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I like the idea of a bogus MRBF. However, I also notice some red melted insulation on top of the fuse pad - could you have accidentally trapped some part of the red wire insulation between the fuse and connection causing a high-resistance connection?

I have a Phonex Direct 12/800 (120VAC) and the fan only runs while under load. I just did a quick test with variable loads: * 10 watts : silent (fan may be on but I can't hear it) * 40 watts : silent (fan may be on but I can't hear it) * 500 watts: loud - fan is audible from about 6 feet away...

In fact, doing more zoom + enhance, I think I see clear evidence of a pretty sizable patty melt going on... Looks like you caught some red insulation under the right edge of that fuse?

Another cool feature why I like Victron so much: you can get the Victron app, and within the app it has demonstration modes for all of their devices, allowing you to play around with all of the data and settings. Even if you don’t own the device yet!

easy, just wire the loads to the battery with a fuse. I personally like MRBF for small systems like this. your victron IP65 will do that just fine. All LFPs with BMS are designed to cut the loads at a safe voltage, leaving the battery in a very-low-but-not-dead state. If you don't trust your...

I have one of those "plug N play" hot tubs that can run on 120VAC - it heats at about 1KW. I realized after some energy auditing that this tub is using about 150 kWh/month (roughly 100 summer, 200 winter). As a test, I tried putting it in Eco mode, which drops the temperature from 104F to...

If you want ultralight, this Lixada is hard to beat as it weighs a mere 2.8oz. Before you buy, read all the reviews - the panel is actually a 4-5W panel (not 10W as advertised). Also there are some reviews which mention ways to improve the design by replacing some weak hot-glue with epoxy...

here is an example of using a lightweight, flexible, solar panel in a roof mount that can be easily removed if you are parking in shade: link

$300 To $800?? Here is a 100W Sunpower flexible for $155 https://www.amazon.com/SunPower-Flexible-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel/dp/B077H45H3F

Zoom. Enhance. I adjusted the brightness and contrast, and in your picture: * you can see the fuse * it's clearly blown (notice how the left side is uneven and missing one of the 4 pegs)

100/30 means 100 V maximum PV input and 30 amp maximum battery output. What is 30×24? 720W So if you do have a 24 V battery system, that’s the most you should ever be able to get out of the Victron. (Plus a little bit because your charging voltage may be higher than 24.) Solutions: * rewire...

The three output version of the IP22 is somewhat limited. Basically you get to choose 1 charging program, and it gets applied across all 3 outputs, in a shared fashion. Reportedly, the batteries are isolated from each other (so, e.g. battery 1 can't feed into battery 2) but it's not like you...

That math isn't mathing: about 100 amps DC on a 300 AH battery would take 3 hours.

The VictronConnect app (available on your phone, tablet or personal computer) has a "Demo Library" mode which will simulate most of the Victron products. It's a great way to check out features before you buy:

I'm in a similar boat (on NEM1, but want to expand my system.). I'm taking a "wait and see" approach since they keep changing the rules on us, e.g. https://calmatters.org/housing/2024/05/californians-electricity-rates/ (income-based fixed charges have been proposed, but may be rescinded)

There’s also a fourth mode, in which the inverter is powered on, but using the Bluetooth app you tell it to stop inverting. That mode uses very little power. See https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/20683/understanding-the-phoenix-vedirect-onoffecoremoteb.html

Most electronic systems and parts, both consumer and professional, include hefty safety margins in their design and specifications: Sometimes the true specifications are much more robust than the printed ones (for example, NEC's wire ampacity rules are quite conservative, so you can probably...

My class B tv uses these: https://www.grainger.com/product/CARLING-TECHNOLOGIES-Panel-Mount-Circuit-Breaker-4VA73

for fusing the wire off the battery, MRBF fuses are hard to beat: https://www.bluesea.com/products/5191/MRBF_Terminal_Fuse_Block_-_30_to_300A They sit right on the battery terminal (so the entire wire is protected) and don't require any cutting, crimping or soldering. They don't go below 30...

The other Lixada panel is the lightest I’ve ever seen : 2.8 Oz / 4 w : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y655DJD

As a counterpoint, I’ve had an A.O. Smith hybrid, heat pump water heater for four years, and I’ve been perfectly happy with it. Maybe I got lucky? Maybe you got un lucky?

