question

geolboy avatar image
geolboy asked

Generator size (limited options) for Multiplus 3000/12v

Hi Folks,

I hope someone can help me here with a plain answer. I have read Victron's generator Best Practices WP/post but I am looking for some practical answers. I have a Multiplus 3000/12V and 8 cells of 280A LIFEPO4 which will be connected into 4P2S to get 12V bank of 8 cells. I will be traveling this fall up north in BC/Alaska, and most likely will be limited to cloudy conditions for days, hence a need for a generator to top-up the battery bank. Due to various reasons (weight, size, space and available stock) I am limited to smaller size generator options from 2000W to 3000W. I know this is below recommended size, but I am not planning to use it to run a load while charging the battery, except maybe a hydronic heater. But I will need to top-up the battery for about 3-4 hours a day (on average). Since my solar build is not ready yet and I will be boondocking in remote areas, a generator is the only option I have. Travel-wise, a Champion dual-fuel 2000W/1600W running would be ideal, but I can stretch into getting a 3000W Generac with 30 Amp/120v plug, if this is the absolute minimum. Another appealing option is the new Yamaha 2200W with 30 Amp plug, but I doubt it will be in stock before I have to depart. I have very minimum of power usage since it's a travel Van, not a live-in. Some LED lights, 2 pumps, a hydronic heater, a small fridge, and USB chargers are the only things I will be using while on the road. What is the minimum size of the generator that can work for me under these conditions? Is any of the listed above acceptable options? My main concerns are Multiplus compatibility and (a cold-weather start and duty cycle. But that is probably a question for another forum.)

Thanks a lot in advance.

MPPT ControllersMultiPlus Quattro Inverter ChargerLithium BatteryGenerator
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1 Answer
Kevin Windrem avatar image
Kevin Windrem answered ·

The Multi 3000 will charge at up to 120 amps into 12 volts. That matches the propane output of the Champion you suggested. I don't see a need to lug around anything larger unless you are camping at higher altitudes.

Generator output decreases roughly 3.5% for every 1000 feet above sea level, and for gasoline, you may need to change carburetor jets at some altitude. So at 5000 feet, you loose 18% or a max of about 1200 watts running on propane. You'd want to set the input current limit to 10 amps to avoid overloading the generator. Of course you'll need to increase your charging time too.

Your battery bank may have a lower maximum charge current and may need to factor that into system setup.

In order to figure out how long you'll need to run your generator each day and/or figure out how often you'll need to run it, you'll need to do some simple math. Take stock of your consumption in terms of watt-hours per day. For example, if your fridge consumes 200 watts and runs 50% of the time, that's 200 * 0.5 * 24 or 2,400 watt-hours per day. Make these same calculations for all your loads and add things up. If your loads total 4000 watt-hours, you'd need to run a generator 3 hours at 1400 watts to recharge the batteries plus a bit for cell balancing (absorption phase) at least once in a while. Your battery bank is good for 3300 watt-hours but to be safe you should only use about 80% of that or 2,700 watt-hours usable. That says you'd need to recharge your batteries every 16 hours.

These numbers are only examples. Make your own consumption calculations to see where you stand. Make sure you include your 12 volt loads in the calculations!!!

There is also nothing wrong with running the generator while you are inverting to feed your loads. With a properly set input current limit, the inverter will pass generator power to the loads up to that limit and combine that with power from the batteries to satisfy heavy loads when needed. When loads are less, the charger will kick in.

Make sense?

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