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warpedjester avatar image
warpedjester asked

How do I decide which inverter/charger I should use?

Surfing around the web, i see so many different options and i dont know what is the right fit for me.

i am planning my first solar build for my 31' RV. I live full time off grid and in doing the calculations i believe i will be going with 8x 100wh panels coupled to 4 (to start with, 6 total) battleborn lith. batteries all set up for 24v.

I want to go with Victron for everything in between, including the color control interface to manage it all but in looking into things it seems like there are so many version or options for each element and its just about overwhelming.

To point. looking at Inverter/chargers. there is the MultiPlus, MultiPlus 2 and the 2GX. GAH!... Is the MultiPlus at ~$1500 good enough? is it going to be outmoded? Should i be looking at the 2? Does the GX has some extra unicorns and sparkles that i just cant live without?

Phoenix Inverter
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aurel-tanasan avatar image
aurel-tanasan answered ·

Unless is a tricky roof and the 100wp panels are a must, I would ditch them in favour of 60/96 cell 300wp up. In terms of inverter, Multiplus 2 for low standby power and weight. The size will be governed by your largest loads. I do ok with a 1600va in a camper, but we are all different with various requirements.The GX I would keep it separate specially if a colour control. You don’t want to go in the locker to have a glance at the system. Also it gives options for future mods.

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Kevin Windrem answered ·

Not sure of your location but Multiplus 2 and 2 GX are 230 volt only (no 120 volt version). The 2 GX has an abbreviated Venus device with display on the unit. I recommend the CCGX or Cerbo GX.

Look at the new Cerbo GX with it's 5" touch screen. Also the SmartShunt does the job of the BMV but without the display which you really don't need with a GX device. Cost for the three is slightly higher than a CCGX and BMV-712 but a much cleaner installation.

You'll need to convert down from 24 volts to 12 volts to run some (all?) of your RV's DC devices so you might consider a 12 volt system unless you're doing a bunch more than 3000 watts of inverter or your battery to inverter cables are long.

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warpedjester avatar image
warpedjester answered ·

thanks for the input! Yeah i am running 24v for the sake of cabling. as for the AC side i am looking to do 120v so it sounds like the 2 and 2gx are not going to be a option =/. Now im just trying to figure out of the the Multiplus and/or the compact have multiple AC input (shore power and genny) or if i need to look into a transfer switch.


-Jester

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Kevin Windrem avatar image Kevin Windrem commented ·

Only the Quatros have two AC inputs. If you are planning to switch AC inputs frequently, I'd look at the Quatros. The down side is they start at 3000 VA and are a bit larger.

There is no integration with external transfer switches so you'd need to manage AC input parameters like input current limit manually. I haven't played with it but it may be possible for the GX device to switch virtual inputs and keep separate AC input parameters for each.

Generator control with the Quatro is done pretty well including starting the generator on loss of shore power and stopping it when shore power returns. The inverter takes the load while the generator is starting! There's lots of battery (SOC, voltage, etc) and load options to start/stop the generator.

Generator control is still possible without the Quatro's internal transfer switch but you need to tell the GX device the source (shore vs generator) when you change it manually.


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