victron do 'power assist' where the shore power is added to from the batteries. Mastervolt I believe only do 240v from shore power or from batteries, not both combined. Due to Victron patent maybe?

 

Vetus also do "power assist".

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If that's the case Victron should be taken to task as they describe their Powerassist as 'unique'

MV call it "generator/mains support" so I guess Victron's implementation is unique because they have a slicker name for it! The MV also does "power sharing" where the charging current is decreased to keep the mains input current within a set limit, but without allowing the Combi to go into inverter mode to bolster the mains, and "power support" function where the two mains outputs (normally connected together when shore power is present) become isolated, one being fed by the shore socket and the other by the inverter. All very complicated!

 

The Victron implementation is slightly different because if I understand correctly, the big dial not only reduces the max incoming shore power but also decreases the charging current even if the shore limit is not being reached. With MV, these are two separate functions. So I can see that the Victron might be easier to use for the technologically challenged.

 

Well that is, until the smoke falls out of it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Please can one of you Victron experts help me make my Victron Multiplus equalise. I have mastered the trick of toggling the switch to get all three LEDs flash five times but I can't quite work out at what point to do the final flip to " on" which selects equalise. I have got the "three LEDs five times" ten or more times over the last week and flipped as soon as the green and yellow come on but only on one occasion did the voltage rise to 15.1v which it held for an hour, which is what I expected for equalising, on all the other occasions it went to 14.2v which is forced absorption.

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The instruction say that, once you have had the 5 flashes, the next thing is the bulk led will come on for 2 seconds. This is when you should make the final flip (whilst the bulk led is on). If this is what you are doing (can't tell from your text) and it is still not going into equalise, it could be because the batteries are not fully charged. They should be fully charged prior to going into equalise mode.

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Thanks for responding so quickly Nicknorman. The batteries have been on charge for three days, the yellow light is flashing indicating in the float phase, the charge current is down to less than 1 amp so I infer that they're as fully charged as this unit can get them (12/800/35 on five 105ah sealed cells) . I cannot work out from the manual which light actually is the "bulk" light. What happens after the five "all three led flashes" is that the green and yellow light come on together for maybe two or three seconds then it goes to yellow only. At which point should I flip the rocker switch to "on" ? Thank you for you patience.

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Ok so its a multiplus compact. Having found the manual for that I can see your problem! The instructions for getting into equalise mode still refer to the bulk, absorption and float LEDs even though, as far as I can see, they are not fitted unless you have the remote panel. But according to the description after the 5 flashes these lights would illuminate in sequence for 2 seconds each, therefore if you make the final flip 1-2 seconds after the 5 flashes finish, that might work. Alternatively, unless another forumite has one of these (I don't) I can only suggest you get in touch with Victron - and ask them why their manual is incomprehensible!

Edited by nicknorman
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