In general, most battery chargers will work OK together. In other words if you have a solar MPPT charger, as well as a 120 V AC charger, as well as the alternator charge, all of these things can coexist happily. Specifically, many Victron devices can network with each other and share data and...

A flexible panel with a rigid mount may still weigh quite a bit less than a regular panel due to the weight of the glass. Here's an example of a home-made mount, the Flexible panel + mount is 110W and weighs 11lbs vs. the rigid panel which is 85W and 20lbs...

I just got a Victron IP22 Charger and am in the process of installing it. I got the 3 battery, 30A model (which is about $220) but the small 15A/1 battery model is about $120. So far, I'm liking it - Victron has quite good bluetooth app support. Yes, the Victron gear is highly...

Here are some related discussions: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/cheap-flexible-100w-panel-doa.59877/ https://diysolarforum.com/threads/what-do-you-think-of-my-idea-flexible-solar-panels-on-my-van.55945/ Personally I'm very happy with the SunPower flexible - name brand, very high...

Nice clean install, and I approve of your choice of Victron gear. I've got a class B van where space is limited. Some thoughts: * You won't run the fan at 18watts 24 hours/day. My van has a MaxxFan Deluxe and while I do run it (while cooking, to cool down the van, etc.) it has variable...

Standard electric water heaters can draw 7500W+. What about replacing your water heater with a heat-pump water heater? Some of these only draw 500W or less when running. Many newer models also let you set a schedule, so the water heater won't run during specific hours.

Basically, voltage is a very poor way to measure battery state of charge - you can really only do it while the battery is not being used, not being charged, and after it has rested "long enough" With most battery types it's far more accurate to use a dedicated battery meter - these usually...

My thinking: * a good EV can get up to 5 miles / kWh, or 50 miles per 10 kWh. * a good ICE (such as a Prius, etc.) can get up to 50 mpg. To a very rough approximation, the break-even point is when 10 kWh of electricity costs the same as one gallon of gasoline. Here in San Diego, we are...

In practice, when I've looked at the data, the solar MPPT was providing very little power while driving along on a sunny day. I suspect what's happening: * Alternator trying to provide 14.4V * solar MPPT would like to provide 14.4V, but sees the "house battery" (which is really the house...

Victron has the SmartSolar MPPT series with a wide variety of amp/voltage capability - I just installed a 100/20 model this week, and am very happy with it so far. I've also got a Phoenix 12/800 inverter, which is great (I chose the 800 to fit within a small space). I think Victron gear is...

Victron: I would like to know if they plan to bring some of their EU 230V models to USA. For example, the EasySolar line such as https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-EasySolar-1600VA-EN.pdf which is not available in a USA model.

Here's an archived version where you can read almost the entire article (Edit: and if you use Reader mode on your browser, the entire aritlce is viewable)

I think the answer is "it depends" because MPPT controllers sweep the voltage range looking for the most wattage (V * I) and it's possible that depending on conditions (partial shading, temperature, etc.) it might find a voltage range that favors one panel vs. the other. I couldn't find IV...

I like the idea of using the 13.8V DC DC converter, that's interesting. As for which device is better: Settings for the MPPT 100/20 charge controller Load Output: Settings for the BMV-712 Relay: It looks like the BMV has a lot more options, but since it only has a low amperage relay...

That's good advice in general, but doesn't apply with this setup - this UPS charges at a constant 27V (13.5V x 2) and doesn't do "bulk" or "equalize" voltages at all.

Rewire your house to add a Generator Transfer Switch like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/NATURE-S-GENERATOR-15-Amp-120V-4-Circuit-Indoor-Non-Automatic-Power-Transfer-Switch-Kit-HKNGPTK/307780505 Assuming your camper van has a 120VAC output, you can plug it right in. In other words...

One thing to consider: some models are auto breaker only (e.g. you can not manually throw the switch to open the circuit). Some have on/off switches that you can manually throw. Since you already have a 1 / 2 / Off battery switch, you probably don't need a manual breaker?

If you have two MPPT solar charge controllers, that doesn’t make sense. With two SCCs, each string should be separate. One string per MPPT.

