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Dear all,
i am in the planning phase of a Victron 3 phase ESS using Multiplus II 48/5000. Unfortunately, I can only mount the devices at the ground floor, next to the living room. What is your experience in regard to the noise level of the Multiplus. There are some reports about fan noise and 50Hz humming? Is it realy that annoying? Is there a high series deviation (some devices seem to be quiter then others)? Any advices to keep the system as quite as possible?
Tia
Br
Mike
When inverting, but pulling under 1000W I hear a slight hum, but nothing serious. But when inverting 1000+W the fan engages, which isnt the most quiet fan too be honest and the humming is slightly increased. All-in-all its not that bad.
Good news,
We have been hearing your frustrations very loud and clear, but did not speak up until we were sure we had something we could do about it.
We now have a way to improve the situation.
We have made changes to the design for MultiPlus-II's which reduces one of main noise factors mentioned in the complaints above, the PWM noise of the fan. NOTE this does not change the white noise of the airflow when the fan is at full speed, nor the frequency hum from the transformer.
There is also good news for those who already have a MultiPlus-II, and feel like they would be willing to do something about the PWM noise specifically. We now also have a retrofit kit available, and it works great.
It works for models and serial numbers listed in the attachment. For more recent units this retrofit kit is not relevant, since there we have included the change on the main PCB in the factory already.
If you believe this may be of use to you, please get in touch with your Victron supplier (with the attached tech note). Please be patient, as we do not have large stocks of this part, so it may take some time to special order.
I've just purchased a new MultiPlus 2 5000VA and noted my unit is one of the first Serial numbers with the redesign fixing the PWM issue. Pleased with that. I did notice though the same model Jamicon JF1238B2HR-R fan is used and hard mounted to the case.
A couple of issues I have with that model of the fan and mounting:
- first and most basic. To replace the fan you need to take the 30kg MulitPlus off the wall! Please change your mechanical design to allow the fan to be changed without removing the inverter. My long history in electronics, fans need replacing sometime, design the MulitPlus to be serviceable easily.
- it would be ideal to be able to test the fan function easily when connected using software while doing maintenance. As the roll of the fan is critical to a correctly functioning inverter.
-the fan generally is not well balanced and due to being nonisolated mounted will conduct any vibration to the case. So either from new or with some aging will get worse. Install a fan unit that is isolated from the case. All good low-noise fans have mechanical isolation.
- the fan itself, the design of the center molding ie. cap and blades resonate loudly. What I mean is the design of the center molding amplifies any motor noise as demonstrated by the very loud low-frequency PWM noise before the modification. The issue can be identified by gently tapping the center cap with the handle of a screwdriver, comparing fans; the Jamicon when taped is very loud. A number of comparison fans just sound more like a dull thud. The model of the Jamicon fan used is far from ideal and either get the manufacturer to fix the issue or select a fan that has a lower noise for the same airflow and pressure.
-for my existing MulitPlus 2 300VA I added some auto sound-deadening material to the underside of the Blue Lid which helped reduce the "oil can drum" resonance, further reducing all the internal noises to a much lower acceptable level.
Otherwise, with the reduced noise the MultiPlus has been doing the job, is extremely versatile and generally performs well and I'm very pleased with all the ecosystem Victron Energy has created.
Many thanks from Australia
I just installed the fan board at my 3 Multi 3000. It makes a remarkable difference.
Could you develop an anti vibration kit for the transformer, too? It makes an annoying structure-borne noise which swells up and down depending on the load. Maybe a component made of rubber for decoupling between the transformer and the body?
That's good to hear (or not). My dealer said they can't order them as they are out of stock ATM. Although I contacted them within 3 hours of the retro kits being announced so not sure whether i'm just being fobbed off or not.
As for the vibration the rubber matt trick underneath works a treat. It's just the fan noise when mine hits over around 1200W now that's starting to drive me nuts.
This is a special part and will always appear to be 'out of stock' to your dealer.
The kits are made to order, so you will need to press your dealer to place the order anyway, and then have it fulfilled as a back order.
This is great news! I was considering removing my Multiplus due to the fan noise alone. Which would have been a pity as other than that I'm massively impressed. I just hope the retailer batteriemegastore2009 (bmstechnologies) will honour it now as I purchased my Multiplus 7 months ago and have only just installed it.
