powering my entire 303rls rig through my Victron Multiplus -

[RTRDoug]

303RLS Electrical Mods I am a 303rls owner looking to add a good solar package. I have a 2020 303, which has basic solar prep only. I installed a good system in my old rv and did insert inverter directly into the incoming shore power feed with good results. I am looking to have a fairly robust system and will be installing the Victron multiplus. and power the entire rig. I will be running 800 watts of panel and 2-200AH AH lithium batteries to start. I was wondering if you know where the best place to split and intercept the incoming shore power ? .- would you know where the best place to access this is. Thanks
Doug

[Country Campers]

What I did was remove the shore power cable from the power distribution panel and insert it into a Progressive Dynamics EMS from there I went to the Multiplus in the front bay and then back to the power distribution panel. That way if I want to remove the system all I need to do is unhook from the EMS and return the wire from the shore power connection port to the power distribution panel. If you do not wish to have the EMS then you would need to use a junction box.

Brian

[wudwork]

Brian, your design intrigues me. I have the EMS inline currently, but plan to remove it when I install the MultiPlus 2. The design of the Multiplus (at least the one I am researching) can sense low voltage then use batteries to make up the difference thus the trailer will have power even if pedestal power is too low. Is there a setting in the EMS that controls the cutoff voltage ? Perhaps there is a voltage that is too low for Multiplus to make up ? Likely it would depend on your battery power.

I am not clear on what spike/overvoltage protection is baked into the Multiplus. Maybe we need a spike protector only at the pedestal ???

Thoughts ?

What I did was remove the shore power cable from the power distribution panel and insert it into a Progressive Dynamics EMS from there I went to the Multiplus in the front bay and then back to the power distribution panel. That way if I want to remove the system all I need to do is unhook from the EMS and return the wire from the shore power connection port to the power distribution panel. If you do not wish to have the EMS then you would need to use a junction box.

Brian

[RTRDoug]

Thanks Brian for the advice. I will take a look at that spot for sure. Just in the planning stages, as winter here kinda keeps me from crawling around in the unit! I too am wondering if I can get away without the EMS, since the Victron Multiplus II does have the smart components in it. I was thinking I may be able to cut cable somewhere between trailer entry and distribution panel, insert good bus bars, and then route cables from shore power side to inverter and back to distribution side. This would allow me to do it without removing from distribution panel? Then if we decide to remove system it would be just a matter of removing the wiring to inverter and connecting the main feeds back together - thoughts?
Cheers
Doug

[howson]

Thanks Brian for the advice. I will take a look at that spot for sure. Just in the planning stages, as winter here kinda keeps me from crawling around in the unit! I too am wondering if I can get away without the EMS, since the Victron Multiplus II does have the smart components in it. I was thinking I may be able to cut cable somewhere between trailer entry and distribution panel, insert good bus bars, and then route cables from shore power side to inverter and back to distribution side. This would allow me to do it without removing from distribution panel? Then if we decide to remove system it would be just a matter of removing the wiring to inverter and connecting the main feeds back together - thoughts?
Cheers
Doug

Doug,
My .02? Skipping the EMS creates two issues.

1) An EMS will not allow incorrect power to enter your rig. I'm not sure a Multiplus will protect against an errant 240v-wired 30A connection. (There's been at least two threads on this forum where everything in the camper went "poof" the instant the owner plugged into an errant power plug.)

2) If the Multiplus turns off when there is low AC input power, that defeats the purpose of having a standalone inverter, does it not? I should caveat that I'm not 100% sure how the Multiplus will react in this scenario since technically there IS shore power but it's just out of spec. Will the Multiplus switch to invert mode? I'm not sure. What I do know is if an EMS shuts down incoming shore power (for a list of reasons) the Multiplus will instantly and seamlessly switch to invert mode.

A hard-wired Progressive HW50C EMS runs about $285. Considering the cost of the components you're considering installing, well worth the extra protection. (An EMS was one of the very first mods I did to my 315RLTS, way before the solar and Victron equipment was even considered.)

Howard

[ncitro]

I did the same as Brian. I'd recommend still using an EMS to protect you from other issues, specifically a bad or miswired pedestal, or problems with the neutral.

I recently helped WondersAwait do a type 2 Multiplus on a new 303 with the inverter prep. He's got a post with photos of the install. His newer rig had inverter prep but it is not designed to feed the whole unit so we pulled that wire out and bridged the main panel and sub panel together.

[RTRDoug]

Thanks for this! You are right EMS is the way to go. I have a surge protector that goes inline at the pedestal- so was thinking that would suffice, but I am thinking now if I am going to be tearing into the whole system, that a hard wired EMS makes sense. Thanks again for all the great input and advice. I am also definitely going to take a look at WondersAwait to get a better understanding of how these can be put together!
Doug

[Jlawles2]

I have a 2021 303, and the easiest place to access the incoming power is behind the screwed shut door on the hutch. Remove the screw and the door opens, this will then put the incoming shore power connector in plain view. You may need to pull the upper drawer for a bit more light. This would be the ideal place to cut the incoming shore power line, or to disconnect it from the wall port.

[RTRDoug]

Excellent - Thank you! I had an inkling when I saw that door screwed in that that might give us the access we need. As I mentioned - with the rig in storage for winter, it is difficult for me to poke around. Thanks again for this - it will help speed up the process in the spring if I can have a plan all ready! I assume from there I can send wires through the basement to my inverter up front.?
Doug

[Country Campers]

I am sorry I am a little late to your response but you are getting all the info that you need from the previous posts. As stated the EMS does save all of the items in the RV, even the Multiplus. The Multiplus 2 that I have does have all of the settings for low voltage shut off and also has the power assist that will kick in if there is low voltage. The EMS however will shut down if there is a low voltage or issue with the shore power but it does have a bypass switch that will allow you to bypass the EMS and allow power to the Multiplus 2 and let it make up the power that is needed. As Howard has stated if the EMS shuts down power the Multiplus 2 will take over and switch to inverter mode and the RV will still have full power. The problem with this is it is seemless and you may never know what happened, at least until the batteries are dead, if you do not look at the EMS or Cerbo GX, if you have one, and see that you are not on shore power and are using battery power. I find the Cerbo GX is just too hard not to look at every time I go past it.

There are a couple holes from the basement down to above the underbelly that you can run the wires from the shore power connection to the front bay and the Multiplus 2 and then back, this is the route that I took and will get some pictures this winter as I have another project that the underbelly will be down for.

Brian

[Jlawles2]

RTRDoug If you need any info, tag me and when I get a few minutes I'll walk out in the driveway and see what I can get for you.

[RTRDoug]

Thanks Joseph - I will certainly take you up on the offer! Kinda tough to do here @ -20 tonight ;(
Doug

[Country Campers]

RTRDoug

Not sure if anyone has welcomed you yet so, welcome, glad to have you join us here. Have a read of our Welcome Letter to New Members and take a little time to fill out your signature, it helps us to remember what model you have.

Brian

[RTRDoug]

thanks Brian
yes a large learning curve - but I am looking forward to it.
Doug

[acoleman43]

RTRDoug I just did this (with the Multiplus) this year to my little 21G. It was not cheap and a lot of work, but the flexibility and freedom we now have to camp anywhere for any length of time is fantastic. Well worth the money and time in my opinion.

Good luck and welcome to this forum!