Yes, if I can find a replacement, but I'm confused about that. Amazon claims it exists: but is out of stock (been this way for months) Flir.com directs one towards this new product ($499) which is not the same design: https://www.flir.com/products/flir-one-edge-pro/

You can get a much better SunPower 100w flexible for $150. Why waste time on cheap stuff? https://www.amazon.com/SunPower-Flexible-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel/dp/B077H45H3F

Could the victron MPPT be fighting with the older MPPT and losing? What charge voltage is each set at? If you disconnect the old array, does the victron generate more?

Exactly - I'm going to cut off the MC4 connectors and use Anderson Power Poles instead, and then build a 30 foot long extension cable for when it's on the ground. Voltage loss calculators suggest that a 12 gauge conductor at 5 amps will lose about 3% at 30 foot distance. That small loss is...

Victron inverters also have an adaptive low voltage disconnect which tries to intelligently change the disconnect voltage based on the current amperage load. Do you have that enabled? edit… I see you don’t have Bluetooth. I think you should get the Bluetooth!

I've started using Wago 221 Lever-Nuts in my (small) RV - they work with both stranded and solid wire, both AC and DC, and tend to be more compact than wire nuts. I've also read that wire nuts are not supposed to be used in a vehicle (due to vibration loosening them) but I'm not sure how big a...

I'm in SDGE and have a 5KW Solar grid tie system on NEM 1.0. Over the years, my electricity consumption has gone up, as I've changed or added: - ICE car -> EV - gas water heater -> heat pump water heater - gas furnace -> heat pump - new spa/hot tub (~ 200kWH/month) I'm now using about...

Does your van have another charging circuit for the house battery? Many stock systems have a simple relay that connects the house and starting batteries together when the engine is on. If you have one of those, you probably need to disconnect it.

Is there a good table or chart which clearly lays out the NEM 1 vs 2 vs 3 rules? Googling gets me to a bunch of sites which are still complaining about the "old" NEM 3 proposals which never happened. Or more specifically, what's the difference between NEM 1 and NEM 2 in SDGE land?

I love PoE, so I like this plan. Note that there are POE "passthrough" switches which themselves are powered by POE, and can distribute POE to downstream devices. Using these can smiplify the network design. Link I have the TrendNet which is a managed switch, but the PoE capabilities are...

That's a good answer, as it would give me a project to do (you can tell I want to DIY because I'm here on DIYsolarForums, righ?) I checked my usage #s again, and turns out the Spa is using more like 150kWh/month, and my use (above solar) is more like 300kWh/month. So even if I zeroed out the...

I like this model better: (Edited…had wrong link) https://www.gowesty.com/product/hook-ups-accessories/3751/110v-exterior-hook-up-?v=

Good info, thanks. All things considered, I think I'd prefer to just expand my system from 5KW solar to about 7KW solar, since energy is fungible and I may change my mind in the next 20 years about what I'm using it for. But if I did that, as I understand it, I'd lose NEM1 and go to NEM3...

Those HG group panels look nice. Are they for sale? Where can I buy them from the USA in small quantities? (1, 2, 3...)

Check out your negative battery cable, it looks like it is upside down and possibly sitting on top of a washer? Generally you want to have the battery cable directly connected to the battery, not with a washer in between. Otherwise, looks like a nice system. also, do you have a link for the...

I'm in SDGE territory and have a grid tied system that I've out-grown, with an electric car, heat pump water heater, and a (sadly, resistive) hot tub. I'm thinking of expanding my system (more solar or battery), but keep seeing a lot of good reasons to pause: * legal/political: the NEM 3.0...

Brainstorming please: I'm looking for advice on how to improve my current setup. Home: 5KW Solar with Grid Tie inverter. Computers: I have a rack of servers, which has a home-brew UPS with about 4KWH of battery power. RV: I have a small van with a 1KWH LFP battery and 800W 120VAC inverter...

I have a Victron SmartSolar 100/20 and recently blew the 25A fuse by doing something stupid (pushing 12V through the load + output and shorting the battery+ connector to ground.) In any case, it suggests both the battery and the load output are protected by this fuse. You probably don't need...

Thanks for all the input. In the interim, I decided "do nothing" was a good choice. I'm kind of glad I did, as now I see there's a proposal for yet another new "new" rate structure: Source...