Hi,
I know this isn't a forum for direct support from Victron, but could you please point me in the direction of a telephone number or an email address of someone at Victron I contact regarding the retrofit kit?
I excitedly contacted my supplier within hours of seeing this post back in March and asked them to place an order for me, which they assured me they did. My supplier is now getting sick of me pestering them for the status, they tell me their hands are tied and I believe them. I'm aware it shows out of stock and must be placed on back order, I made my supplier aware of this and they had done just that. I've been waiting patiently, but it's now been over 4 months. I'm rapidly reaching the point where my install is about to be enclosed and installing down the line will likely mean taking it off the wall and it's going to be a nightmare.
Any help or advice would be massively appreciated. I'll gladly pay for the kit, i'm desperate.
Thanks.
Thanks. My dealer has been great, so I'm fairly confident they are doing their best. I was just hoping I could try and expedite things. I think it's fair to assume if it's not arrived after 4 months it's pretty much guaranteed it wont arrive at all.
The fan noise I can live with, it an undulating sound that is the most annoying. It's like having a soviet era tractor ticking over in the middle of the house.
That is an insane process and should not be allowed by victron honestly.
Why would you risk uninstalling a unit and shipping it....... Twice....
Regards
Rob D
NZ
My device has the modification already from the factory, so I do not know the original noise level. But if the device is even louder without... God have mercy.
I built an adapter for external fans because even with the conversion kit, the volume of the internal fans is intolerable (for me). I have only a 12 cm wall between my bedroom and the Multiplus-II. I sleep 4 meters away from it.
Take a look here.
Really? I was hoping the fix would be the answer to my prayers.
Impressive fix. I've been looking for an excuse to get a 3D printer for a while. This might finally be it. Incidentally what 3D printer do you use? And would you recommend it?
I would give the modification of Victron a chance, maybe you are already satisfied with it and I am just too sensitive.
I built my own FDM printer with laser cut V4A parts. Otherwise I have a small resin printer here.
If I had to start from scratch today (with my current knowledge) I would only buy a resin printer with a large enough print area. Most FDM printers off the counter are crap or way too expensive.
The "ELEGOO Saturn 4K Mono LCD MSLA Resin 3D Printer" would be my current choice, because it has an excellent price/performance ratio at the moment. On this printer my model would be rotated -45° in the X axis for printing. Medium Support with Chitubox slicer software.
Multiplus II is too noisy for me. Buzzing even when no load and fan noise is unbearable.
It is noisy and will drive you batty when the fans run. I wouldn't want one near a living area.
They clearly have to stay out of living area!
regards
Andy
I would also not recommend to install it in or near the living room.
Yeah agreed with all here.
In fact all small form factor inverters will do this. There is either tonnes of fan noise or a frequency that can irritate.
Got a friend who put theirs into a neat louvred ventilated cupboard, that helped alot.
Agree, my Multiplus2 is humming all the time, especially under low and no inverter loads. But it has been working basically flawlessly for about four months now with only some less significant issues, so I am pretty happy.
I don't want to curse in church here, but I have seen that Mastervolt is marketing their comparable units as "hum-free", but if they really are, I don't know. For me the functionality and software ability with node-red etc outweighs the humming. I haven't tried upgrading to the newest firmware, though, that is supposed to fix some noise issues that some of the units have had, not sure if it reduces the hum overall...
Depending on the load's you will be drawing, the fans are the most obnoxious.
Theres always the humm, but mines in a ventilated closet so with the door closed thats not a issue.
The ventilators of the units tho, can push up to 70db when 1M away from the unit (on a 10kva model converting DC to around 6KW AC from solar production)
The fans are the very industrial ones. Most PV AC inverters are much much quieter. I have read about fan modding for these units, but I aint screwing with my warranty.
So i recommend not near living area, unless its an enclosed (Well ventilated) space that you can sound proof.
Hi,
I've just installed 3 Multi II 5000 in my basement. Usually 18 to 20 °C room temperature.
I have to say that the Multis are very noisy. One is noisy in idle mode (nothing connected on AC Out) the transformer itself can be heard from approx 2m distance - I even would not call that humming its really annoying humming.
The other 2 Multis are humming which can be heard from 0.5m distance (ok for me).
But when it comes to load - Jesus... - those fans are designed to overdrive the noise of boat engine on full speed.
