MultiPlus-II 120V is a battery charger

[John.DS99]

Since I bought a multiplus-II and it should arrive soon, I am puzzled about this Victron inverter which is also a battery charger. I have a clue what an inverter is, that's why I bought it.

I see the words "battery charger" used in 4 places in the manual, and charger used 43 times. It has a charger switch, so I can be sure to charge a battery if I flip it.

I think, here is my electric car, so charge it with this additional feature. So I connect the battery charger and push the button....

But no. The inverter converts the DC battery power of your batteries to AC to run the house. The battery charger refers to using mains AC power to charge to your battery bank.

Is that right? It seems like a misfit function to me, adding an AC input to an inverter whose job is converting DC power to AC power. Maybe we should skip the whole thing and just use the AC power input to run the house to begin with.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Since I bought a multiplus-II and it should arrive soon, I am puzzled about this Victron inverter which is also a battery charger. I have a clue what an inverter is, that's why I bought it.

I see the words "battery charger" used in 4 places in the manual, and charger used 43 times. It has a charger switch, so I can be sure to charge a battery if I flip it.

I think, here is my electric car, so charge it with this additional feature. So I connect the battery charger and push the button....

This boggles the mind.

But no. The inverter converts the DC battery power of your batteries to AC to run the house. The battery charger refers to using mains AC power to charge to your battery bank.

Is that right? It seems like a misfit function to me, adding an AC input to an inverter whose job is converting DC power to AC power. Maybe we should skip the whole thing and just use the AC power input to run the house to begin with.

Inverter/charger uses the same circuitry in a two way street.

DC to AC for output power
AC to DC to charge its battery

You simply connect an AC source like grid or a generator to the inverter/charger, and you recharge its battery. One can't get all their needs met with solar every day. Need backup power. Why buy another piece of equipment when the equipment you have can operate "backwards?"

 

[John.DS99]

Thanks, never thought of it that way. Today my 3500 KW panels only produced 2 kwh to my batteries. Gloomy. Rain forecast. This shall pass.

I have another question, what if your gas generator is a cheap POS, would it be a bad idea to connect a $300 gas generator output or other stair step cheap inverter output to a Victron inverter for this purpose?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Thanks, never thought of it that way. Today my 3500 KW panels only produced 2 kwh to my batteries. Gloomy. Rain forecast. This shall pass.

I have another question, what if your gas generator is a cheap POS, would it be a bad idea to connect a $300 gas generator output or other stair step cheap inverter output to a Victron inverter for this purpose?

I feed my Quattros with a $400 Predator. Works great. Victron inverter/chargers are EXTREMELY tolerant of dirty generator power and can be further tweaked in settings to be insanely tolerant of it.

A "stair step" inverter is a modified sine wave or MSW inverter. I honestly can't say with confidence that the Victron would accept that because it would have to sync itself to that, and I don't know if it will. It wouldn't hurt it, it would just reject it.

Please... don't knife your tires.

 

[John.DS99]

Thanks, I'm just thinking, if the end of the world came, should I plug in a low quality AC source, or should I sit there in the dark hugging my multiplus 2 and saying "I love you, I would never plug something like that into you".

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Thanks, I'm just thinking, if the end of the world came, should I plug in a low quality AC source, or should I sit there in the dark hugging my multiplus 2 and saying "I love you, I would never plug something like that into you".

If you plug something into it that it doesn't like (within reason), it will just ignore it.

Again, please don't slash your tires (our other conversation).

 

[timselectric]

Please don't slash anyone's tires.

 

[John.DS99]

I don't know where any of you guys live, so it doesn't seem likely. Thanks again.

I mean why do they call it a battery charger? Couldn't they say DC output is a feature? I changed a setting in my 6500EX this afternoon to charge up the batteries during this miserable weather where I am. It never claimed to be a battery charger and yet it provided battery charging to the bank and AC to my house loads. Tripped my breakers also. I would hate to say that a cheap AIO beats the Victron because the Victron has a switch that doesn't allow both (at least I think).

 

[HighTechLab]

A multiplus is both and inverter and a batter charger. If you feed it AC power it charges the battery. The 6500EX is equally a battery charger, and has the same function of charging when fed AC input.


With the inverter in "ON" mode, it will automatically switch between inverting and battery charging. The default trigger for when to switch is if AC input is available. Turn off AC input and the unit is now an inverter (no switches need flipping).