When i installed my heat pump hot water heater about 4 years ago, I was upgrading from a natural gas heater. My utility had rebates, but only when upgrading from an electric heater, not from a gas one. That seems like "old thinking" to me - I wonder if more recent state or federal rules allow...

Your pictures show a black negative and red positive wire coming from the battery. However the red wire goes off screen and all I see are two black wires connecting to the inverter. Did you accidentally connect the ground wire twice?

I'm a fan of Battle Born batteries but for their prices. I just saw they have some good discounts (~25% off) for what they call "B" stock: B-Stock Sale (I have no relation to BB other than being a satisfied customer)

The Victron IP22 Charger cheapest version (15A, single battery) is about $130 and looks to be a good piece of equipment, has bluetooth and LFP settings.

I have a house that has a UPS for my server rack, with extra beefy external batteries. Right now the lead acid batteries are inside the house inside the server closet. These are high-quality telecom lead acid batteries, but I’m doing some renovation and I could easily run some wires so that the...

I'm skeptical that "4 lights and a computer" is using 1000W. Are you sure? If true, you should consider more efficient lights and computer. Reducing electricity use is almost always the best first step, before expanding the size of your system.

Do you have a citation for that? I find it hard to believe, because it takes about 2 kg of CO2 to make a kilogram of steel. If we assume the hybrid, hot water heater is made of solid steel, then the break even point would be at about 200 kg of natural gas saved, At 13.6 kilowatt hours per...

I'm on SDGE NEM 1.0 plan, and as far as I understand it, I can increase my grid-tied solar system size by up to 1KW and still stay on NEM 1.0: Customers whose system capacity is 10 kW or smaller can increase the capacity by up to 1 kW. Customers whose system capacity is larger than 10 kW can...

Does being in PGE vs. SDGE have any impact to these potential rule changes?

I've got a similar setup (one 100AH BattleBorn, with 85W solar). I'm adding a second solar panel, but for this second one I decided to buy a SunPower flexible panel. I'm going to mount it to the roof next to the first panel, but with quick release fittings so that I can take it off and point...

I have two 145AH AGM 12V telecom batteries I use for emergency backup only - these batteries sit at float for 364 days per year, as they are connected to a UPS. On charger at float stage, one is at 13.40V and the other is 13.63V, so an imbalance of 0.23V. How out of balance is this? What's...

Hi everyone - I've been lurking for a while but just joined today. Great forum! I'm upgrading my campervan solar system with Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 charge controller Victron BMV 712 battery monitor Additional SunPower flexible 100W panel (total solar about 200W) I'm removing an older...

Agree. Not only will one 100Ah Lifepo have roughly equivalent energy (*) it will have better power (voltage is higher, and doesn't sag as much under load) and is more efficient at charging back up: lead acid requires a long "absorb" time which is inefficient, whereas LFP is mostly "bulk". If...

My plan to wire up a hot tub for 240VAC. (USA). Hot tub is located about 80' from the main panel (house has normal USA 100A service). My tub only requires a 30A service on the label, and actualy would run about 20A, so I decided that 8 gauge was enough, giving a 2% or less voltage loss...

Great feedback! I have two Alcatel Lucent Deka Unigy 12AVR145ET wired in series for 24V Not exactly "fell off the truck" but these are definitely used batteries - I got them a few years ago from https://deepcyclebatterystore.com and was quite happy with the price. Since 99% of the time they...

Interesting - I've also read that heat loss is proporational to the temperature difference to the 4th power for radiation, but I think that's for an ideal black-body in a vaccum. Which dominates for a real-world hot tub?

How is heat dissipation going to work?

Oh, and funny story: Earlier, the two batteries were in parallel, and connected to a UPS that used 12V batteries. During a recent power failure (there have been sooo many - don't ask) I decided to check on the system, and noticed that the wires connecting the battery to the UPS seemed rather...

the picture says you have streetlight setting enabled. Maybe a bug or interaction with that feature?

Right! My understanding is that many of these batteries are aged out (contractually) from telecom installations. They are basically fine for what they are, but the contract says "replace at 5 years" so they get replaced. I want them for perhaps 5 deep discharges during power outages, and...

