I was camping recently with no shore power and my batteries, on the 2nd day, were displaying low power on the inverter. My system is comprised of 2 160 watt solar panels connected to a Victron MPPT 100/50 controller, Victron Multiplus inverter/charger, BMV-712 monitor, and 2 BB 100ah batteries. The 120v used in my trailer was only 3 strings of mini lights, a satellite radio, and charging for phones. The 12v used for lights and water pump. Based on usage I should have had plenty of battery power to run the coffee maker in the morning but not so. The BMV was showing a 12.63 SOC which I thought was low based on power consumption but also thought it should have been sufficient to run a small electrical appliance. I'm running the refrigerator on propane so minimal draw from that so I'm not sure what might be causing the battery drain. At the end of the day the batteries were showing full charge, ran the same electrical appliances, along with the DWs hair dryer, and the next morning the same issue with low power. Is there something I should look for that might be putting a drain on the batteries? I have my inverter and BMV programmed for lithium batteries based on spec provided by BB but the SOC never shows above 13.93v rather than the 14.2 I've programmed. I hope all this makes sense? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
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Originally posted by scdock View PostI was camping recently with no shore power and my batteries, on the 2nd day, were displaying low power on the inverter. My system is comprised of 2 160 watt solar panels connected to a Victron MPPT 100/50 controller, Victron Multiplus inverter/charger, BMV-712 monitor, and 2 BB 100ah batteries. The 120v used in my trailer was only 3 strings of mini lights, a satellite radio, and charging for phones. The 12v used for lights and water pump. Based on usage I should have had plenty of battery power to run the coffee maker in the morning but not so. The BMV was showing a 12.63 SOC which I thought was low based on power consumption but also thought it should have been sufficient to run a small electrical appliance. I'm running the refrigerator on propane so minimal draw from that so I'm not sure what might be causing the battery drain. At the end of the day the batteries were showing full charge, ran the same electrical appliances, along with the DWs hair dryer, and the next morning the same issue with low power. Is there something I should look for that might be putting a drain on the batteries? I have my inverter and BMV programmed for lithium batteries based on spec provided by BB but the SOC never shows above 13.93v rather than the 14.2 I've programmed. I hope all this makes sense? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
When I run my 2000 watt inverter in the morning to make coffee or run the microwave, it sometimes starts beeping to tell me there is low battery voltage. But it won't shut down until the voltage gets down to a significantly lower level. I'm running three BB's and still get this warning. But, when I finish and turn off the inverter, the battery voltage comes right back up.
Try this tomorrow morning.
1. Record the battery voltage from your BMV712 before you turn on any devices. Make sure everything is turned off, including your inverter.
2. Turn on your loads such as the coffee pot and record your voltage while under load.
3. When finished brewing your coffee, turn everything off including 12V draws such as the refrigerator, wait five minutes, and then record your voltage.
What I suspect is happening is that the loads through your inverter are simply high, and they are pulling the battery voltage down because of it. This shouldn't hurt anything. As long as the batteries recover while at rest, you shouldn't be too concerned.
Jim
Jim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
GDRV Rally Support Coordinator
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TucsonJim
Thanks for the advise, I'll record my the loads and post once I'm back to civilization. From your comments you were still able to run your coffee pot even though the you got a low voltage warning. I was not able to. The inverter would kick on and the coffee pot would run, then shut off. This happened a handful of times so I fired up the generator to finish. Is this normal?2120 Imagine 2670MK
2016 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
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Originally posted by scdock View PostTucsonJim
Thanks for the advise, I'll record my the loads and post once I'm back to civilization. From your comments you were still able to run your coffee pot even though the you got a low voltage warning. I was not able to. The inverter would kick on and the coffee pot would run, then shut off. This happened a handful of times so I fired up the generator to finish. Is this normal?
JimJim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
GDRV Rally Support Coordinator
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The wiring is 1/O from batteries to inverter (confirmed that yesterday as I was wondering if the wire size was too small). The run isn't that long as the batteries are mounted on the A frame and the inverter is in the pass thru. I'd guess 5 maybe 6 feet tops of wire run.2120 Imagine 2670MK
2016 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
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What is the model number of your Victron Multiplus? If you have the 3000 watt model, it requires two parallel runs of 1/0 AWG wire. In other words two +12v wires and two ground wires. If this is the case, it could explain the issues you're encountering.
