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Victron is Over-priced Eurotrash. Why would anybody buy Victron over an AiO?

sunshine_eggo said:
They're a small outfit, but Trent has consistently taken care of me. I've never had a problem. I've had some "installer" level feature and configuration/customization questions. On one occasion, when he didn't know the answer, he went back to Victron and got me an answer in a couple days.
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I was initially planning on an rs450/100 but seems like an eventual three 150/35s for around $600 versus $1250 for the rs450 gives me more redundancy and three strings albeit while losing isolation and potentially running out of ve direct ports vs ve.can daisy chaining to a Cerbo and VRM. I've been happy with the Bluetooth Victron connect so not a big deal breaker for me.
 
Kiwi2000 said:
I have constructed two separate modest off-grid systems on my house. One system is using 3 Epever SCCs and the other system is using 2 Victron SCCs and a Victron smart shunt and Phoenix 12/1200 inverter.
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The lounge system that had 3 strings going to 3 Epever SCC' is now being upgraded to Victron SCC' one at a time as the budget allows.

One string is 520 watts, 780 watts and one is 1500 watts PV.

I replaced the 520 watt PV string with a Victron 150/45 SCC. All strings are on the same roof facing the same direction and shading isn't an issue for me this time of year in the southern hemisphere.

The Victron gets going much earlier in the morning. It responds much more quickly to a load later in the day when the batteries are full and the system is maintaining float.

The photo below is typical of what I notice most days. This was the system trying to maintain float late in the afternoon with some cloud around and some load on the system.

The 520w string with the Victron was producing more wattage than the 780w and 1500w strings combined on the Epevers!

vic vs ep 2.jpg
 
wattmatters said:
Not surprising given the voltages each charge controller is reporting.
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That's the problem with the Epevers. They do it in the morning as well for the first couple of hours. They lock the voltage down low and they just stay on that until they can be bothered to get going properly. The Victron 520w SCC on the other hand just gets on with it and can be producing 3 or 4 times as much as the 780w string going to the Epever. Same light, same direction of panels.
 
Kiwi2000 said:
That's the problem with the Epevers. They do it in the morning as well for the first couple of hours. They lock the voltage down low and they just stay on that until they can be bothered to get going properly. The Victron 520w SCC on the other hand just gets on with it and can be producing 3 or 4 times as much as the 780w string going to the Epever. Same light, same direction of panels.
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Have you verified the lower PV voltage with a multimeter? And amps with an amps probe?

I suspect something other than the SCC is the cause.
 
Zwy said:
Have you verified the lower PV voltage with a multimeter? And amps with an amps probe?

I suspect something other than the SCC is the cause.
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The math of the PV voltage and current matches the wattage of the same display.

It seems like these units just like to clamp low PV voltage until the panels can support higher Vmp.
 
Kiwi2000 said:
That's not battery voltage. It's the voltage that the Epevers are regulating the solar panels to.
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do you have the victron ssc connected to a victron smart shunt ( blue tooth network) so you measure the real voltage of the battery without the voltage drop in the cables
 
lexio said:
do you have the victron ssc connected to a victron smart shunt ( blue tooth network) so you measure the real voltage of the battery without the voltage drop in the cables
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I use a Victron 'Smart Battery Sense' to send voltage info to the SCC. That's why the network symbol is there on the screen.
 
Zwy said:
Have you verified the lower PV voltage with a multimeter? And amps with an amps probe?

I suspect something other than the SCC is the cause.
Click to expand...

It's the SCCs regulating PV voltage.

For example this morning 1 hour after sunrise both Epevers are on 19V while the Victron is on 65V PV...

vic 2.jpg


Then a minute later the 100A Epever with the 1500w string lets the voltage come up and it starts producing decent power...


vic 3.jpg
 
Kiwi2000 said:
It's the SCCs regulating PV voltage.

For example this morning 1 hour after sunrise both Epevers are on 19V while the Victron is on 65V PV...

View attachment 177968


Then a minute later the 100A Epever with the 1500w string lets the voltage come up and it starts producing decent power...


View attachment 177970
Click to expand...

Great post!

What is the nameplate wattage of each array compared to its production at the end of the day?

Curious how much more the victron produces.

I wouldn't mind trading out my epever since victron dropped their prices.
 
Checkthisout said:
Great post!

What is the nameplate wattage of each array compared to its production at the end of the day?

Curious how much more the victron produces.

I wouldn't mind trading out my epever since victron dropped their prices.
Click to expand...

Well yesterday for example the Victron 520w array brought in pretty much the same amount as what the 780w Epever array did.

I would put it down to the Victron getting going more quickly in the morning and also responding instantaneously to loads during the day when the system was on float.

Just running Epevers by themselves you don't notice the slightly poorer performance because you just reach full charged a bit later in the day. Overall you think the system is performing adequately.

I think the advantage of Victron SCC' will be going back into the winter months and shorter days. My array size is limited to my small roof space. Getting the most efficient use of that limited array size is going to be beneficial to me. I can't afford to have SCC' that can't be bothered to get going sometimes.
 
Kiwi2000 said:
Well yesterday for example the Victron 520w array brought in pretty much the same amount as what the 780w Epever array did.

I would put it down to the Victron getting going more quickly in the morning and also responding instantaneously to loads during the day when the system was on float.

Just running Epevers by themselves you don't notice the slightly poorer performance because you just reach full charged a bit later in the day. Overall you think the system is performing adequately.

I think the advantage of Victron SCC' will be going back into the winter months and shorter days. My array size is limited to my small roof space. Getting the most efficient use of that limited array size is going to be beneficial to me. I can't afford to have SCC' that can't be bothered to get going sometimes.
Click to expand...
I'd swap the SCC's around and ensure it is the SCC.
 
Zwy said:
I'd swap the SCC's around and ensure it is the SCC.
Click to expand...

When I had 3 Epever SCC's on that system in the lounge they were all doing it. I was seeing the difference to 2 strings going to a bedroom system with Victron SCC's.

I'm "fixing" the lounge system by swapping out Epevers for Victrons.
 
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