Hi Andy, love your channel. I am a German living in Costa Rica with my family for 3 years now and I do know how you feel being cut off. Well prepared it’s not bad at all, and it makes you appreciate the important things in life: family, health, shelter, food. I am building my first battery to be independent, your videos are so great to learn all you need while enjoying the process. Thank you for that!
WOW ! YOU HAVE THE GREATEST THING GOING ON THAT WALL SYSTEM AND IT SEEMS TO BE PAYING OFF . A NEW BEGAIING FOR THE ULTIMATE SOLAR GARAGE . ITS WORKING ! MAY THE SOLAR BE WITH YOU .
Inverters have a sweet spot of efficiency! Accounting for idle inverter power draw, you can keep the inverters in the Sweet Spot and minimize idle inverter draw! Brilliant!
Yes, that is possible. Although the difference in efficiency is not too much and considering the power is free, I'm not too worried about it. It also depends on the load of course which changes a lot during the day.
Glad to see you’re safe and mostly dry. My prayers go out for all those inflicted with the flooding in AU That is a well earned SPAT. Savor your calibration
Wow, that's a lot of rain. You could have started this episode with "Welcome to the Off-Shore Garage." BTW, slaving the Phoenix to the Multiplus is brilliant!
It's huge system and sometimes the pump kicks in to maintain pressure in the pipes even no tap is open. I could have stood there with a garden hose. Would be a great photo 😂
Great to see it working for you, Andy. I hope the flooding stops soon. We are watching all that water going to waste. Best wishes from South Australia.
Yeah, I find it pretty cool too. Whenever I plugin the car now, the Phoneix starts as well and I can charge for hours on full speed please pool pump plus irrigation pump. The Multi is unbelievable!
@@OffGridGarageAustralia the Victron kit is next level. I have a Multiplus II in my campervan hooked up to my house. It charges at night on the 5p/kWh rate and powers the house in the day. There's a meter after the utility meter that connects to the Victron Cerbo via ZigBee to let the Multiplus know how much power to put back on the mains. If the solar panels on the van or AC coupled solar in the garden produce more power than the house is using then the Multiplus charges the van battery. So cool!
Hi Andy, thanks a lot, you're the greatest and easiest to understand!!! Hi Andy, vielen Dank, du bist der Beste und am Einfachsten zu verstehen!!! Mach weiter so👍
I finally got my lifepo4 battery's (took 3 ali orders, 1 still in progress will not come, 1 already got $ back, 1 order received), the soak up so much solar power yesterday i was amazed, I payed a bit more then you but they are 100% new (tread was never used, i have in-bus rods with nuts, so you don't damage the terminal) and got them within 5 days, happy days love you're channel, stay dry and charged !!! LOL 20% soc and heavy load testing with a 100A fuse.
Thank you Johan. Did you order at AliExpress or Alibaba. The latter is far better and safer. Lot's of cowboys on AliExpress. It's OK for smaller devices and $$$ but I would not order cells from there directly.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I order them from Aliexpress but germany warehouse (5 day delivery), so I could send them back if there bloated or used, yes its not cheaper but 100% new, no customs, no marks, damage, QRcode is under the top label not on it etc, some remove the top label and see the old QRcode under it, and yes there are allot of cowboys on Aliexpress, took 3 orders to come this far seen bad story's on YT where ppl received bad cells (grade B sold as A), in fact they are used till 80% DOD, and replaced by new ones in EV, you cant know the state of the cell, but I guess max 1500 cycles left, mine should be 4000 cycles at 80% DOD, but you can never check because the warranty runs out before you can test. The cheapest cells from china are grade B (to good to be true) but if you order more then needed maybe you're lucky and still can work for a few years. For me there was no difference in price compare Lead-acid/Lifepo4 local/china market. I've a Daly BMS on it, but it works great, have ordered also a 2A active balancer but I don't need it, just connected cell's/bms and did nothing more, system is fine, charging only till 3.5v, happy days !!
Wow Andy. I had not heard of your plight, but then again in the U.S. after recent events in Australia news from 'Down Under' seems even more curtailed and under reported. Brings back memories of heavy rain events on the Sunshine Coast. Here we call that "Oregon Sunshine" but it brings to light the importance of considering and planning for such contingencies. .
Very hard to plan for such events. I have put new drainage in around the garages around 8 years ago. This worked well since last weekend. You can't win...
Hello, you can make this process smoother by using the limit on the AC in, (on the remote console) the Phoenix would kick in when the multi plus reaches your preset limit. The change over switches wouldn’t need to open or close and the lights wouldn’t flicker. Also the multi plus would load and unload the Phoenix smoothly. Phoenix would just idle until there is a demand. I hope that makes sense.
Yes, that makes sense. It's another scenario you can setup the system. The downside of this is the Phoenix AND the Multi would be on all the time. That's around 30W of standby. Using the relay, it almost half that power and the Phoenix only comes on when necessary. The light flickering does not occur all the time and does not bother me at all. I just managed to catch in on video 😉
Used you "training" video for support of "increase the Multiplus II capacity with a Phoenix Inverter". Thanks, with your support 👍 everthing was "smooth en quick".
I'm really happy for you Andy. After all that planning, preparation and hard work the system is up and running, congratulations. Couldn't help but be reminded of the laboratory of Dr. Andystein, a maniacal grin on his face, its alive, IT'S ALIIIIVE.
