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s3w47m88 avatar image
s3w47m88 asked

Why won't my system charge

Update 3/7/22

Last night, I turned the generator back on, I think it ran for about an hour, and then I checked on it and to my surprise the system was charging. I ran it for about 2 more hours and the system charged to 100%.

Then, this morning, I was in my home-office, which has an XBox (new one), TV, laptop and monitor and the system shuts off at 53%.

I spoke with my solar provider and they said they see a high usage, and that my battery bank is too small. Which is fine if I need to expand it, but that doesn't explain why the system shuts of at 53%. Obviously the point of that percentage is to tell me when the system is going to run out of power. Meaning it should have been at 0% not 53%.

I could understand if I was at a low percent, like 5% and I run a power tool, and it shuts off. But shutting down at such a high percentage makes readings absolutely useless. Everything I was running had been running for hours, so the system absolutely had enough time to calculate properly. I mean, shoot, I could have written the equation and answer and figured it out on my own.

Can anyone explain how that's possible? Does anyone else believe that's normal Victron behavior?


Update 3/6/22

I left last Thursday in a rush, my system shut off around that time earlier than I expected but I couldn't investigate why due to circumstances. I came back today for the first time and powered on my generator to find that the system has reverted to not charging again. This time, though, I confirmed my negative wires on my system are connected correctly, not to mention it was operating fine before I left. When the system shuts down completely is the point at which this issue seems to be getting triggered.

I am still unable to use power tools of any kind through the system. I have to plug directly into my generator currently.

Update 2/7/22 12:54PM: I discovered that my Shunt negatives were reversed. Resulting in my DC reading on the Cerbo GX Touch to report a draw equivalent to my generator input + my AC usage.

Update 2/7/22 12:54PM : The company I purchased the system from logged in remotely and confirmed that one or more settings were misconfigured under the guidance of a former employee there. Somehow they deduced the system thought 12v was fully charged. Which is confusing to me how they identified that because according to my Smart Shunt it was 13.x v not 12. But in any case now the system appears to be charging. I'm going to run it to a full charge and re-evaluate then.


My Setup

  • Victron MultiPlus 12v | 3000 | 120
  • CerboGX with TouchScreen. Ethernet port going to MultiPlus. Connected to wifi network for remote access.
  • Two SmartSolat Charge Controllers 100 | 50 both are connected to the Cerbo.
  • 9 Renogy 100w panels. Paired two together except for last one.
  • 1 Panasonic 400w panel. Going to dedicated charge controller.
  • SmartShunt 500A / 50mv
  • Little fuse 400A
  • Two 4 post buses one for positive one for negative.
  • Four VPR 4EverClassic Expion360 100Ah LifePo4 12.8
  • Large aluminum plates connecting them.
  • 4 aut wire going from positive end of the batteries to the positive bus then to the little fuse then to the MultiPlus.
  • 4 aut wire going from the opposite negative side of the batteries to the SmartShunt then to the bus then to the MultiPlus.
  • VBatt+ wire going from SmartShunt to positive battery terminal, same location as the 4aut wire.
  • Aux wire going from SmartShunt to midpoint on positive. Currently set to None in settings, when set to MidPoint I get a reading of 100% deviation.
  • Tempature sensor going from CerboGX to positive. Reading 6 degrees Celsius currently. Same post as the 4aut and VBatt.
  • 5000 watt Champion generator connected to AC in on MultiPlus.
  • All connections are appropriately tight.


My Problems

1. Solved 2/7/22 12:54PM due to reversed negative wires on Shunt. Generator is running, system reports 14.3 v and -- charge, with 14.3 volts. Yet if I turn off the generator the system immediately loses power entirely. Batteries are in semi heated space, at night it dips below freezing, I turn heaters on in the morning because I understand they won't charge if they're below freezing.