JimLast edited by TucsonJim; 06-18-2021, 03:26 PM.Jim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
GDRV Rally Support Coordinator
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Yeah for my Multiplus 3000 I ran 4/0 just to be sure I was covered. I think in the Multiplus settings you can set what voltages it will shutdown and warn at. You might want to take a look at those. When you are getting the low voltage shutdown what % does the BMV say if left in the batteries? Keep in mind to access those Multiplus settings you'll need to hardwire a laptop or Android phone to it, those cannot be accessed via Bluetooth.Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Neil Citro
2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab
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My inverter model is the Compact 12/24v 2000VA 120v. I don't recall the setting on the BMV for low voltage shutdown. I modified the factory settings to those provided by BattleBorn. I have the USB to Ethernet box that allows my computer to interface with the Multiplus. I had to recently reset everything as the firmware updated the MPPT, inverter, and BMV which defaulted all to factory settings.2120 Imagine 2670MK
2016 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost
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Originally posted by scdock View PostMy inverter model is the Compact 12/24v 2000VA 120v. I don't recall the setting on the BMV for low voltage shutdown. I modified the factory settings to those provided by BattleBorn. I have the USB to Ethernet box that allows my computer to interface with the Multiplus. I had to recently reset everything as the firmware updated the MPPT, inverter, and BMV which defaulted all to factory settings.Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Neil Citro
2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab
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I took a look at the Victron site and pulled the manual for the Multiplus Compact 12/24V 2000VA 120V set up. According to the installation guide, they recommend the following:
You have 200 Ah of capacity which is probably fine as long as you're not running the large loads for very long.
The issue that I see is your wire size which can have a significant loss of power. The manual says for runs of 0 to 5 meters, you should be running 70 mm2 wire. That converts to 2/0 AWG. By running 1/0, you will experience a noticeable voltage drop at higher current draw.
When I first purchased my 2000 watt inverter a few years ago, I had some 1/0 wire laying around and I elected to use it instead of the 2/0 that the manual suggested. When I tried to brew coffee, the inverter frequently faulted and shut down. After installing the proper 2/0 wire, it no longer shut off. But it still beeps once in a while with a heavy load...
JimJim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
GDRV Rally Support Coordinator
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scdock
Here is a screenshot of my Inverter tab in the Multiplus settings in Victron Connect. There are settings for the DC input shutdown and reset voltages. I have mine set pretty low, but I watch it pretty closely and I trust my BMS to shut my batteries down before its an issue.
Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Neil Citro
2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab
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Originally posted by TucsonJim View PostI took a look at the Victron site and pulled the manual for the Multiplus Compact 12/24V 2000VA 120V set up. According to the installation guide, they recommend the following:
You have 200 Ah of capacity which is probably fine as long as you're not running the large loads for very long.
The issue that I see is your wire size which can have a significant loss of power. The manual says for runs of 0 to 5 meters, you should be running 70 mm2 wire. That converts to 2/0 AWG. By running 1/0, you will experience a noticeable voltage drop at higher current draw.
When I first purchased my 2000 watt inverter a few years ago, I had some 1/0 wire laying around and I elected to use it instead of the 2/0 that the manual suggested. When I tried to brew coffee, the inverter frequently faulted and shut down. After installing the proper 2/0 wire, it no longer shut off. But it still beeps once in a while with a heavy load...
Jim
With my system I can run either of my two A/C units with no soft start and the only sign its even working is the fan running on the MultiPlus.Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Neil Citro
2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab
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scdock -- Neil nailed it-- issue is the Multiplus configuration. Can't share from cmptr at my current location...hopefully Neil can share screenshots.Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus
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Originally posted by scdock View PostI was camping recently with no shore power and my batteries, on the 2nd day, were displaying low power on the inverter. My system is comprised of 2 160 watt solar panels connected to a Victron MPPT 100/50 controller, Victron Multiplus inverter/charger, BMV-712 monitor, and 2 BB 100ah batteries. The 120v used in my trailer was only 3 strings of mini lights, a satellite radio, and charging for phones. The 12v used for lights and water pump. Based on usage I should have had plenty of battery power to run the coffee maker in the morning but not so. The BMV was showing a 12.63 SOC which I thought was low based on power consumption but also thought it should have been sufficient to run a small electrical appliance. I'm running the refrigerator on propane so minimal draw from that so I'm not sure what might be causing the battery drain. At the end of the day the batteries were showing full charge, ran the same electrical appliances, along with the DWs hair dryer, and the next morning the same issue with low power. Is there something I should look for that might be putting a drain on the batteries? I have my inverter and BMV programmed for lithium batteries based on spec provided by BB but the SOC never shows above 13.93v rather than the 14.2 I've programmed. I hope all this makes sense? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Keith2018 Reflection 150 Series 220RK 5th whee, Star White 2022 F350 King Ranch CC Long bed (HAL) (CCC 4062lbs), B&W 25K OEM Companion,. SteadyFast system, Trailer reverse lights, rear receiver spare tire holder, storage tube, sumo springs, Victron MultiPlus 12/120/3000, Solar, Custom 6K axles upgrade, and other modifications.
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Originally posted by Yoda View Post
You have gotten a lot of excellent advice. I have on question related to your battery drain . Are you leaving the inverter ON all the time? If so that is the draw. It consumes power even with no loads applied. It should be off until needed - at least that is what I have been told.
Keith
Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Neil Citro
2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab
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