tpbrady
Guru
One caution to those considering a Victron Multiplus. I just finished an installation on my boat only to find out that hardcoded in its recharging algorithm is a feature that cannot be modified dealing with bulk charging, absorption charging and float charging. Victron has put in the recharging logic, that it will not initiate a new recharging cycle if the battery voltage is above the programmed float voltage minus 1.3v. In my case I am using Firefly carbon foam batteries and the float voltage is set at 13.4v. A new charge cycle would therefore only start if battery voltage as sensed by the Multiplus was less than 12.1v, meaning a deeply discharged battery bank or a battery bank under heavy load.
In my typical use, I don’t get to 12.1v but generally end up starting the generator when SOC is just at 75-80% to make coffee in the morning. The Multiplus’s logic says, if battery voltage is above 12.1v then don’t bulk charge, but go to absorption in a minimum amount of time (a few minutes) and then go to float where it provides the DC load amps plus a couple. It bases absorption time on 20x bulk time, which in this case was zero or close to it. If you reset (also read as reboot) the Multiplus then it will restart with an appropriate amount of bulk, absorption, and float charging time. This is inherent to the Multiplus. Resetting the Multiplus is not a reasonable approach to correct this problem, and it is a problem in the way I use my boat. When the boat is put up for the winter it is likely I will have some power outages. An accumulation of minor power outages will result in prolonged operation of the battery bank at a partial state of charge. The only way to prevent that is to power off the Multiplus (it is powered from the battery bank), by cycling the power switch which is a manual process or through the Victron remote portal which requires an internet connection on the boat. This resets the charging logic.
I communicated my original observation of the charger not charging the battery bank properly when the generator was started to the retailer and indirectly to Victron via Panbo.com. There is no way to deal with Victron directly, you have to go to the original retailer for support. The answer from a Victron employee posted on Panbo revealed the charging logic that would force a reset of the charging. When I sent this data back to the distributor indicating this was not suitable for charging a lead acid battery bank when the vessel is unattended, their response was I should have done due diligence before I bought the product because it is highly technical. I did my diligence but if Victron doesn’t publish this technical detail how can I know the charging logic. In the response from the distributor, they also quoted information from Victron, who had reviewed the Firefly battery manual and quoted a section that seemed to support their charging logic, but in reality was used in an entirely different context. In addition, Victron read the part of the Firefly manual they wanted to but didn’t read the part about a refresh charge that is necessary if the battery bank has been at a partial state of charge for an extended period.
I think I have framed things correctly, and if I have set everything up correctly, then there appears to be a latent defect in Victron’s charging logic that would make it unsuitable for use in boats stored over winter with a lead acid battery bank. If anyone thinks there is a work around for this, I would like to hear about it. I don’t know how Magnum and Mastervolt charging logic works, but my old Heart Interface didn’t do this.
Tom
In my typical use, I don’t get to 12.1v but generally end up starting the generator when SOC is just at 75-80% to make coffee in the morning. The Multiplus’s logic says, if battery voltage is above 12.1v then don’t bulk charge, but go to absorption in a minimum amount of time (a few minutes) and then go to float where it provides the DC load amps plus a couple. It bases absorption time on 20x bulk time, which in this case was zero or close to it. If you reset (also read as reboot) the Multiplus then it will restart with an appropriate amount of bulk, absorption, and float charging time. This is inherent to the Multiplus. Resetting the Multiplus is not a reasonable approach to correct this problem, and it is a problem in the way I use my boat. When the boat is put up for the winter it is likely I will have some power outages. An accumulation of minor power outages will result in prolonged operation of the battery bank at a partial state of charge. The only way to prevent that is to power off the Multiplus (it is powered from the battery bank), by cycling the power switch which is a manual process or through the Victron remote portal which requires an internet connection on the boat. This resets the charging logic.
I communicated my original observation of the charger not charging the battery bank properly when the generator was started to the retailer and indirectly to Victron via Panbo.com. There is no way to deal with Victron directly, you have to go to the original retailer for support. The answer from a Victron employee posted on Panbo revealed the charging logic that would force a reset of the charging. When I sent this data back to the distributor indicating this was not suitable for charging a lead acid battery bank when the vessel is unattended, their response was I should have done due diligence before I bought the product because it is highly technical. I did my diligence but if Victron doesn’t publish this technical detail how can I know the charging logic. In the response from the distributor, they also quoted information from Victron, who had reviewed the Firefly battery manual and quoted a section that seemed to support their charging logic, but in reality was used in an entirely different context. In addition, Victron read the part of the Firefly manual they wanted to but didn’t read the part about a refresh charge that is necessary if the battery bank has been at a partial state of charge for an extended period.
I think I have framed things correctly, and if I have set everything up correctly, then there appears to be a latent defect in Victron’s charging logic that would make it unsuitable for use in boats stored over winter with a lead acid battery bank. If anyone thinks there is a work around for this, I would like to hear about it. I don’t know how Magnum and Mastervolt charging logic works, but my old Heart Interface didn’t do this.
Tom