I have been researching and mulling this over for quite some time. Most van installations use a 30 amp service and don't have a ton of big appliances. Due to the limited space, a combo panel like the PD5000 is a great option, and it is meant for a 30 amp RV.
Now if i build out a van and use a Multiplus 3kva inverter, I want to set it up to take full advantage of power control and power assist, which in a van would generally mean plugging in to a 15 amp outlet and dialing back the power control setting to 15 amps or less. Most van owners are using an adapter to plug in there 30 amp inlet to a 15 amp outlet. Plus, many installs don't even have an ac unit and therefore the demand for 120v current is not huge, rarely exceeding 15 amps total at once. But it can happen.
Now the power control and power assist feature are probably much more straightforward on a boat in a marina or a 50 amp rv, but for a 30 amp van that goes from plug in to plug in, as an installer I am trying to configure the best setup with the Multi.
Via power assist, the inverter can add up to 25 amps total to the shore supply. If plugged in to a 30 amp service, then a 50 amp (55 really) breaker would be required on the multiplus output/main panel. If using power control down to 20 amps, a 45 amp breaker is required, and if dialed back to 15 amp service, a 40 amp breaker is required to give the multiplus the required headroom.
The dilemma is that on 15 amp service you want the power assist boost factor at 2.0, but on 30 amp service you want it at 1.0.
I haven't found a solution other than to use a bigger distribution panel, for example the WFCO8930/50, but it's overkill for example where you only have 2 120v circuits + main breaker, and 4-5 DC circuits.
Not to mention a retrofit on an existing 30 amp RV, where it's really tempting to just swap out that 30amp main for a 50 amp breaker. But the question is, is it safe?
In a van, the answer is almost always yes, since the loads will never actually draw 30 amps of power, let alone 50 amps even, and the power assist exists simply to satisfy the need on 15 amp service.
But I really am looking for deeper discourse on this topic than I have been able to find so far.