Man, I was scared as well. When I flicked the breaker to link both inverters, I was like expecting a big bang and magic smoke. Got it setup for almost 2 weeks now and it works great. I just need more battery power now as it sucks the battery empty in no time when on full power.
That was a very interesting vidde, I am going to have to watch it again a few times as you have left me behind thank you very much for your effort. Sorry your weather has been so bad, hope there was not too much damage ware you are. All the best. M.
Me neither. Some people suggested that here so I had to try it out. It works great. But you need the Multi as one inverter. The other one can be any stand alone inverter.
Thanks for the very interesting Video, this "load assisting" is cool and of course it's not about the lighting but about charging the Tesla that was shortly visible in the background :D
Great test. Happy to see settings for dumping excess power into hot water or an EV. Lost power and communications here for 17 hours during the floods. Had just finished getting off grid power to the shed from the cabin, to run the fridge and freezer, when power was restored. At least I'm prepared for next time.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia glad the rain has stopped. I’m still done years off from my off grid solar setup. I’m looking to break ground for foundation work on the holiday/retirement house tge end of this year. It’ll take many years to complete as I don’t have an upfront cash. 😌
@@lennieadi well, you are getting all the good ideas from here and can put your system perfectly together once you started building your house. It's a good preparation and you cannot start thinking about the setup early enough.
This is brilliant. I learned something today. If your power needs fluctuate below and above one inverter's capabilities, this solution seems to be more efficient than having multiple identical inverters in parallel, and working all the time. Plus, it doesn't even need parallel capable inverters. It does need an inverter with a relay to start a generator (second inverter), and another one which can be started with a relay (but that can be solved with a crude, 3.5kW capable mains relay, controlled by the previous inverter). Heck, in theory, one could daisy chain several inverters this way. There would be delays while they each turn on, yes. I wonder how that would affect the load (big motors and whatnot). Probably not a very safe idea. Or very reliable.
Australia is flooded but Andy had his irrigation system running just to be sure the plants got water enough? 😂 Obviously it's an missing something. This is great stuf Andy. I am thinking about a setup for my home with a single small battery to start with, grid tied, and grow it when financial viable. My off-grid cabin is working. Thx Andy.
Hallo Andy, thank you for your video. I combined two multiplus ii 5000 in Series, same as in your Video. But I have the Problem, that my configuration don´t goes in assist mode, only inverting or directly passthru, no assisting mode, i hat limited the imput current to 10 amps, but it still goes in passthru mode. So the one or the other multiplus delivers the current, but they don´t share their work. Any Ideas anybody?
"Going where no man has gone before.." great stuff Andy! At around 38:20 in your video, the MP is powering the load of 5.4kw, your "Gen" is supplying 1.2kw but the MP seems to be powering the entire AC load from your battery - doesn't seem to be using anything from your "Gen" - maybe i'm missing something...?
Thanks Graham. The 5.4kW is coming from both inverters. The Gen (Phoenix) is powering 1.2kW and the rest (4.4kW) is coming from the Multi. That was the test to proof the Multi can actually output more than 3kVA in PowerAssist mode. The manual is not very clear here, but the Multi will output max of 4kW or 5kVA regardless if standalone or in PowerAssist mode.
Nice Andy, you did it!! Glad I could be of help and it all works like a charm. But thats just what Victrons do :) Greetings from Munich and stay charged ;) Andi (changed my youtube display name recently)
I was going to send you an email but without internet 🤷♂️ not much of use... Thanks so much for all your help and input again. It all worked out nicely without problem. You just need to get your head around it. Also, the sudden drop in power is not a problem and both inverters can cope with this without trying to push power back to the grid (or generator). Fantastic outcome!
A few have asked if this would work with another brand of inverter. I am not sure if they are asking another brand feeding the Victron Multiplus or two inverters that are not Victron working together as in this video? I just setup and tested this using a Multiplus 24v 2000va and a Vanner VLT 24-1500. The Vanner has a similar two wire remote to the Phoenix and worked as demonstrated in Andy’s video. For those unfamiliar with Vanner, they are a high quality inverter that was typically used in Ambulances and emergency vehicles in North America. Also sold under the Charles Marine brand. For third party inverter/chargers to be able to work like the Multiplus, my guess is you would have to be able to disable the charging and the inverter would have to support load sharing. Otherwise, if you fed it with the second inverter, the first inverter would not pass through the ac, but would start charging your battery. Andy mentions this in his video.
I'm glad all is ok with you and your family. Great video, impressed how all works fantastic. Maybe in a near future I'll began mounting something like that. Stay safe.
What is your voltage coming into the garage from the panels …? Is it all the same or different from different arrays and get ramped down by the different charge controllers.? Thanks, Jim.
I have several roofs with one MPPT each. They can have different voltages and power output. It's all explained here: th-cam.com/video/RrH-mCtJZO8/w-d-xo.html
Very nice test. If the Phoenix runs all the time those abrupt relay changes won't need to occur. The Multiplus can just assist or not. Would be smoother.
Yes, that is correct but you have double standby power as the Multi won't do anything until you use more power. I probably try this at some stage and see if it makes sense. The lights usually don't even flicker, that is just occasionally depending when the relay actually switches.
