question

daveasdf avatar image
daveasdf asked

I assume all Victron inverter/chargers are pure sine?

I need a 3000w inverter/charger. I was recommended this,
Victron Energy PMP122305110 MultiPlus-II Inverter, 12V/3000VA/120A-50A, 120VVictron Energy PMP122305110 MultiPlus-II Inverter, 12V/3000VA/120A-50A, 120V:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0BZV5SC9Q/

but it doesn't say pure sine, and I can't ascertain from the Victron website if it is. I assume it is, but am asking here for the record.

I'm going to use it with a 5700 running watt generator, or a 20a extension cord from a building, into a 30a shore power plug for a Ford Transit work conversion (mobile command unit for website).

If it is a pure sine, I am told it charges the batteries 150a (but I'm not sure if that relates or is possible with 30a shore power input).

Is there a better inverter/charger for this application, or maybe one that would charge the batteries faster? I will likely have it pro installed, but given the 30a shore power restriction, it doesn't currently make sense to me to get bigger than 150a charging, but it might not be a related issue.

Multiplus-IIcharger
2 |3000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

1 Answer
Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered ·

Pure sine yes, 150A charging no, it's up to 120A charging (that's the /120A in the model name).

120A at 14.4vDC is 1728w, which is only 14.4A at 120vAC, so that would be fine on a 30A shore connection.

5 comments
2 |3000
Toggle Comment visibility. Current Visibility: Viewable by all users

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

daveasdf avatar image daveasdf commented ·

I appreciate that, thank you. So it's ideal for a 20a extension cord coming out of a building. Would you say I'm correct that it would then take 3 hours to recharge the estimated 5kwh I might use per day? If charging from the generator or building extension cord.

Is there a 3000w inverter/charger that charges twice that amount (12v lithium batteries), to utilize the full 30A coming from the generator? (assuming 14.4A at 120vAC is half of the capacity of the 30A coming from the generator)

0 Likes 0 ·
Justin Cook avatar image Justin Cook ♦♦ daveasdf commented ·

No, the 120A is the maximum charging in Victron 12/3kVA inverter/chargers, and sure, depending on the efficiency and other factors of the batteries, the cabling, and etc, 3-4 hours recharge time would be about right. Better plan if possible would be to put some solar on top of the trailer to help offset your usage and thus cut down the recharge time. I'll also mention that in general you absolutely do not want to be running your generator at full output for very long, better rule of thumb is between 50 and 66% depending on the generator and its duty cycle. Your stated generator size is within the minimum recommended generator size for use with a MultiPlus 3kVA, but there's a lot of other variables that need to be considered.

Have a look at the MultiPlus Generator FAQ sheet to familiarize yourself with some of the issues and how to resolve them: https://www.victronenergy.com/live/multiplus_faq

0 Likes 0 ·
daveasdf avatar image daveasdf Justin Cook ♦♦ commented ·

Highly appreciated, thank you. ... 5700w generator should only be running at 30% if charging batteries at 1728w? Oh, plus it would likely power the inverter at the same time, so maybe 2500w max, which would be 43%. Otherwise I can throttle the charge draw with the app? ... if using a 20A extension cord from a building the 1728w should be fine ... for strictly charging, but if operational would have to limit the charge draw I would think

Eventually will get 800w solar but likely won't get to it for a while. I assume 24v inverter/charger would charge batteries faster, but then would need to up the generator etc... probably just cap the electronics at 1kw for now, stick with this for a bit.

Much appreciated, thank you

0 Likes 0 ·
Justin Cook avatar image Justin Cook ♦♦ daveasdf commented ·

Well you can't use a 24v inverter/charger with a 12v battery bank of course, but since a 24/3kVA unit can charge up to 70A at 24v, it's a marginally higher wattage output, so it would recharge a battery bank slightly faster yes - you'd just need to make sure your battery bank is configured to 24v, and then be sure that any DC loads are also either 24v or get DC-DC converters to step down from 24 to 12 to power those, so depending on the use case and loads you have, it may be more of a hassle than it's worth.

0 Likes 0 ·
daveasdf avatar image daveasdf Justin Cook ♦♦ commented ·

Ah ok, thank you. So no real way to supercharge them. I'm thinking now I'll run on batteries for 5 hours, then charge them with the generator for 3-4 hours (while powering the van electronics with the generator). With this cycle I've roughly calculated the van will cost $3650.4/yr CDN for electricity, or $1.30cdn /hr, based on a 54 hour operational week, 800w required, 5700 running watt generator and $1.62/L cdn current price in gas. (But I'm saving maybe $72k /yr in various conventional expenses with the rig, which I can allocate to required start-up expenses). I appreciate the help, thank you.

0 Likes 0 ·