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kevinnorth avatar image
kevinnorth asked

Multiplus 24/5000 is overheating

My multiplus 24/5000/120/240 shuts down briefly when under load. I would guess maybe up to 4000w, so not close to its limit. However, I've never heard a fan come on. Does it have one? How do I check it's connections? Can it be disabled in ve config? I'm looking at increasing ventilation and external cooling, but my old phoenix 24/3000 didn't have this problem in the same location, and I could hear its fan kick in... Any thoughts?

MultiPlus Quattro Inverter Charger
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6 Answers
kevinnorth avatar image
kevinnorth answered ·

I should say that the unit is used for inverting only, the charger isn't connected to anything.

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lifeingalicia avatar image
lifeingalicia answered ·

No - vent cant be disabled.... Any alarms?

Should kick in at about 2-3Kw....

Maybe give the unit a careful knock... Vent maybe stuck....

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alan avatar image alan commented ·
Actually ventilation (fans) can be disabled via an assistant (silence fan) and aux input.
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kevinnorth avatar image
kevinnorth answered ·

Temperature warning light on, unit switches off for maybe a minute. I'll try giving it a tap... I presume they are mounted to the bottom of the unit? Can't see underneath mine due to the cupboard it's in...

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lifeingalicia avatar image
lifeingalicia answered ·

Unit needs airflow from below to top - Vent is usually on the slightly noisy side so you should hear it.

Does it happen when you leave the cupbord open?

Does it have enough bottom space / overall space to get air through?


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kevinnorth avatar image kevinnorth commented ·
I don't think the fan is working... I've never heard it. I'll add an external fan.


When I say cupboard, it's a brick built house for the solar kit. It's just that the door is higher than the unit so I can't see underneath easily. The clearances are far greater than suggested by victron.


Thanks for your help.

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raymiller avatar image
raymiller answered ·

Usually, everyone complains about fan noise, the fan should be heard when it's on.

Maybe the time to suggest Victron Connect should have a "fan test" button so simple functional testing of the system can easily be done?

Fronius Inverters have a fan test menu option.

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kevinnorth avatar image kevinnorth commented ·
A very good idea, could set a lot of minds at rest.
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nickdb avatar image
nickdb answered ·

4000W is the max limit at 25C. It goes lower as temp goes up.

It is 5000VA, not 5000W. Quite likely it is overheating at that output, ambient temps and ventilation not withstanding.

Get it out of a cupboard and make sure it has plenty of space for decent airflow. It will be heating up and then its max output will start dropping.

I live in a hot region, it never overheats under load.

Best reconsider your installation.

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kevinnorth avatar image kevinnorth commented ·
Thanks for your answer. I'm well aware that the specification of the unit is 5000va, but the peak is 10000va so my 4kw load should not cause a problem for short periods.


The cupboard is an external brick built house for the solar equipment and is perfectly adequate for the installation. The clearances are far in excess of what victron requires.


The question was regarding the fan. I've never heard the fan operate, even under load which would suggest, as the other people have answered above, that it's not working. I will now add external ventilation to mitigate this.


I live in Portugal where summer temperatures are over 35°c (95°f), and my previous install, featuring a smaller 3000va unit never tripped out due to overheating, and the fan was regularly on and very audible. The "cupboard" has always worked fine.


Thanks for your help.

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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ kevinnorth commented ·
The fan should be constantly noticeable under load, if it never works, something is not right.
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