I'm toying with running 2 x Victron Multi RS Solar units in series. They currently don't support parallel and series is also not a supported configuration but I'm keen to give it a go. I guess I'll have to live with only 1 of the units showing up on the GX but I might set up a Pi to host that on another instance in VRM. Thanks for all the superb videos 👍
If the powerassist feature is active then the input current limit won’t go below a certain amperage. It you disable powerassist you should be able to turn the input current limit down to 1 amp.
@Andy I've scoured the comments but can't seem to find discussion on my particular question... I understand from your video that both inverters are running off the same bank. My question is rather CAN you run each inverter off a different battery bank? I'm not sure the secondary inverter (Phoenix) could charge its battery from AC-side grid b/c it is off until Power Assist kicks on, under load. I guess you could have a DC-coupled PV system on the secondary inverter's (Phoenix) battery. Or is there a way we could get AC input on the Phoenix to charge that secondary battery system? The use case for separated battery banks in this method is to allow different battery types to interoperate --on the AC side-- within a single system. So the "weaker" battery could be the secondary, as it gets cycled less --only jumping on to Power Assist. Thanks for any feedback!
Great work, thank you. Aren’t these inverters technically in parallel? Same as with a grid or generator, synchronises and runs parallel to add up the power, not series.
Each model of Multiplus and Quattro has a different minimum AC Input current limit. There is an exact list in an Excel file on the Victron Professional website. For example, the 3kVA models have a 3 A minimum limit.
Ah, right. I'll have a look there. Thanks for the tip. I wasn't aware of that limit. 6A for this is still OK because the Phoenix can easily output 10A over a long period of time, even in 35° hot climate we had last week. So that all seems to work well. And I can easily adjust this threshold as per needs and conditions, like higher in winter and lower in summer.
Its also diffrent a limited down when charge mode and invert/on stage. So you know . That’s also different for assisting and Past true. With different mode.. when you find out it’s actually cool 👍
I didn't quite understand how the setup was. There was something on your Venus display that said "DC Power" hooked up to the battery. What is that? Is that the AC to DC power supply? It is confusing because what is powering the power supply?
DC Power in the VRM is all the power which does not go into the Victron Multiplus inverter. The system assumes it is been used as DC power directly from the battery. Like the other inverter I have connected sometimes to power loads in the house or the DC-DC converter for my SUB charging.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia How does the Victron Multiplus know you are siphoning off power from the battery? Does that only work if that DC load is another Victron product?
Hey andy , i have a question i have a multiplus 12/3000in my van and a regular inverter 4000w , i connected the the regular inverter on the ac in from multiplus but it looks thats its looping the current . How is your phoenix connected to? To grid or your battery , i just want extra power because i use it on the job where is no power . Grtz Davy
Hey - I hope things stayed under control with the flooding on your property. I lived in S Queensland for a few years in the early 2000s. My friends in Brisbane are dealing with some pretty intense flooding as they live by the river. Watch out for mould as the water recedes... serious, life-altering health hazard for some.
hello, as always great videos, can I have some information? I have a cerbo gx connected to the multiplus and when I unplug the ve.bus cable from the multiplus the multiplus stops working, I wanted to know if there is the possibility of running the multiplus without the ve.bus cable connected. thank you
That is a good question. I use the Ve.Bus to USB adapter and don't have this problem, so even the USB is unplugged, the MP keeps working. That might be a question for the Victron community forum: community.victronenergy.com/
25:20 - That happy face i know. I use Victron only too and every new test i do i have that starnge feeling and then when it runs that happy face. Yes i can feel it, haha 39:10 - How good is that? That's Victron my friend.
The Victron gear is really good, I like the constant updates you get (it's like a Tesla) and it just works (same as a Tesla again). The remote access and control are fantastic and no other company does that.
Thanks Brad. There is nothing more to wire. The two inverters don't need any communication or so, if it is what you mean. I have them both connected to my Raspi running Venus OS though. The smaller inverter shows as a generator in Victron as it is connected to the AC-in of the Multiplus.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia , that's awesome. I was wondering how I could put my multi 2k to my multi 3k as primary. I would love to ask more questions. Do you do consulting help?
So I see you say you can connect any inverter to your Multiplus II. Would that be true for other inverters as well? I have a SunGoldPower 48v 6500 watt 240v inverter that has been running my home to include a/c with easy start, charging the Tesla, and running the dryer, but at times my wife forgets and adds another larger load and it trips the inverter. Could I add another inverter to the SunGoldPower in series to increase the wattage? I've been searching the internet and find nothing accept for your video's. Does yours work because of the functionality of the Victron equipment where others will not? Thanks again, Mark from Post Falls, Idaho USA!
That depends on the load and the settings. I can set a threshold until the Phoenix will ramp up and then it will stay at this set maximum output. The Multiplus will add additional power as needed. The ground terminals is not connected in a stationary installation as per the manual.
The Multi is wired with a 6mm cable, The input to the multi (from the Phoenix) with a 2.5mm cable. Internet is still off, I'm operating from a hotspot atm.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia 6mm on the AC side? Looks much smaller in the videos. I’ll have to watch them all again 😂😂😂 Stay dry!! Hope everything is back to normal ASAP!!
Well done Andy, I found your video because I was looking for a similar solution. Instead of bringing the 2nd inverter in based on higher loads , could it be used as a UPS? i.e if inverter 1 was to fail for some reason inverter 2 takes over. But I see that if I run my normal loads on inverter 2 (grid/generator) then when it fails inverter 1 kicks in - in Inverter mode!!
