I have actually posed 6 questions, with #4 being a two parter.
The install is pretty straight forward.
Product, Victron 12/5000 Quattro Inverter Charger purchased 30 days ago from PKYS.com
Our boat has 30 amp 120v shore power coming into a Blue Seas 30 amp circuit breaker, then to a Victron 3600 isolation transformer.
From there, power goes to the AC In #2 on the Inverter Charger. Then DC Batt charge out is connected through circuit protection to a house bank consisting of two, 3 year old AGM 225AH batteries.
AC In #2 was used for the input per the Victron instruction manual, vs AC In #1 which will be hooked up later to input from the onboard generator. Battery charger output fuses were removed prior to hookup of Quattro per instruction manual.
During initial start, selector sw in off position, input CB off, I turned on the input CB, Isolation transformer started up normally, then selected “on” on the Quattro. Main lights came on briefly, then shut off. Low battery light illuminated. No pass through shore power 120 volt was present.
Selecting charger only on the Quattro resulted in the same situation, “low battery” light illuminated, and no pass through 120v power.
Per the instruction manual, Note: Page 10, it states “The Quattro may not start when ac is present only on ac-in-2, and DC battery voltage is 10% or more below nominal (less than 11 volts in the case of a 12 Volt battery)
Solution: connect AC power to AC-in-1, or recharge the battery.
(My note) The 12 volt DC battery bank at the time was registering 11.9 volts, no load, GREATER than the 11 volts mentioned above which would necessitate moving AC input over to AC-in-1, however, I moved the AC supply wires over anyway. The same results were obtained as above.
Next step, I charged the AGM Battery bank up to 12.70 volts, no load. This necessitated removing the wiring to the Quattro, and wiring the system back as originally wired in order to have the 120v power necessary to use my portable battery charger. With the batteries now reading 12.70 volts, no load, measured at the batteries, as well as at the battery terminals on the Quattro, the Quattro was wired back into the system, first using AC-in-2, then AC-in-1, with identical results to what I had originally obtained. No charging, no pass-through, and Quattro showing “low battery”.
Question 1: If, in a perfectly functioning Quattro, the inverter charger is unable to charge a battery that is > 10% discharged, without first charging the battery to nominal voltage with an external charger, what is the use of the Quattro?
Question 2: If I am not at a dock, with 120v power available, since the Quattro will not pass through 120v power in order for me to have a source 120v power to power my external charger, what is the use of the Quattro?
Neither of these limitations are published in any of the sales literature, nor specifications that I have found published on-line. The first time I’ve seen them is in the instruction manual which came with the device after I purchased it.
Question 3: IS the Quattro supposed to be passing through 120v power when the “low battery” light is illuminated? Because this unit is not.
Question 4: Can anyone confirm the pass through amperage maximum (at 120v) for the Quattro? It is inferred from the manual (page 10, 2/3 of the way down the page) to be as high as 100 amps, but not specifically stated.
Related question: What is the max capacity (at 120v) of the integral transfer switch?
Question 5: The instruction manual states that “the Quattro incorporates a mains frequency isolation transformer which prevents the possibility of DC current at any AC port.” I was advised that I still needed a Victron 3600 Isolation Transformer “upstream” of the Quattro. Is that correct?
Question 6: What is the thread size for the case ground stud on the bottom right hand side of the panel as identified in the instruction manual? No nuts were provided. I am assuming metric. For the installation, I temporarily used a spring clamp to the stud.
I sidetracked a marine electrician here on the dock from another job, he looked over the installation, and stated that it appeared to be wired correctly.
My end state will be to replace the two AGM batteries with 1000ah of Battleborn LiFePO4 batteries, already purchased, awaiting install.
My current AGM 225ah batteries read 12.70 volts fully charged, no load. Using a load tester, the measured voltage drops to 12.65 volts, well within limits.
I have attempted to get technical support from PKYS.com, whom I purchased the unit from, but they will not return my voicemails, e-mails, nor is their technician ever available when I call. If I cannot get some resolution on this, I will have no choice but to return the Victron Quattro and purchase another product.
I also posted my issue on line in the hopes that Victron, or a successful user of the Quattro may chime in and offer assistance with my issue.
Scot
