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gator6 asked

Inverter not switching to batteries

I have a victron 24/3000 multiplus on my rv that is doing some weird stuff. I’m not that familiar with the system but here is what happened tonight…


It ran great today boondocking, powering a single AC unit for three hours before I came home and started the generator. I got into a lengthy conversation with some neighbors, and my daughter comes out and tells me there are lights flashing and things are beeping. At this point the generator had been running maybe 4 hours and the batteries (4 battle born) were topped off. So I reset my control system (iN·Command) and shut down the ACs (I had turned on all three to cool the trailer) so I was drawing less than 200W from the system…no problems. We wrap up for the night and I say it’s time to power down the generator, and we lose power completely, the multiplus didn’t kick over. I restart the genie, nothing…so I go back into the inverter, remove the GX control cable, turn it on (genie running) and it comes to life. I secure the generator, and lose power.


The inverter won’t switch on without the GX unplugged and the generator running, but when I power it down, it won’t switch over. What am I doing wrong?

MultiPlus Quattro Inverter ChargerCCGX Color Control
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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

@Gator6

Maybe nothing you are doing is incorrect, the batteries might be switching off

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gator6 answered ·

I stepped away from the system for about five hours to get some sleep, just woke up and tried the inverter. It’s still down. My next step is to unplug the array, switch off the batteries, then bring it all up from nothing…generator, make sure there’s power, try inverter, connect batteries, hook up solar charger…hope for the best.

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gator6 answered ·

4cd50450-3819-45cc-b3fe-d67f31bede76.jpegWhen the generator is on the system looks fine…




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gator6 answered ·


The sun is rising now, noticed my 250/100 float light blinking (maybe every 3 sec), so I’m able to check it on Bluetooth after it had disappeared last night. This is how that’s doing this morning…


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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

@Gator6

Your battery is shwon as 4.13V . The BMS has shut down. You need to perform the bms wake up procedure. Or check fuses.

The BMV can be incorrect if start synchronised is enabled. So ignore that for now and actually check the battery terminal voltages.

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gator6 avatar image gator6 Alexandra ♦ commented ·
I’m pretty sure the batteries are my problem. If you read the post below, I tried running a 50 amp trailer with the generator not realizing that the generator output is 30 amp.


My knowledge of how the hierarchy works within the power system as a whole gets muddled here, but pretty sure the inverter wasn’t getting enough to power the load from the genie and the batteries took over.

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gator6 answered ·

So as the sun came up, more equipment began to come online. The trailer started pulsing as PV wattage increased…with the inverter off! I switched the inverter on and all it showed was low battery, yet my BMV showed 100%. I got all kinds of low voltage alarms, but each one had a higher voltage up…then back down into the teens. My RV’s controller had powered up and was holding steady, so I turned on lights, fans, plugged some things in…none of it registered on the GX as an ac load, the inverter only showed Fault (low battery). No power was going through the inverter, but I was clearly using power.


I started my generator and the inverter switched to absorption mode/mains on, MPPT went to absorption, because the batteries are reading 100%. I hate feeling as though if I turn the generator off, the system would drop again, but that’s where I’m at for now.


f9571f3f-5931-4542-b724-8f62631b4544.png


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gator6 answered ·

So I feel like a dummy (electrical work can do that), but I just realized that the breakers on my Onan 5500 are 30 amp breakers.


I don’t understand what actually transpired, but I know trying to run a 50 amp trailer on a 30 amp shore connector doesn’t work completely, as you can only power certain equipment at the same time. That being said yesterday I was running a single AC on the batteries fine. I dropped down to 50% and started my generator. Not even consider what the power output of the generator is, I started the two other ACs and switch the fridge to electric to conserve propane. That’s where my knowledge gets muddy, if the generator is running as a 30 amp power source and the trailer is drawing too much did the batteries take a charge or did they discharge? It would seem that there was a discharge due to the low voltage alarms, and the flickering lights and controls with the generator running.


When I saw all of this, I couldn’t stop the ACs without first securing the generator resetting the iN·Command control system (RV touchscreen control). Once that was done, I restarted the generator shut down the ACs switch fridge to propane and let it ride out until bedtime. When I turned off the generator…nothing. So I’m guessing the batteries probably think they’re charged at 100%, but probably reached their failsafe and are holding there and I need to reset them (ugh).



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