Bonjour avez vous réussi à faire la même chose le mien saute a chaque fois qu'il y une grosse charge et il est toujours en mode passant sa s'ajoute jamais même en reglent l ac in du multi j'ai commencé par 6 AMP et j'y suis arrivé à 25 et rien sa saute toujours
Andy. I did not remember you told us about the amps you can put and discharge in standard from inverter. ? I mean for the battery pack do you urecommand to have a maximum charge and discharge amps from inverter? Or it does not matter? My inverter can charge up and discharge up to 100A
Wenn bei Flut das WLAN tut, dann ist dein Gewächshaus gut... When i checked the flood in the green house last year, i came up with that. Congratulations to your well working system. Hope the flood does not do something serious.
Hahaha, that is so ... off 😂 Only some minor damages over here but nothing serious. All good. Rain is easing up now so they can hopefully restore this damn internet!
Hi Andy, love your channel. I am a German living in Costa Rica with my family for 3 years now and I do know how you feel being cut off. Well prepared it’s not bad at all, and it makes you appreciate the important things in life: family, health, shelter, food.
I am building my first battery to be independent, your videos are so great to learn all you need while enjoying the process.
Thank you for that!
I am amazed how you don't let the noise of the heavy rain affect your video presentation skills. Very impressive.
Thank you very much, Nigel. Can't be held back from a bit of rain 😉 The Off-Grid Garage is unstoppable 💪
WOW ! YOU HAVE THE GREATEST THING GOING ON THAT WALL SYSTEM AND IT SEEMS TO BE PAYING OFF . A NEW BEGAIING FOR THE ULTIMATE SOLAR GARAGE . ITS WORKING ! MAY THE SOLAR BE WITH YOU .
Thanks Cedric!
Inverters have a sweet spot of efficiency! Accounting for idle inverter power draw, you can keep the inverters in the Sweet Spot and minimize idle inverter draw! Brilliant!
Yes, that is possible. Although the difference in efficiency is not too much and considering the power is free, I'm not too worried about it. It also depends on the load of course which changes a lot during the day.
Glad to see you’re safe and mostly dry. My prayers go out for all those inflicted with the flooding in AU
That is a well earned SPAT. Savor your calibration
Thank you, Edward!
Wow, that's a lot of rain. You could have started this episode with "Welcome to the Off-Shore Garage."
BTW, slaving the Phoenix to the Multiplus is brilliant!
This is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! The more I watch and look around this channel the more I am amazed! All the links and info!!!! THANK YOU!
It makes me happy to see you happy God bless you
LOL I can see the headlines...Aussie Man irrigates during flood...Good stuff Andy!
It's huge system and sometimes the pump kicks in to maintain pressure in the pipes even no tap is open.
I could have stood there with a garden hose. Would be a great photo 😂
Well done Andy!
I had a big cheer here in my shed for you all the way over here in sunny hot Perth for you/us.
Stay safe and hopefully 'Charged' soon.
Thanks Nathan. It was a tense moment when I turned on the link between the two inverters. But all good 🍺
That’s a lot of rain! Thanks for your efforts to get a video out for us, take care Andy
Thanks 👍
More to come soon...
Great to see it working for you, Andy. I hope the flooding stops soon. We are watching all that water going to waste.
Best wishes from South Australia.
Thank you. All dams are full now so this will last us a while.
Very nice work. It did make me laugh when the irrigation pump kicked as the rain is chucking it down.
That is so amazing. Thankfully you found an Access Point to Upload. This ist really a great construction with the two inverters
Yeah, I find it pretty cool too. Whenever I plugin the car now, the Phoneix starts as well and I can charge for hours on full speed please pool pump plus irrigation pump. The Multi is unbelievable!
@@OffGridGarageAustralia the Victron kit is next level. I have a Multiplus II in my campervan hooked up to my house. It charges at night on the 5p/kWh rate and powers the house in the day. There's a meter after the utility meter that connects to the Victron Cerbo via ZigBee to let the Multiplus know how much power to put back on the mains. If the solar panels on the van or AC coupled solar in the garden produce more power than the house is using then the Multiplus charges the van battery. So cool!
Hi Andy, thanks a lot, you're the greatest and easiest to understand!!!
Hi Andy, vielen Dank, du bist der Beste und am Einfachsten zu verstehen!!!
Mach weiter so👍
I was so excited to see this come together!
I was so nervous turning on this breaker between the two inverters, puh... It all works perfectly for 2 weeks now, so hopefully it stays that way.
The excitement is fun to watch sir. Congratulations!
Thank you. I was very excited that this actually works.
I finally got my lifepo4 battery's (took 3 ali orders, 1 still in progress will not come, 1 already got $ back, 1 order received), the soak up so much solar power yesterday i was amazed, I payed a bit more then you but they are 100% new (tread was never used, i have in-bus rods with nuts, so you don't damage the terminal) and got them within 5 days, happy days love you're channel, stay dry and charged !!! LOL 20% soc and heavy load testing with a 100A fuse.