I know that Victron raised from the marine sector but now moving with ESS and so on in the solar market. This step - in my humble opinion - has been taken only half way. The portfolio of Victron has a great concept but the equipment needs to meet the new environment which has different requirements.
Fan is noisy and 50Hz humming depends on the unit.
One more thing.
When inverter switches from grid to inverting and back relays sound can scare you, especially if you have 3 phase system.
I have 6 of them and once I almost dropped my coffee mug when relays tripped. :)
Unfortunately, I can only agree with the general criticism. The volume of the multi and its fan are absolutely incomprehensible.
As for the toroid's "fixation": I can understand why it sits so rigidly on the case. Since Victron also installs these systems in vehicles, swinging masses would not be a good idea.
But
Since more and more systems are operated in "fixed" accommodations, another type of mounting could be used for this. My house, at least, has hardly moved in the last months ;)
However, this does not excuse the use of such a pulsed fan ...
I operate my Multi Plus 2 in lying and open form ... Please no comments about warranty and so on :)
Furthermore, I have removed the toroidal core and stored oscillating ... Carpet pad for washing machine etc. and inserted again
Simply with a 68ér hole circular saw cut out the round upper part and the "rest" with hole under the toroid.
The nuisance is extremely low ... you hear the fan much more than the transformer
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Ich kann mich der allgemeinen Kritik leider nur anschließen. Die Lautstärke des Multis und seines Lüfters sind absolut nicht nachvollziehbar.
Was die "Befestigung" des Ringkernes angeht: Ich kann ich schon verstehen warum er so starr auf dem Gehäuse sitzt. Da Victron diese Systeme auch in Fahrzeugen verbaut, wären schwingende Massen keine gute Idee.
Aber
Da immer mehr Systeme in "festen" Unterkünften betrieben werden, könnte man hierfür eine andere Art der Aufhägung verwenden. Mein Haus jedenfalls hat sich in den letzten Monaten kaum bewegt ;)
Dies entschuldigt aber auch nicht den Einsatz eines derartig gepulsten Lüfters ...
Ich betreibe meinen Multi Plus 2 in liegender und geöffneter Form ... Bitte keine Anmerkungen wegen Garantie und so weiter :)
Desweiteren habe ich den Ringkern ausgebaut und schwingend gelagert ... Unterlage für Waschmaschine etc. und wieder eingesetzt
Einfach mit einer 68ér Lochkreissäge den runden oberen Teil ausgeschnitten und den "Rest" mit Loch unter den Ringkern.
Die Belästigung ist extrem gering ... man hört den Lüfter viel mehr als den Trafo
I have a single Multiplus II 2x120 in a storage compartment of a travel trailer. It is directly under the head of the bed.
I am surprised at the negativity of these comments. The only time I ever hear a hum or fan noise is when it is charging after a significant depletion of the batteries. This occurs when we first hookup to shore power which is always hours before trying to sleep. It has never bothered me while sleeping.
Only echo most above comments, I have MuliPlus II 24/3000, and the latest firmware v497 has largely reduced the annoying random hum and even heavy AC load hum bust to the inverter, well done.
Two other noise sources still exist.
-The AC relays do their dance when inverter state changes, both good and bad; it is good to get audible feedback and you get to know the rhythm of normal operation, but they are quite loud.
-The fan has two noise components, the noise of the air movement which is white noise and gets louder with speed (to cool the inverter at high loads) which is not too objectionable. But the PWM of the fan to adjust the speed is something else. Sounds like a faulty wheel bearing.
The good news is a modification by a New Zealand installer changing the fan brand and adding a small filter capacitor across the fan power cables removes the low-frequency drumming which is so objectable.
The other issue is the case resonance which also amplifies any noise inside, adding some damping material to the front cover as used in cars would further reduce the noise.
Could you share some more info on the fan modification? Mine makes some terrible sounds and I’d love to reduce that.
My multiplus 2 With no load it Humms l. It does my head in I can hear it in the garage.
With a load the fan is like a jumbo jet engine
My multiplus 1 on the boat is a lot more quieter .
Just installed the MultiPlus-II 48/10000 and the noise is appalling. The inverter will have to be moved outside, which the IP21 rather complicates.
