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jlportman3 asked

Victron Quattro 10KW delivering only half rated power

I have dual Quattro 10kva/120s in split phase. We are 'off grid' and have exactly 20kva solar input available using enphase micro-inverters a/c coupled to AC-OUT1. For the battery storage we have 110KWH of lithium ion batteries. These feed the inverters via a Lynx 1000amp bus system with 4/0 cables going to the inverters. Quattro firmware is 430.

When the sun is shining, I have plenty of power available, no issues whatsoever. We can routinely run 15 to 17000 watts of electrical load and STILL charge the batteries at 100-150 amps DC. No thermal or overload issues at all.

However, once the sun is down, if loads go above 10000 watts for any length of time L2 gets a temperature alarm and shuts down the system. This is most frustrating. Our entire farm is on this system, including AC, water heater, well pump, etc. At time of shutdown the Color control shows 4900 watts draw on L1 and 5010 watts draw on L2.

Our A/C draws about 20 amps (240v) when running, which is right at 100 amps of dc.

Throw in another load, such as charging one of our EVs at 20 amps (240v) and the system will only run for between 10 and 20 minutes before we get the dreaded:


VE.Bus System Automatic monitoring Temperature L2: Alarm 2021-06-16 20:06:37 1m, 15s


appears and the inverters shut down.


MOST annoying.

We are using a 1000 amp Lynx system with two sets of 4/0 battery cables to the Quattros.

Cables are matched for length and size.


What can be done to increase my available power when running on batteries?




3 phaseHelpquattro 10kvaTemperature Alarm
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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

@jlportman3

What kind of space does the unit have around it?

Sometimes one unit ends up being between a wall and the other unit and has the other blowing hot air all over it and cannot cool properly as a result.

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rob-1 answered ·

During the day the Quattro's are not really doing much work. Your micro's are doing all the hard work (inverting) and the Quattro's only need to do a bit of charging (not a hugely thermally intensive process as will just be AC-DC through a bridge rectifier network and some other electronics).

However when the sun goes and your Quattro's need to take over the inverting (DC - AC), there will be a lot more heat generated, and this is why the alarm is being generated.

First course of action would be to ensure that there is sufficient spacing and ventilation around the installation in order to dissipate the heat effectively. If not consider installing an extra vent or extraction fan.

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jlportman3 answered ·

I have added air conditioning to the power room. Temperature varies from 21c to about 29c at the hottest. I just got the temperature shutdown again with 11,400 watts being inverted and temperature was 26c (79 degrees f). There is something terribly wrong here.

My distributor is clueless. I have been trying for MONTHS to get help with this question and not ONCE have I gotten any useful information.

Victron, if you are listening, I am at the end of my rope here. These dual Quattros are about to become boat anchors if I cannot get some support.

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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

@jlportman3

Victron does not provide end user support. The first line of support is through the distributor. They are supposed to pass it up the chain if they cannot manage to assist.

There are stil many troubleshooting things that can be done. Air conditioning is one so that has been covered. You could switch the physical position of the two units in the system and reprogram them to suit.

If the issue persists on the same unit then the distributor should help with either a stand in so it can be diagnosed or at least provide some kind of back up or rma the unit. If the other unit has the problem in that position then either it is a wiring problem or something else related to that position.

Do the fans run under load? Another trick is to remove the top of the unit for better air flow. This can be done as long as you are sure nothing will drop into the top of the unit.

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