Thank you Johan. Did you order at AliExpress or Alibaba. The latter is far better and safer. Lot's of cowboys on AliExpress. It's OK for smaller devices and $$$ but I would not order cells from there directly.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I order them from Aliexpress but germany warehouse (5 day delivery), so I could send them back if there bloated or used, yes its not cheaper but 100% new, no customs, no marks, damage, QRcode is under the top label not on it etc, some remove the top label and see the old QRcode under it, and yes there are allot of cowboys on Aliexpress, took 3 orders to come this far seen bad story's on YT where ppl received bad cells (grade B sold as A), in fact they are used till 80% DOD, and replaced by new ones in EV, you cant know the state of the cell, but I guess max 1500 cycles left, mine should be 4000 cycles at 80% DOD, but you can never check because the warranty runs out before you can test. The cheapest cells from china are grade B (to good to be true) but if you order more then needed maybe you're lucky and still can work for a few years. For me there was no difference in price compare Lead-acid/Lifepo4 local/china market. I've a Daly BMS on it, but it works great, have ordered also a 2A active balancer but I don't need it, just connected cell's/bms and did nothing more, system is fine, charging only till 3.5v, happy days !!
Water Frontage? That is the thing expensive resorts have. Thanks for the videos .👍👍👍❤️
I had to watch it again, to answer some of my thoughts and I think you have done.a really great job of this whole series, heaps of great info.
Wow Andy. I had not heard of your plight, but then again in the U.S. after recent events in Australia news from 'Down Under' seems even more curtailed and under reported. Brings back memories of heavy rain events on the Sunshine Coast. Here we call that "Oregon Sunshine" but it brings to light the importance of considering and planning for such contingencies. .
Very hard to plan for such events. I have put new drainage in around the garages around 8 years ago. This worked well since last weekend. You can't win...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Yes, Indeed. Short of (lol) floating or submersible enclosures what can ya do mate?
We also have a Sunshine Coast not far from Andy just north of Brisbane!
Hello, you can make this process smoother by using the limit on the AC in, (on the remote console) the Phoenix would kick in when the multi plus reaches your preset limit. The change over switches wouldn’t need to open or close and the lights wouldn’t flicker. Also the multi plus would load and unload the Phoenix smoothly. Phoenix would just idle until there is a demand. I hope that makes sense.
Yes, that makes sense. It's another scenario you can setup the system. The downside of this is the Phoenix AND the Multi would be on all the time. That's around 30W of standby.
Using the relay, it almost half that power and the Phoenix only comes on when necessary.
The light flickering does not occur all the time and does not bother me at all. I just managed to catch in on video 😉
I really love the Victron stuff! It can do sincerly everything.
It is mind-blowing. This Multiplus is so versatile and can be adapted to pretty much any scenario.
Used you "training" video for support of "increase the Multiplus II capacity with a Phoenix Inverter". Thanks, with your support 👍 everthing was "smooth en quick".
just finding the right answers in your top high quality videos sitting in my sofa last day of the year!. have a good new year Andy from Spain. 🐸
I'm really happy for you Andy.
After all that planning, preparation and hard work the system is up and running, congratulations.
Couldn't help but be reminded of the laboratory of Dr. Andystein, a maniacal grin on his face, its alive, IT'S ALIIIIVE.
Hahaha, had a to laugh loud reading your comment. It all came together made form single parts, right?! 😂
Thanks for this Andy, the excitement is contagious. I have always wanted to do this but too scared.
Man, I was scared as well. When I flicked the breaker to link both inverters, I was like expecting a big bang and magic smoke.
Got it setup for almost 2 weeks now and it works great. I just need more battery power now as it sucks the battery empty in no time when on full power.
That was a very interesting vidde, I am going to have to watch it again a few times as you have left me behind thank you very much for your effort. Sorry your weather has been so bad, hope there was not too much damage ware you are. All the best. M.
The Multiplus is amazing and can do anything. The power output now is totally sufficient for my needs including all the pumps and vehicle charging.
Lots of progress Andy... good job and congrats!
Yeah, finally we're getting somewhere. It went quick at the end. When I think back, what a 💩load of work!
Great video! I never thought of using two inverters in that configuration.
Me neither. Some people suggested that here so I had to try it out. It works great. But you need the Multi as one inverter. The other one can be any stand alone inverter.
Good to see you again Andy!!
Hey, thanks!
Thanks for the very interesting Video, this "load assisting" is cool and of course it's not about the lighting but about charging the Tesla that was shortly visible in the background :D
Yeah, I charge the vehicle mainly from the off-grid system.
Great test. Happy to see settings for dumping excess power into hot water or an EV.
Lost power and communications here for 17 hours during the floods. Had just finished getting off grid power to the shed from the cabin, to run the fridge and freezer, when power was restored. At least I'm prepared for next time.
Thanks Andrew. We didn't lose power but internet is gone for 10 days now with no ETR of the service. The whole area is without...
That’s a solid test and tutorial Andy. Very helpful. I’m not surewhen you recorded this, so I hope you didn’t flood with a creek nearby. Stay safe.
We are on higher ground, so all good here. Thank you.
incroyable cette synchronisation ! merci Andy je viens d'apprendre et de découvrir cette technique pour victron grace a toi et ta chaine.