There is the 50Hz hum, which one can get used to, and I think can be contained in a ventilated cupboard or with rubber standoffs from the wall. Think about what an old fridge sounds like. Or a cheap aquarium pump. (This is on 497 firmware, unsure what it was like before.)
The fans are completely obnoxious. The fans are hard-mounted to the chassis, meaning the whole thing shakes and resonates. Think bathroom extractor mounted on a tin can.
Looking at the inside of the unit it seems like absolutely zero effort was put into damping any vibrations from the fans: no grommets, no matting, nothing. Since even on the large unit it is mostly empty space inside, the case transfers vibrations easily from the fans.
I think Victron should have a discussion internally about how this came to be.
Sure, you're not expected to put this on your nightstand, but no effort whatsoever? Coupled with an IP21 rating? And no dB rating on the data sheets?
Were you aware of the noise issue prior to purchasing and installing?
I became aware just before I was going to buy 2 x MPII 5kVA but because of the noise issues I did not proceed. Disappointed.
Perhaps if an internal discussion ever happens about how this came to be there would be the immediate and natural "how can we make it better" and after some thought (or reading the posts on here) offer some sort of official HW retrofit kit with fan, fan dampers, mounting de-couplers and case sound deadening sheet for those that needed it...
I was not aware of the noise issue. Saw some questions, but I always thought "all inverters make noise", by their very nature. I also owned a previous generation MultiPlus 3kVA which certainly wasn't quiet, but wasn't excessive in my opinion.
If this were a Quattro, I'd be more forgiving, but the MultiGrid the MP-II is based on was specifically designed for on-grid use, certainly not for outside due to the IP rating, but then what? Basements and garages?
I certainly won't be recommending these to anyone that isn't planning to install in a garage anymore.
A retrofit kit is probably a bridge too far, but hopefully they can fix this going forward, and come out with better processes.
Yeah, spent most of yesterday combing the forums :)
Can't justify giving up a 5 year warranty, that I fully trust, for a fan mod unfortunately.
That thread goes deep into PWM (presumably because it could theoretically be fixed in software?), but just not bolting it directly to the metal case would already make a big difference.
Hi Marius, just FYI there are even shops which are changing the vent of the multiplus for you. They told me that changing the vent is super simple and can be reverted without further issues ( in case you e.g. Need to send in your multiplus for some other issue).
If you can read German check that thread https://www.photovoltaikforum.com/thread/158718-lautst%C3%A4rke-multiplus-ii-48-5000-70-l%C3%BCfter-brummen/?pageNo=1
All fair points raised. My take on it is that houses, with my references being specific to the tiny houses in the UK, that are simply not designed for solar generators let alone in some cases suitable for human occupation. Also, why would anybody want a power generator in their house if they don't even want to live next to a buzzing substation on the corner or a busy road. I encounterd posts about unbearable high pitched sounds with other inverter brands, no whining wife jokes please, and the list goes on. However I still prefer the hum of my free electricity generator over the annoying extractor fan or neighbours noisily trying to conceive their first born next door. Thankfully I have become accustomed to the fans and hum, especially after living behind a hotel in Amsterdam and being woken by a dumpster full of glass bottles being tipped in the early hours of the morning. After a week, it was a non event and I never woke up because of it again or the constant shaking of the house as heavy vehicles passed by. The moral of the story, everybody may perceive it slightly differently and you may get used to it .... or maybe not and then you will have to first buy the right house to fit your beloved blue boxes into. PS - Did you know Victron have the https://www.victronenergy.com/inverters-chargers/multi-rs-solar although not yet g98/99 certified?
I can't agree with you on this. The hum is OK but the fan noise is terrible, it tarnishes an otherwise excellent product from a reputable international company. In a 40-year career as an electronics engineer I have been involved in many hardware development projects and I would not have wanted to put my name to this piece of equipment, particularly as the design errors listed above are so basic and the remedy so easy to implement.
The parts to do it are not expensive but the real problem for us is that any d.i.y. approach will invalidate the warranty. If Hotpoint can manage to send a field engineer to my house free of charge equipped with a modification kit to fix a $300 washing machine, then I really think Victron ought to develop a mod kit to solve the noise problem and make this available on a return-to-dealer basis.
Where are you when we need you @Johannes Boonstra (Victron Energy Staff) and @Matthias Lange - DE?