If you want the inverter to ONLY be a battery charger, then put the switch to charger only mode. In that mode, when AC input is turned off, the whole unit turns off too.

 

[John.DS99]

Is there an inverter that can't charge the battery bank?

 

[Rocketman]

Yes you can buy a plain inverter, but these are usually cheaper items. One issue is they probably don’t have a transfer switch built in.

Here is an example of why the inverter/charger Multiplus is so cool!

With my Multiplus in my MotorHome, currently I am at an RV park that has pretty bad power. It keeps dropping to below 106v.

I have set the current limit on the Multiplus to 7.5amps - so even though I am plugged j into a 30a outlet - the most the Multiplus pulls is 7.5amps.

When the voltage drops (several times a night) my RV watchdog turns off the circuit at 106v. The Multiplus doesn’t miss a beat and keeps everything running - by using the inverter to power the loads. Once the voltage goes back over 108v for 1 min, the watchdog turns the power back on, 1 min later my transfer switch passes the power through, then about 30 seconds later, after the Multiplus makes sure is good power and matches the sign wave and then transfers the power back to the grid. However, the batteries are now down a little, so it starts to charge the batteries. I don’t notice all that happening the only two clues are I can sometimes hear the relay click on or off on the transfer switch, and the power watchdog’s collar will change from white to red.

One other really cool thing it can do is the grid only has 7.5 amps coming in, but if I run the Microwave it uses 12 amps or so. The Multiplus will pull the other 4.5 to 5 amps from the battery while the microwave is running, then once done will recharge the battery.

Hopefully reading some examples of how it all works together will help you understand how awesome it is.

Good luck with your project

 

[exmarkretired]

Yes you can buy a plain inverter, but these are usually cheaper items. One issue is they probably don’t have a transfer switch built in.

Here is an example of why the inverter/charger Multiplus is so cool!

With my Multiplus in my MotorHome, currently I am at an RV park that has pretty bad power. It keeps dropping to below 106v.

I have set the current limit on the Multiplus to 7.5amps - so even though I am plugged j into a 30a outlet - the most the Multiplus pulls is 7.5amps.

When the voltage drops (several times a night) my RV watchdog turns off the circuit at 106v. The Multiplus doesn’t miss a beat and keeps everything running - by using the inverter to power the loads. Once the voltage goes back over 108v for 1 min, the watchdog turns the power back on, 1 min later my transfer switch passes the power through, then about 30 seconds later, after the Multiplus makes sure is good power and matches the sign wave and then transfers the power back to the grid. However, the batteries are now down a little, so it starts to charge the batteries. I don’t notice all that happening the only two clues are I can sometimes hear the relay click on or off on the transfer switch, and the power watchdog’s collar will change from white to red.

One other really cool thing it can do is the grid only has 7.5 amps coming in, but if I run the Microwave it uses 12 amps or so. The Multiplus will pull the other 4.5 to 5 amps from the battery while the microwave is running, then once done will recharge the battery.

Hopefully reading some examples of how it all works together will help you understand how awesome it is.

Good luck with your project

This post is exactly why I read so many post. Even though I did not think it applied to me at first, your response does a good job of explaining a situation I was just discussing with a Victron dealer. Thanks for the explanation. Now I have more "evidence" the Victron will perform as I want it to...

 

[John.DS99]

This post is exactly why I read so many post.

 

[John.DS99]

Sorry, my bad, also, delete that one two. Iam mean 2 too. Again, I was just thinkin. As usual, I have to edit my brain because, whiere is a person supposed to go. By the time you register it is three days old. I figured if you have a problem, they say only if you have enough money.

So I say either this is more nonsense or else I am just not real pleased. No I am actually displeased that I trust this forum enough.

Also, the post I don't know that said posted the one before affected me. So did the one I was thinking

 

[John.DS99]

Did may 6 2023 Join me or was that a communist douchebag writing

 

[John.DS99]

dthat comunist douchebag has a real ask to pick his no se on
Secret code is my key to living, I live in California.

Do you know the name of my Superduty I traded up from my stereotype.

Keys

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Is everything ok?

 

[timselectric]

Is everything ok?

Expected reply:
No matter how many times you run your car through the car wash. Only the exterior of the glass surfaces are being cleaned. So, the outcome may not be as desired.

Short answer:
It's unclear.