There is "inexpensive" and then there's "cheap" - there are quite a few good LiFePO batteries that are 1/2 (or less) of the cost of the premier brands, any numerous reviews say "not perfect, but for the money this is a great product". I don't think you see the same pattern with flexible solar...

Would be nice to get a conclusion to this - do you think it was a blown (or even worse, partially blown) fuse inside the Victron MPPT? Or some setting that wasn't set properly? I have similar Victron gear so I'm quite interested to know the failure mode(s)...

I'm tempted by TOU5 also (for those who aren't aware, TOU5 has a "super off peak" rate of about $0.15 / kWh which runs Midnight to 6am (weekdays) or Midnight to 2pm (March and April weekdays, and weekends & holidays). Being on TOU-5 and time-shifting loads seems like the way to go. I would...

For a birthday a few years ago, I got a FLIR camera, and it's really useful. Here's a picture (during wintertime) of my tub. From the picture, it looks like my cover is still OK, but there's a lot of heat loss down low. In fact, when I look inside the tub, the insulation generally doesn't go...

Good point, if I assume that 100% of the heat usage is heat loss, and it was using a little over 100kWH/month in the summer, then that's a steady-state loss of roughly 150W, which applies to either voltage. In theory: • 1000W @ 120VAC vs. • 4000W @ 240VAC = a 4 to 1 ratio In practice: •...

In all cases? One of the options I'm thinking of is basically a big UPS: some victron kit, a couple of batteries, and I'd plug a few loads (hot tub, fridge, server rack) into it, and program it to time-shift (charge batteries from 0 to 6am, discharge rest of the day). I belive that if all...

it says your load output is on. Is anything connected to that?

The MPPT algorithm will try different voltages to get the maximum amount of power. So seeing the panel voltage jump around a little bit is not unusual. However, that would normally happen while delivering a lot more amperage. I feel like maybe you have a bad connection to the solar panel, which...

In the USA (which may differ from standards in UK), generally: * the metal car chassis / frame is used as the earth ("ground") circuit for low amperage DC devices * for high amperage DC devices it's recommended to use a dedicated return circuit. For example, when including a DC to AC Inverter...

Can you say more about your goals? You mention "reliability" and "safety" - I think having your battery stay fully charged at 100% SOC would be the most reliable and safe way to go, as mentioned by others. I have a Victron IP22 and it does a great job - once the battery is fully charged it...

The math works like this: Watts in = watts out, and Watts = Volts x Amps. 12v x 30 amps = 360w = 120v x 3 amps now, in reality, it’s a little bit more complicated than that because of a few things: First, 12 V is not really 12 V and your charger can go as high as 14.6 V. Next, the charger is...

I am confused - if this is a UPS, then the only time the battery would be in use would be when there is no 120VAC power. If there is no power, then the battery charger will be off. Are you not using this as a UPS but in some other mode, such as cycling the battery daily?

The VictronConnect app has a cool Demo feature where it can be used to simulate any of their products. So you can play around with the various settings. Choose Demo Library from the app menu.

I see two weird things: 1. You are showing current on the Load connectors - these Victrons basically have 3 connectors: Solar, Battery, and Load. Your pictures don't show anything connected to the load terminals, but I wonder if you actually do? 2. You have a wire connecting to the battery...

Excellent - I've wired it up, and let it run through a few thermostat on/off cycles, and it's working great so far. (y)

If the load output is showing current when nothing is connected, I wonder if the device is simply malfunctioning? You can turn off the load output under Settings / Operation Mode / Load Output: Always Off.

I’m adding an inverter to my class B van which came wired for shore power only. The existing circuit has 15 amp breaker located after the GFCI device. This is different from most households, where you have the breaker in the circuit before any GFCI devices. Does it matter much?

nevermind

It's not easy to determine the State of Charge (SOC) of a LFP battery based on voltage, especially when there are loads on it. You could probably do some experimentation - let the battery draw down a bit, then unhook all the loads, let the battery rest a while, then measure the resting voltage...

The software updates are contained within the VictronConnect app. This means as long as your software on your phone is updated, you can update devices, even if there is no Internet.

Do you think the problem is more with the main sensors, or with the branch circuit sensors? I notice that the Vue 3 now has flexible main sensors which might help...