Great stuff as always Andy. Very interesting and informativ. Hope the flood doesn't affect you too much. 👊🏾🇬🇧🇯🇲
Thanks Lennie. Still having some rain but no flood any more.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia glad the rain has stopped. I’m still done years off from my off grid solar setup. I’m looking to break ground for foundation work on the holiday/retirement house tge end of this year. It’ll take many years to complete as I don’t have an upfront cash. 😌
@@lennieadi well, you are getting all the good ideas from here and can put your system perfectly together once you started building your house. It's a good preparation and you cannot start thinking about the setup early enough.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia my thoughts exactly. Just hope I don’t forget everything. Will have to re-watch all the videos 🤦♂️
Again very nice progress and a clean and understandable setup!
Thank you, Edward. It's a hell of a project for sure. But also a lot of fun and excitement to see it finally working.
Wow the victrons are so versatile. That's awesome!
It is a really great device and with the easy programming and assistants, it can adapt top pretty much any installation and configuration.
Da freut sich einer. Nice Video.
Ich hoffe es gibt wieder gute Videos.
Klar, geht bald weiter. Bin wieder online mit einem beschi**n mobilen Access Point. Besser als nichts
Great video Andy!!!! I will try it someday following your steps.
That should work with any inverter and the Multi. As long as it has this remote on/off feature.
Lawrence of Arabia heated war but loved the preparation for battle STAY CHARGED thank you for interesting vlog
I had a long preparation, hahaha
Thanks Andy, Nice feature
This is brilliant. I learned something today.
If your power needs fluctuate below and above one inverter's capabilities, this solution seems to be more efficient than having multiple identical inverters in parallel, and working all the time. Plus, it doesn't even need parallel capable inverters. It does need an inverter with a relay to start a generator (second inverter), and another one which can be started with a relay (but that can be solved with a crude, 3.5kW capable mains relay, controlled by the previous inverter).
Heck, in theory, one could daisy chain several inverters this way. There would be delays while they each turn on, yes. I wonder how that would affect the load (big motors and whatnot). Probably not a very safe idea. Or very reliable.
There is a Tropical Torrential Down Pour and Andy turn on his irrigation pump. Nek miet all Brisbane floods. Thanks Andy. hahahahaha.
Hahaha, it wasn't my fault! 😂
Thumbs up and still subscribed! Good luck with rain!
Thanks for the sub! 😂
Australia is flooded but Andy had his irrigation system running just to be sure the plants got water enough? 😂
Obviously it's an missing something.
This is great stuf Andy. I am thinking about a setup for my home with a single small battery to start with, grid tied, and grow it when financial viable.
My off-grid cabin is working. Thx Andy.
Hallo Andy,
thank you for your video. I combined two multiplus ii 5000 in Series, same as in your Video.
But I have the Problem, that my configuration don´t goes in assist mode, only inverting or directly passthru, no assisting mode, i hat limited the imput current to 10 amps, but it still goes in passthru mode. So the one or the other multiplus delivers the current, but they don´t share their work. Any Ideas anybody?
Are they connected to the same Venus system?
Why don't you parallel them? That would make more sense in your case.
Very cool setup! Good information, as always
Thank you, Mark!
Nice.
Overruled by remote is also needed for VRM dashboard control of the multiplus.
This is Max from South Africa ,Is the Phoenix connected to a seperate battery bank or from the same Multiplus Battery bank??
"Going where no man has gone before.." great stuff Andy! At around 38:20 in your video, the MP is powering the load of 5.4kw, your "Gen" is supplying 1.2kw but the MP seems to be powering the entire AC load from your battery - doesn't seem to be using anything from your "Gen" - maybe i'm missing something...?
Thanks Graham. The 5.4kW is coming from both inverters. The Gen (Phoenix) is powering 1.2kW and the rest (4.4kW) is coming from the Multi. That was the test to proof the Multi can actually output more than 3kVA in PowerAssist mode. The manual is not very clear here, but the Multi will output max of 4kW or 5kVA regardless if standalone or in PowerAssist mode.
Unbelievable. Well done!
Many thanks!
Wuhuuu endlich wieder was neues🤣 Hoffe Ihr habt die Flut gut überstanden😅
Soweit so gut, mehr Regen is angesagt. Demnaechst kommt da ein Video auf dem deutschen Kanal...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia da bin ich mal gespannt. Liebe deine Videos einfach😁 auf allen Kanälen! Gerne mehr! Mit dir hat man immer was zu lachen 😄
Nice Andy, you did it!!
Glad I could be of help and it all works like a charm. But thats just what Victrons do :)
Greetings from Munich and stay charged ;)
Andi (changed my youtube display name recently)
I was going to send you an email but without internet 🤷♂️ not much of use...
Thanks so much for all your help and input again. It all worked out nicely without problem. You just need to get your head around it.
Also, the sudden drop in power is not a problem and both inverters can cope with this without trying to push power back to the grid (or generator).
Fantastic outcome!
A great concept Andy. Does anybody know if the same concept be used with a Quattro 2 with grid tied to AC1in and a Pheonix connected to AC2in.
Haha, so many emotions! Really enjoyed watching your video :)
Fascinating test!
I thought so too.
Heya, a spat is what you desurve after this adventure well done
A few have asked if this would work with another brand of inverter. I am not sure if they are asking another brand feeding the Victron Multiplus or two inverters that are not Victron working together as in this video? I just setup and tested this using a Multiplus 24v 2000va and a Vanner VLT 24-1500. The Vanner has a similar two wire remote to the Phoenix and worked as demonstrated in Andy’s video. For those unfamiliar with Vanner, they are a high quality inverter that was typically used in Ambulances and emergency vehicles in North America. Also sold under the Charles Marine brand.