I got my Multiplus II 2000VA last week, and was shocked when the fan kicked on. I immediately googled for other people’s experience, as I couldn’t imagine that this is how it sounded. However, I found it difficult to find examples of running units to compare mine to.
Yes, there is a hum when it is on, similar to what others are describing in this thread, but the fan is absurdly loud, with a very annoying frequency. I’ve linked an icloud link to a video of it. Obviously, my camera is right above the open part of the unit, but it was very loud. Is this the noise others have when the fan kicks on?
Video of Multiplus 2000VA charging: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0307VrSGN7k1jRG-afKKLThpA
I'm in the same boat with 3 howling Multiplus II 5000, fan noise is absurdly loud. Victron seems to have made modifications to the latest units to adress noise issues - hopefully they will deliver a solution for customers with affected units as well!
Hi,
Well, I just want to join the club. I have just installed a 3-phase ESS based on Multiplus2 3K 48V. They are really noisy. Luckily though, they are in a hut right next to the house. Though the hut has 6cm styropor heat isolation (effective against noise too) on the walls and the roof, the humming 50Hz noise is slightly audible outside of the hut. When the fan kicks in, is killer, you can hear it from from quite long distance, especially during the night, when it is all quite. This would be a problem for my neighbors too. Luckily (i guess) the fans only kick in in case of high power consumption, which is unlikely to happen during the night.
The noise from the relays are also significant.
So, definitely you will need to think about such factors (i.e. noise) when you plan to deploy these Victron models. Implement them FAAAAR away from living areas, and think about extra noise isolation containers if that is possible.
The noise could be definitely decreased by a better design but you will always need to count on some noise associated with such high power appliances.
Dezs
Hi Guy
Well that is good to hear at long last.
Regards
Rob D
NZ
My Multiplus is in the garage, right next to the living room (but through a thick brick wall and a "entrance-like" door, not a simple indoor door).
That's enough to not hear it at all in our living quarters but when working in the garage it's really noisy to have it nearby. It's fine there but I wouldn't want to be forced to live next to it.
Has a baseline - in dB for a 3kVa unit been established? I read a 12kVa was 70dB at 1 meter. That's significant. But irritating to some maybe white noise to others.
I am another unhappy/unfortunate MP-II 10kW model owner for an off-grid facility (just solar), and the fan noise is incredibly high, worst case exceeds 80dB when within 1m of the device, and one cannot escape the noise even when outside the house! I cannot understand how such can have passed any QA/QC and sold to the world! I'm trying to get the retrofit kit via my dealer, hoping the situation would improve, but not holding my breath.
Rest of this is not ranting, but out of curiosity, would be nice to understand... maybe someone reading this forum knows and can enlighten me.
So, my MP2 is only a 10kW model, while back home I have a 30% more powerful (13kW) chinese inverter (Growatt), which is transformerless, has no fans, and makes no noise at all when at max power and doesn't get hot. There are even more powerful ones from multiple manufacturers, at least up to 15kW with just convection based cooling, transformerless/fanless ones.
Why is it that Victron uses large humming transformers and noisy fan setups, what advantage does it bring vs transformerless designs? Neither price, power, cooling, noise nor efficiency are the reasons, as MP2 loses in all those aspects?
What am I missing? Puzzled.
Safety and reliability especially for usage in off grid solutions is the reason as far as I know. If you use a design with transformer the internal "grid" is safely isolated from normal grid. It can better handle big jumps of loads. And also long term reliability should be better.
Multiplus-ii gx 48v 5000va, just fitted retrofit victron kit board for fan and alot better noise now, instead of sounding like an old diesel tractor with out of balance engine, now sounds lots smoother / appears to be ramping up and down nicely, before couldn't really hear ramping up and down cos of the awful noise.
Recommend getting in touch with your dealer if not already fitted - took a while to get, but worth the wait and it's free.
Anyone in here who has files to print Fan-Adapters?
Especially for the Multiplus 10.000
br,
Andy
Question to Victron stuff:
You are saying the Multiplus II 48V devices after HQ2224 production all should have modified fan driver circuit, but this is not true.
I have purchased recently two Multiplus II 48/5000 devices. Both have HQ2250 Production week code. Below are two pictures with oscilloscope voltage measurements directly at the fan connector.
This picture shows more than 1000 words.