2. Solved 2/7/22 12:54PM due to reversed negative wires on Shunt. If I turn the MultiPlus off, and I test the far left negative and the far right positive with my multimeter I'm seeing Voltage rapidly fluctuating between 10.5v approximately and 14.5.

3. SmartSolar 1 reports Absorption solid orange while #2 reports Bulk blinking blue.

4. MultiPlus reports green Mains on no other lights while CerbGX touch screen reports Absorption. Indicators lights don't match.

5. Only getting 0w- 15w of PV Charge - should be setting 1500 or so. I do have intermittent shading so that varies but never just 9w.


Thank you.


Generator
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wkirby avatar image wkirby ♦♦ commented ·
Cerbo Ethernet port going to MultiPlus? That's not right.

The MultiPlus need to connect to one of the VE.Bus ports on the Cerbo. The ethernet port is to be used for Ethernet only, ie to your network switch or router. If you are using WiFi then don't connect anything here.

Could you elaborate on your PV panel connection arrangement. You have two controllers and 9 modules. You said they are in pairs, you could make up four pairs and have one spare but it would not fit in anywhere very well. Only if you had three series strings of modules.

Please could you clarify those two points for starters then we can get a better idea of what's going on.

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s3w47m88 avatar image s3w47m88 wkirby ♦♦ commented ·
Thanks for the reply.

My MultiPlus doesn't have a VE port that I am aware of. If it helps, I've had the system for a year this way (with Ethernet) and when things were working I got correct readings from the system. And, although there are discrepancies mentioned above the Cerbo GX does recognize the MultiPlus and show mostly correct readings.


As for the solar panel array, they are in Parallel, all negative daisy chained to each other and all positive daisy changed to each other. I just disconnected all of them and only connected the Panasonic 400w to one charge controller, than to another. And I got the same reading of 0-9w. I tried again with a Renogy 100w and got the same result. I tested the voltage on the ends of the wires coming into the charge controllers by removing them from it and got 60v on the Panasonic line and 20v on the Renogy line. Which seems correct. I think.

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kevgermany avatar image kevgermany ♦♦ commented ·
To answer your 12V fully charged, guessing the person thought the nominal voltage as in 12V system was appropriate.
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3 Answers
Matthias Lange - DE avatar image
Matthias Lange - DE answered ·

Every MultiPlus have at least one VE.bus port. Your MultiPlus should have two inside.

Can you maybe make some pictures of your system and some screenshots of VictronConnect, VE.config and the GX device.

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s3w47m88 avatar image s3w47m88 commented ·
Okay, will do.
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wkirby avatar image
wkirby answered ·

All MultiPlus' since a few years have a VE.Bus port. If it is showing on your CerboGX then it must be connected correctly.

So if only one panel is connected as a test then it should work. Can you see the PV Voltage in the VictronConnect App? You should see at least the 18 - 20 something Voltas in the PV section of the App. Then you can be reasonably sure that the panel is connected to the MPPT.
Do you see any difference if you disconnect the VE.Direct cable from the MPPT? Disconnect it from the Cerbo so that it will be completely standalone and then see if it charges.

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klim8skeptic avatar image
klim8skeptic answered ·
  • 9 Renogy 100w panels. Paired two together except for last one.

Here is a problem. Renogy panels are probably 32 cell jobbies. Not fit for use on a Victron mppt.

Myself, I would have stringed them up as 3S x 3P into the mppt. With appropriate fusing.

Victron online MPPT calculator.

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s3w47m88 avatar image s3w47m88 commented ·

I'm not familiar with the terms "32 cell jobbies", could you elaborate? I have no fusing from the panels to the MPPT's so far. I'll look into 3 in Series X 3 Parallel though, that's a good idea.

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klim8skeptic avatar image klim8skeptic ♦ s3w47m88 commented ·
Victron recommends 36 cell panels. Pretty sure the small Renogy panels are 32 cell.

More cells gives higher voltages. Dont go over the 100v pv input limit though.

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