For third party inverter/chargers to be able to work like the Multiplus, my guess is you would have to be able to disable the charging and the inverter would have to support load sharing. Otherwise, if you fed it with the second inverter, the first inverter would not pass through the ac, but would start charging your battery. Andy mentions this in his video.
Great information 💪💯. I enjoy your enthusiasm and videos.
this power stuff is so much fun lol
Thank you 🙏
I'm glad all is ok with you and your family. Great video, impressed how all works fantastic. Maybe in a near future I'll began mounting something like that.
Stay safe.
Thanks Abel.
It's an impressive system and setup now. But we're not done or a long time. Heaps more to come 😉
What is your voltage coming into the garage from the panels …? Is it all the same or different from different arrays and get ramped down by the different charge controllers.? Thanks, Jim.
I have several roofs with one MPPT each. They can have different voltages and power output.
It's all explained here: th-cam.com/video/RrH-mCtJZO8/w-d-xo.html
Very nice test. If the Phoenix runs all the time those abrupt relay changes won't need to occur. The Multiplus can just assist or not. Would be smoother.
Yes, that is correct but you have double standby power as the Multi won't do anything until you use more power. I probably try this at some stage and see if it makes sense.
The lights usually don't even flicker, that is just occasionally depending when the relay actually switches.
Nice video, you remind me of my dad. I love the victron ecosystem, will build one myself when I get enough money.
I'm toying with running 2 x Victron Multi RS Solar units in series. They currently don't support parallel and series is also not a supported configuration but I'm keen to give it a go. I guess I'll have to live with only 1 of the units showing up on the GX but I might set up a Pi to host that on another instance in VRM. Thanks for all the superb videos 👍
Excellent job!!!!
Thank you, Teddy!
Perfect! Only downside with off grid solar is...weather...
and Internet 😂
If the powerassist feature is active then the input current limit won’t go below a certain amperage. It you disable powerassist you should be able to turn the input current limit down to 1 amp.
Calibrating while watching 🍻
So nice! 🍺
Watching this is a bit like watching Hitchcock movies... great job!
@Andy I've scoured the comments but can't seem to find discussion on my particular question... I understand from your video that both inverters are running off the same bank. My question is rather CAN you run each inverter off a different battery bank? I'm not sure the secondary inverter (Phoenix) could charge its battery from AC-side grid b/c it is off until Power Assist kicks on, under load. I guess you could have a DC-coupled PV system on the secondary inverter's (Phoenix) battery. Or is there a way we could get AC input on the Phoenix to charge that secondary battery system? The use case for separated battery banks in this method is to allow different battery types to interoperate --on the AC side-- within a single system. So the "weaker" battery could be the secondary, as it gets cycled less --only jumping on to Power Assist. Thanks for any feedback!
Great work, thank you. Aren’t these inverters technically in parallel? Same as with a grid or generator, synchronises and runs parallel to add up the power, not series.
Each model of Multiplus and Quattro has a different minimum AC Input current limit.
There is an exact list in an Excel file on the Victron Professional website.
For example, the 3kVA models have a 3 A minimum limit.
Ah, right. I'll have a look there. Thanks for the tip. I wasn't aware of that limit. 6A for this is still OK because the Phoenix can easily output 10A over a long period of time, even in 35° hot climate we had last week. So that all seems to work well. And I can easily adjust this threshold as per needs and conditions, like higher in winter and lower in summer.
Its also diffrent a limited down when charge mode and invert/on stage. So you know .
That’s also different for assisting and Past true.
With different mode.. when you find out it’s actually cool 👍
very good , great work THANK YOU!
Ciao amico mio 👍 ottimo lavoro 📲, tempo delle piogge 🌧
lol in Thailand i made 94.6kw. sunny hot and cool nights. weather here is screwed up this year. it should be getting hotter but it is still cold.
Cool video can you show more of the flash flood. Love to see what's happening in other countries apart from my own UK.
There will be a video on my German channel once the internet has been restored.
Great stuff 😎
Thanks 👍
Really like the versatility of the Victron software, they really looked into a lot of possibilities!
And this is just a few options I showed. It can be adapted to pretty much any constellation and power installation.
I didn't quite understand how the setup was. There was something on your Venus display that said "DC Power" hooked up to the battery. What is that? Is that the AC to DC power supply? It is confusing because what is powering the power supply?
DC Power in the VRM is all the power which does not go into the Victron Multiplus inverter. The system assumes it is been used as DC power directly from the battery. Like the other inverter I have connected sometimes to power loads in the house or the DC-DC converter for my SUB charging.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia How does the Victron Multiplus know you are siphoning off power from the battery? Does that only work if that DC load is another Victron product?
Awesome. Love it.
Great stuff!
Thank you, Brian.
Hey andy , i have a question i have a multiplus 12/3000in my van and a regular inverter 4000w , i connected the the regular inverter on the ac in from multiplus but it looks thats its looping the current . How is your phoenix connected to? To grid or your battery , i just want extra power because i use it on the job where is no power . Grtz Davy
Hello.
Did you managed to make it run ?