One of two has 25Hz fan pwm issue and it sounds really like a diesel tractor.
My German dealer (Panda-Solar) rejects the request for retrofit kit, since I have the unit with relatively new Serial Number.
What should I do?
Regards,
Regards
RobD
NZ
Had to replace one recently which was much newer, and it is noisier again, not quite as bad but much worse.
No idea if there was a regression.
I have 3 retro kits to fit on much older systems, there was a long wait for the stock, so keen to see the difference.
Even if you have an older model, it's taking forever to get the kit. I have been waiting for few months and no idea when it's coming. Victron is in no hurry to serve customers if it doesn't pay, it seems.
I feel your pain, my Multiplus sounds like a soviet era tractor. I ordered a kit within hours of the announcement, and months later I'm still waiting. It's that bad I'd gladly pay for the kit, but there's no option to do so.
Before I went down the Victron route I was under the (incorrect) assumption that Victron's customer support were second to none. The reality is Victron are impossible to contact directly, you are at the mercy of your distributor and the only support available is from well meaning fellow users & volunteers on these forums. If I were to do things again I would likely do things differently.
My Multiplus is quite close to a living area. I'm at the point of desperation that i'm starting to wonder whether there's legal recourse for us to ask for our units to be replaced under warranty under the Consumer Rights Act 2015?
I've mounted the Multiplus II 48/5000 with vibration isolation, modifying slightly the mounting plate, enlarging a bit the holes and then using such rubbers:
around the bolts, with flat washers for peace of mind, and a 2cm rock wool insulation mat (not burnable) behind the plate and at bottom has significantly reduced the vibration transmission and the noise propagation of the relays to the rest of the house.
The mounting I did was something like this (but significantly wider in the back, which allows for backside venting as well, allowing fans to stay off at slightly higher load):
Important: make sure that the bolts of the mounting plate do not touch the case of the MultiPlus II as touching nullifies the solidian sound and vibrations insulation from the wall.
At least, this mounting won't have any effect on the warranty of the unit itself.
But still with that fix and with units ≥ HQ2225 the noise from the fans themselves (excluding the white noise of air) inside the garage room is unsustainable high above 30% load. Those fans and their non-damped mounting are a sound disaster.
But the real cause is the heat, due to a not-so-great efficiency compared to modern AC solar inverters, that have an efficiency of 98.5% at full load, sometimes around 99%. The Fronius Symo 15k in this design has no fans, and is quite silent. MultiPlus II 48/5000 have only around 90% efficiency, which means 500W loss and heat to move away instead of 100-150W, per unit at full load. The difference is huge:
The solar charger (RS 450/100) are less loud, but their fans are still not quiet as well.
I read in specs that the new Victron 6000VA RS all-in-one units have 95% efficiency, which means 2x less lost heat, way better, but they are unfortunately not VE-Bus and unfortunately don't have all the features I need yet. They would have been a significant gain of wall-surface and of wiring. I hope one day Victron comes up with a 3-phase all-in-one 12-15kW unit with DC+AC solar integrated, this would bring efficiency way up, and engineering, wiring and installation overhead way down ;-)
In the mean time, an official Victron sound-proofing upgrade kit with silent fans and a damped mount of the toroid transformer would do miracles, and I would be first on list to get one! :-)
Hi - i'm trying to replicate what you have done. However i'm struggling to find any washers like that in the UK, and also not sure what you mean by 2cm rock wool ? I cant really find anything like that. I was thinking about using anti-vibration washing machine mat ANTI-VIBRATION Rubber MAT for Washing Machine & Tumble Dryer 600MM X 600MM | eBay
Is that similar to what you have used behind the mounting board?
You can find them in the UK by searching for 'rubber well nuts'.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224153652175
I ended up looking for shoulder washers which were nylon. The ones you have linked have a nut in which would need drilling out, and I'm not sure the larger diameter rubber part is big enough.
@Subby28 Rock wool = compact thermal insulation material. Search e.g. for "rock wool compact insulation 30mm". The advantage of rock wool compared to anti-vibration matts, is that it is classed as highest fire-resistant material (it's actually used for fire-walls), but from a sound perspective, any anti-vibration absorbing material will do. Regulations here are that electric apparatus should be mounted on fire-resistant materials, so I didn't use rubbers.
