I thought I'd share this for anyone else looking for the same solution. This should be well documented but it's not. It's taken a long time for me to pin down the correct configuration to make this all work. You just can't find all the right information in one place. I wanted a large solar install for a 50A fifth wheel and chose 4 X 5.12kW EG4-LL batteries, 2 X Victron Quattro 48/5000/70, Cerbo GX, 10 X 410W solar panels, 2 X MPPT 250/60 charge controllers, and a 48v-12v DC to DC converter. I don't have an onboard generator and opted to use a portable generator plugged in just like shore power when I need it. That will be rare with so much solar. I went with 2 Quattors rather than the Multiplus 2 because I wanted more than the 3000va. The Quattro II and Multiplus II 5000va are not for the US market. I also considered an Autotransformer but ultimately went this route. Some pictures are attached.
I don't have a diagram but got inspiration from: https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Split-Phase-Quattro-system-with-Cerbo-GX-Touch-50-Discover-42-48-6650-Smart-solar-MPPT's.pdf. I'm not an electrician so it was a challenge calculating all of the wire sizes and fuses and figuring out how to wire this into my RV transfer switch but I finally got it. You can get some great info from: https://explorist.life and Will has videos that help as well.
I currently have my Victron configuration setup in split phase with the two Quattro's. As everyone experiences that can create some challenges when you switch between 30A and 50A shore power and there are many suggestions but mine is finally working well and I don't have to load a new config to move between them. I also set an "Ignore AC Input" virtual switch so that it uses more solar power and only relies on AC input when the batteries get low. That has helped me go for weeks with almost zero shore power usage at my current campground. I've determined when the temperature goes over 85 degrees outside I have to use the air conditioner and need a little shore power to compensate. Otherwise the solar keeps up. On a good day I generate 27kW of solar. The batteries total 20.48kW so that means my solar can charge the entire battery bank plus run all the appliances when I have sun. I haven't gone through the winter yet since I changed the configuration so I'll have to wait a few months to see those results.
Here are the exact settings I use in the RV right now. I wish I had this information when I started:
**Switch as Group needs to be unchecked. This allows you the ability to switch between 30A and 50A shore power without uploading a new config. You are still limited to one leg from shore power but that's all I really need. The power assist on the second Quattro gives you full 50A power in the RV by pulling more from the batteries. If you were running 3 air conditioners all day then you may need to upload a new config with this checked so you have full 50A shore power but then 30A will not work.
**Input current limit can be controlled by the VRM or Cerbo display. Set to 30A or 50A depending on shore power. You can do that from the Victron Connect app on your phone too.
**This is to feed back to the grid. Not used and not allowed in most places.
**Ground relay should be unchecked on the second Quattro for split phase. This is the only difference between Quattro 1 and 2 settings.
**Charge current is divided by the battery count. Each battery gets a percentage of these Amps. So I max it out. The EG4 batteries can do 100A but they recommend 30A for long life. Since I have 4 batteries this could be 120A, 4 X 30A for each battery. The max on my Quattro model is 70A.
**This is where you set the Virtual Switch to ignore AC input when the batteries are full. That way it relies on your solar power instead of shore power.
**This will use ACin to charge from 25% to about 75% (roughly 53.6 volts). Then solar will finish to 100%. It will rely on solar until the battery drops to 25% again. On sunny days I never reach that point so I rarely use shore power. If I do hit 25% on the batteries it usually happens at night and I only want it to charge part way so that I can use sun in the morning to finish it off. You can set the last option (Udc higher than) to Absorption for 4 minutes if you want shore power to charge it to 100% instead.
Hopefully this will help those of you struggling with a similar setup for your RV. Since the EG4 18kpv came out after I purchase the Quattro's and Charge Controllers I am curious if that is an easier setup that handles many of the Victron challenges. I'd love to try one out but I've spent all my solar money already. I'd love to hear any other suggestions or solutions that others have tried for this type of install.
Jason
I don't have a diagram but got inspiration from: https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Split-Phase-Quattro-system-with-Cerbo-GX-Touch-50-Discover-42-48-6650-Smart-solar-MPPT's.pdf. I'm not an electrician so it was a challenge calculating all of the wire sizes and fuses and figuring out how to wire this into my RV transfer switch but I finally got it. You can get some great info from: https://explorist.life and Will has videos that help as well.
I currently have my Victron configuration setup in split phase with the two Quattro's. As everyone experiences that can create some challenges when you switch between 30A and 50A shore power and there are many suggestions but mine is finally working well and I don't have to load a new config to move between them. I also set an "Ignore AC Input" virtual switch so that it uses more solar power and only relies on AC input when the batteries get low. That has helped me go for weeks with almost zero shore power usage at my current campground. I've determined when the temperature goes over 85 degrees outside I have to use the air conditioner and need a little shore power to compensate. Otherwise the solar keeps up. On a good day I generate 27kW of solar. The batteries total 20.48kW so that means my solar can charge the entire battery bank plus run all the appliances when I have sun. I haven't gone through the winter yet since I changed the configuration so I'll have to wait a few months to see those results.
Here are the exact settings I use in the RV right now. I wish I had this information when I started:
**Switch as Group needs to be unchecked. This allows you the ability to switch between 30A and 50A shore power without uploading a new config. You are still limited to one leg from shore power but that's all I really need. The power assist on the second Quattro gives you full 50A power in the RV by pulling more from the batteries. If you were running 3 air conditioners all day then you may need to upload a new config with this checked so you have full 50A shore power but then 30A will not work.
**Input current limit can be controlled by the VRM or Cerbo display. Set to 30A or 50A depending on shore power. You can do that from the Victron Connect app on your phone too.
**This is to feed back to the grid. Not used and not allowed in most places.
**Ground relay should be unchecked on the second Quattro for split phase. This is the only difference between Quattro 1 and 2 settings.
**Charge current is divided by the battery count. Each battery gets a percentage of these Amps. So I max it out. The EG4 batteries can do 100A but they recommend 30A for long life. Since I have 4 batteries this could be 120A, 4 X 30A for each battery. The max on my Quattro model is 70A.
**This is where you set the Virtual Switch to ignore AC input when the batteries are full. That way it relies on your solar power instead of shore power.
**This will use ACin to charge from 25% to about 75% (roughly 53.6 volts). Then solar will finish to 100%. It will rely on solar until the battery drops to 25% again. On sunny days I never reach that point so I rarely use shore power. If I do hit 25% on the batteries it usually happens at night and I only want it to charge part way so that I can use sun in the morning to finish it off. You can set the last option (Udc higher than) to Absorption for 4 minutes if you want shore power to charge it to 100% instead.
Hopefully this will help those of you struggling with a similar setup for your RV. Since the EG4 18kpv came out after I purchase the Quattro's and Charge Controllers I am curious if that is an easier setup that handles many of the Victron challenges. I'd love to try one out but I've spent all my solar money already. I'd love to hear any other suggestions or solutions that others have tried for this type of install.
Jason
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