Hey - I hope things stayed under control with the flooding on your property. I lived in S Queensland for a few years in the early 2000s. My friends in Brisbane are dealing with some pretty intense flooding as they live by the river. Watch out for mould as the water recedes... serious, life-altering health hazard for some.
Thankfully we did not get any water inside the house or other buildings. It already started to dry up over the weekend.
hello, as always great videos, can I have some information? I have a cerbo gx connected to the multiplus and when I unplug the ve.bus cable from the multiplus the multiplus stops working, I wanted to know if there is the possibility of running the multiplus without the ve.bus cable connected. thank you
That is a good question. I use the Ve.Bus to USB adapter and don't have this problem, so even the USB is unplugged, the MP keeps working.
That might be a question for the Victron community forum: community.victronenergy.com/
was that a half of a barrel out in the yard or a victron flood controller?
How are your batteries with rain! Since no solar, how many days of battery do you have?
With the two battery banks in operation, It can last 2-3 days now with no solar before I run dry.
25:20 - That happy face i know. I use Victron only too and every new test i do i have that starnge feeling and then when it runs that happy face. Yes i can feel it, haha
39:10 - How good is that? That's Victron my friend.
The Victron gear is really good, I like the constant updates you get (it's like a Tesla) and it just works (same as a Tesla again).
The remote access and control are fantastic and no other company does that.
Great video. I was just wondering how do do this. So is it all wired into a lynx distributor? Maybe a short video on how you wired this up?
Thanks Brad. There is nothing more to wire. The two inverters don't need any communication or so, if it is what you mean. I have them both connected to my Raspi running Venus OS though. The smaller inverter shows as a generator in Victron as it is connected to the AC-in of the Multiplus.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia , that's awesome. I was wondering how I could put my multi 2k to my multi 3k as primary. I would love to ask more questions. Do you do consulting help?
@@Alaska1969 you can just ask here so others can learn as well if that's ok.
@Off-Grid Garage , if the second unit plugs into the primary AC IN, does shore /gen power plug into the secondary AC IN?
@@Alaska1969 Can you send me an email? It's under the 'About' tab on my channel...
It looks great and works well you are a master ! But why ws your irrigation pump working with all the rain
The pump also supplies water to different taps in the garden and the house, also a toilet is connected, so it's not just irrigation.
So I see you say you can connect any inverter to your Multiplus II. Would that be true for other inverters as well? I have a SunGoldPower 48v 6500 watt 240v inverter that has been running my home to include a/c with easy start, charging the Tesla, and running the dryer, but at times my wife forgets and adds another larger load and it trips the inverter. Could I add another inverter to the SunGoldPower in series to increase the wattage? I've been searching the internet and find nothing accept for your video's. Does yours work because of the functionality of the Victron equipment where others will not? Thanks again, Mark from Post Falls, Idaho USA!
yes it works because of victron
Hi
First why they not share equally the load
Secend why the ground for the inverter not connected (near the aux terminals)?
That depends on the load and the settings. I can set a threshold until the Phoenix will ramp up and then it will stay at this set maximum output. The Multiplus will add additional power as needed.
The ground terminals is not connected in a stationary installation as per the manual.
Great video!!!!!!
Thanks a lot!
Glad to see you back!!
What size of AC wiring are you using for almost 25amps?
The Multi is wired with a 6mm cable, The input to the multi (from the Phoenix) with a 2.5mm cable.
Internet is still off, I'm operating from a hotspot atm.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia 6mm on the AC side? Looks much smaller in the videos. I’ll have to watch them all again 😂😂😂
Stay dry!! Hope everything is back to normal ASAP!!
Great Video again
Thank you very much!
Well done Andy, I found your video because I was looking for a similar solution. Instead of bringing the 2nd inverter in based on higher loads , could it be used as a UPS? i.e if inverter 1 was to fail for some reason inverter 2 takes over. But I see that if I run my normal loads on inverter 2 (grid/generator) then when it fails inverter 1 kicks in - in Inverter mode!!
Thanks Stan, yes, that can be done with such a setup. The MP has a switch time of less than 20ms and you can barely see the flicker of the light.
I see couple other projects on the horizon, Starlink and Hydropower for energy generation. ;) Stay safe Andy.
Hahaha, the hydro generation is a very temporary thing down here. It is sunny hot Australia after all 🌞
Bonjour la sortie 220v du Phoenix tu relié à la sortie du multiplus !! Ou l'entrée du multiplus !!
The output of the Phoenix is the input of the Multiplus. It's called Power Assist.
Merci
Bonjour avez vous réussi à faire la même chose le mien saute a chaque fois qu'il y une grosse charge et il est toujours en mode passant sa s'ajoute jamais même en reglent l ac in du multi j'ai commencé par 6 AMP et j'y suis arrivé à 25 et rien sa saute toujours
Andy. I did not remember you told us about the amps you can put and discharge in standard from inverter. ? I mean for the battery pack do you urecommand to have a maximum charge and discharge amps from inverter? Or it does not matter? My inverter can charge up and discharge up to 100A
Wenn bei Flut das WLAN tut, dann ist dein Gewächshaus gut... When i checked the flood in the green house last year, i came up with that.
Congratulations to your well working system. Hope the flood does not do something serious.
Hahaha, that is so ... off 😂
Only some minor damages over here but nothing serious. All good. Rain is easing up now so they can hopefully restore this damn internet!