question

sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 asked

Multiplus ll burnt terminal block

I bought a new Multiplus II in October.

The charging part doesn't work anymore, due to the terminal block being burnt.

I asked for a RMA from Inverters Rus.on Tuesday 5/17 I called them a couple days later.

They said they waited for Victron to go ahead to send it back for repair. How long does it take for Victron to authorize repair?? I have waited a week now, it is tough not having the inverter working since I live full-time in my trailer.

I also talked with another repair facility and asked them what could caused the burned terminal block, he said with high probability because the wire had come lose from the spring loaded terminal block. He had other Multiplus II come in to his repair facility with the same problem.

Anyone else on this forum, had this problem??


Multiplus-II
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David avatar image
David answered ·

These push in terminals are crap. My multi has the screw type and I’d not buy one with these push in terminals.

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wkirby avatar image wkirby ♦♦ commented ·
The screw terminals are also crap if you don't use them correctly. I have seen lots of burnt screw terminal blocks too with the incorrect torque or strip length being the cause of problems.
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mrhappy avatar image
mrhappy answered ·

What terminal block are you speaking about? A picture would help.

/MrHappy

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sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 answered ·

pxl-20220516-172206876mp.jpg

This is a picture of it.

I asked the seller InvertersRUS for an RMA two weeks ago. They come back to me saying Victron have not issued a okay to send it in for repair. Inverter part of it is working but not the charging part. l am very unhappy about the whole situation. They don't seem to care, the Multiplus ll is only 8 months old. I don't understand how the connection could have come lose and burn the terminal block.


pxl-20220516-172206876mp.jpg (5.0 MiB)
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wkirby avatar image wkirby ♦♦ commented ·
Did you also talk to your installer about this too? Usually burnt terminals are cause by poor termination. These type need to have the cable stripped to the correct length to make a good termination.

There is a gentleman on Youtube who demonstrated how he suffered this same problem from having not enough copper stripped off.
The manual advises the correct ammount to strip off.

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sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 answered ·

Thanks wkirby,

The manual did not make it clear . Very bad instructions.

Screenshot_20220531-181249.png


screenshot-20220531-181249.png (440.0 KiB)
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wkirby avatar image wkirby ♦♦ commented ·

There is a table in the manual which clearly states the length to strip.

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/MultiPlus-II_12V-24V_3kVA_2x120V/en/installation.html#UUID-a5b7d70e-e531-d5c1-996b-586bd5056af3

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multiboxer avatar image multiboxer commented ·

proper-wire-terminations.jpgI see from your picture that you used flexible wires and didn't install wire ferrules while you really should have done that.

Check page 28 of the manual below. Redo all electrical connections because as you created a fire hazard in your trailer.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Wiring-Unlimited-EN.pdf

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sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 answered ·

pxl-20220601-160812278mp.jpg (4.2 MiB)
pxl-20220601-161157082mp.jpg (5.2 MiB)
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wkirby avatar image wkirby ♦♦ commented ·
That's most likely an older version of the manual, packed with the unit and travelled around on ships and sat in warehouses for several months.

Manuals, like firmware, get updated periodically to keep up with product evolutions. In this age, technology products can evolve and undergo revisions more quickly that they did in days gone by. So, it's always best to refer to the online manual for the latest version and latest information in case something has changed.

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sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 answered ·

I used the manual book what came with the Multiplus. There is nothing in it saying Abou using ferrules or how long to strip the wire

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sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 answered ·

I should not have to look on the internet to look for an online manual, when the manual which came with the Multiplus ll have 5 installation pages in it. In it, it doesn't say anything about how long to strip the wire, and it doesn't say anything about using ferrules.

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sunshine1 avatar image
sunshine1 answered ·

AM solar have an instruction video how to connect the Multiplus ll on YouTube. He says not to use ferrules. Which is it? In the Victron manual it's says to use 6 awg leads. On the instructions video from AM Solar it looks like they use smaller leads.Am I wrong about that?

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joel1234 avatar image
joel1234 answered ·

I would just like to add that I had this exact same thing happen to me and Victron sent me a new inverter. That was in february. This week the exact same thing happened. In both cases, I used the inverter for about 6 months without any issue and then all of a sudden I smelled something burning. With this latest unit, I checked the wires regularly to ensure they were not loose, but then suddenly they pop loose.

They can't honestly expect that we check the wires every time we move our rigs.

First time:img-5441.jpeg


Second inverter: this time I caught it earlier.

img-7089.jpg

Clearly this is a known issue.


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raymiller avatar image
raymiller answered ·

- Ferrules correctly crimped should always be used on multistrand cables.

- clean the new ferrule with IPA to remove any contamination from handling.

- Before inserting each cable open the terminal clamp with a suitable screwdriver so the ferrule is inserted without any resistance, then release the terminal clamp. The terminal spring clamp can be damaged by inserting the cable.

- check the terminal clamp has grabbed the ferrule securely. You may need to make sure your crimped ferrule also sits in the spring terminal to give the maximum connection area. i.e. the profile of your crimped ferrule is probably square

- make sure your cable clamp secures all the conductors to prevent any movement.

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Alexandra avatar image
Alexandra answered ·

There is a know issue on electrical system (even normal house electric) called thermal cycling. What this does in the heating and cooling of terminals is causes things to loosen over time.

There are also electrical regulations on how far back wiring should be stripped and how much bare copper can be exposed outside of terminals.

That is why after about 3 months of use it is best to check on an installation and why many solar installers have what is known as an SLA agreement with consumers. Part of the service agreement checks is checking terminals (among other things) in an installation.

And also why on many new electrical regulations periodically houses need to be recertified as safe.

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