Maybe you can try something like this:
https://pineriversbearings.com.au/power-transmission/anti-vibration-mounts/
You can buy them in different sizes.
Or something like this:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cheap-Price-Anti-Vibration-Rubber-Mount_62385492143.html
@MarekP Those were my first thought, and actually I bought a bunch of them for my 2 first tries were with such anti-vibration pads (your first image), but it was a no-go! :-)
The reason was that they are made for axial pressure. Their resistance to pull is almost null, and their resistance to sheer is less than a 1/10th of their resistance to pressure, so they de-ax very quickly. Or you have to take really huge ones, which then limits the anti-vibration effect.
Mounting them "horizontally" would deform them so much that their durability would be put in question.
My second trial was mounting 3 of them vertically with a "console". But there too, the sheer was significative, as the MP was hanging on them, "pulling" them far away from the wall, also not raising any level of long-term durability. One day, I'll share the photograph of that trial, it's quite impressive how the MP's top is exercing a force (due to the moment) away of the wall.
If you find a way to use those without any sheer, that would be the best solution. Let us know if you find something.
What's quite frustrating is that mounting the 3 noisy elements (transformer, fan and relays) inside the MP in a vibration-isolated way would be much simpler, and avoid resonating noise from the metal case, but adapting that would probably void the warranty.
You can hang the MP-II on the strings from the top to take the shear force off the shock-absorbers.
Take the weight of the MP-II off the absorbers by hanging them on two strings to the wall.
Shock absorbers than only keep MP-II attached to the wall. :)
The idea is to take sheering force of the absorbers.
As per spec sheet : efficiency MultiPlus II 48/5000 is 96 %, not 90% .
Your basement garage is not going to heat up with 200W ....
Hi rvicev,
Thank you for your reply, but I politely disagree (but I was wrong too in the opposite direction!):
Par datasheet, the maximum efficiency is 96%.
The actual efficiency at maximum output of 5000W is 80% (and not 90% as I was stating above). See this graphs (2nd graph) in this thread:
https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/56351/multiplus-485000-efficiency-curve.html
and this is similar to an official document from Victron for the 3000W version here:
https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Output-rating-operating-temperature-and-efficiency.pdf
So actually, when the output is 4500 Watts (I actually never reached 5000W continuously, which is very ok per datasheet at 20°C), the DC input is 4500/80%=5625W (which is obviously nicely "hidden" on the VenusOS dashboard with a corrected display of the solar input displayed which is lower than the visible solar side of the RS 450/100 display), and thus the lost and dissipated heat is of 1125 Watts (and not 500W as I erroneously wrote above), per MultiPlus II 5000.
This heats up the garage noticeably in the hot summer ;-)
So if Victron would solve the more important efficiency problem (and thus the Multi RS solar dual tracker 6000 is a huge step forward with 94% at 5kW load (and having the spec at full load, as well as the derating on voltage, in the new product datasheet is also an immense progress)), soon the loudy fans would almost not be needed at all... as instead of 1125 Watt heat per phase, there is only 290W of losses and heat ! :-)
Don't take me wrong, I love the reliability and flexibility of Victron equipment and open-source Venus, unmatched control through NodeRED and other tools. Just that the heat and losses are really high above 40% rating in those MultiPlus II's.
hello,
I did my installation in 2022. The multiplus 2 10000 was the most powerful model available at that time. I just installed the multiplus 2 15000 to have more power. the noise level is much lower. it's much better. I added block silences but I think they may not be useful given how little noise the new model has. (By the way I have a ground problem on the DC side with this new model unfortunately, I will probably have to return it under warranty, but that's another topic)
I added a chain on the top hook in the extreme case the silence blocks break
I'm a bit sad with losses, heat and noise with my 3 MP II 5000, as even at 22°C ambient temperature they are derating to below 4000W, and my solar chargers are thus getting capped when battery is full. Additionally they are becoming very hot (case of all 3 is at 70°), heating up the garage, and it's not even summer. 80% efficiency at full power just doesn't feel right when the nearby AC inverter is at 98.5% efficiency, not derating and much cooler. I'm not upgrading to higher rated MP II, waiting for a more efficient design (RS?), hopefully from Victron (loving their open-source and community approach) and hopefully compatible with my 48V rack and hand made industrial DC busbar...
