Regarding the Cca requirement for the battery cables:
Any objection against using “regular” battery cable and putting it in some kind of Greenflex? For heat dissipation not the ideal solution, but in these relative low voltage systems, voltage drop is more constraining than temperature, I believe.
If I’m not mistaken, the VOB wires themself in the Cca preflex systems are also not Cca per se.
Is there someone on this forum that has had a Victron DIY approved (gekeurd) according AREI?
This is driving me absolutely crazy tbh.
Last thing I heard from a former AREI inspector is that MEGA fuses are not allowed in BE residential installations.
Also, very unclear what the rules are regarding DC cabling. Same former inspector says Cca rules apply to cables, not individual conductors. And that black-red cables are a must. But also sends me a link to cables from Cebeo which are grey and DO have Cca approval.
I have the same questions and concerns.
Nobody from Belgium here that has a DIY system actually certified?
@bernieke: did you place the inverters on a “Gyproc” board? Do you know if there are some special requirements?
Does the background need to be fireproof or so?
In general, electricity panels are mounted on “betonplex”. Do you know if this is OK for the Multiplusses?
Also: what type of multiplus do you have ? 3kVA?
Mine is “in progress of being built” but it’ll take some more time before it’s finished and inspection is due.
Mine is also in progress of being built. I still need to run the cables from my main breaker box to the secondary breaker box (AC-connections to the inverters).
And I need to edit my “eendraadsschema” to reflect the new situation. Then we’ll see how it goes for the certification.
what DC cables are you guys now using?
Seeing the discussion above, I see more people struggling to find Cca rated DC cables…
Also: @herriejr: what cabling/fuse do you use for the AC side ?
Normal 2.5mm² and a 20A fuse? a multiplus 3000 can deliver 2400W continuously (2.5mm²/20A is fine), but peaks up to 5500W (20A fuse would trip).
Do you take the 5500W into account? I guess that if you start a big draw from the batteries (like a car charging in the evening), the multiplusses try to deliver the current, exceeding the 20A ?
On the AC side I am cabling everything with 10mm². I have a 3-phase connection with 3 Multiplus II 48/8000/110, capable of providing 15kW peak (if I remember correctly).
Breakers used:
Also the breakers commonly used in Belgium (curve C) can handle a peak above their rated current for some amount of time. For details you can google for tripping curve C.
Internally in my main breaker box I cabled everything with 10mm² almost 20 years ago (it’s not easy, but it gives me a peace of mind for later additions etc), therefore I opted to continue with 10mm². The cables I still need to run are 5G10; that won’t be easy 
OK, thanks for info.
I also have a 3-phase, (3x)32A grid and cabled everything inside the breaker box using 10mm², but I am looking into 3 x Multiplus II / 48 / 3000VA to stay under 10kW…
Do you have a “BTW nummer”?
BTW did you use Cca DC cables?
Yes, we have a VAT number (“BTW nummer”), it’s for my wife her business we need such beefy inverters.
I ordered these cables:
DWS Accukabel M8-M8 50 mm² rood 0,5 meter - Kabels - Overige elektra - Elektra - Caravan & camperaccessoires , on the product page the mention “double isolated”. These cables are Ripcaflex (Ripca). On the product page I see they still mention an older norm regarding flame retardant properties (EN50265 - CCA is defined in '“AREI” as NBN EN 50575:2014/A1:2016/artikel 104).
I have asked them if their cables are in accordance with NBN EN 50575. I will keep you posted.
hey @herriejr
Did you already had a feedback about these cables and their Cca compliancy?
What DC cables are you using / planning to use?
For a 48V 5kVA Multi I’m using 70mm² double isolated battery cable, like this one.
It’s mounted on betonplex + fermacell (fireproof plasterboard).
They’re multiplus-ii 48/5000/70
I’ve got everything up and running now, I’ll just finish it off with a PVC screen in front of the cabling, and then I’ll be ordering the inspection.
I’ve also attached my “eendraadschema”.
bord 1 - kelder 3P.pdf (33.8 KB)
I’ve tagged them with red and black heatshrink, I’ve been told that suffices.
Please keep us posted about the inspection. At some point I would also like to install a system like that, but I don’t like the current of the shelf batteries. Too expensive to reward cost recovery time. If you get a Seplos successfully AREI inspected, A Yixian with EVE batteries should also work as the box, batteries and BMS all have the required certificates.
Hi, I’ve been putting in some more time on this plan and revised a few things. There are still a lot of things inherently different between the Netherlands (where I originally come from) and Belgium.
Hope you guys can advise.
Current situation:
I want to take things slowly and first prepare the AC circuitry from the house to the ESS building.
I know I need the HIM406 and the VM-3P75CT, but I am unsure about the exact type for the main differential and the main breakers.
Could someone help me choose the recommended components for the house, from the Fluvius main F40/3N main switch onwards up to the AC side of the MultiPlus inverters in the ESS building and back to the house?
Yep, I also plan to do so (red/black heatshrink or tape around the green Cca cables).
@Bernieke: Did you have to wait long for these cables coming from spain?
Also: you are using 3 x 5kVA multiplusses. Do you have a BTW number?
for info: I am waiting for my Yixiang box with MB56 batteries to arrive (ordered end September, so hopefully it arrives in the next weeks).
@MIchelW : in Belgium, you need a BTW number if you install more then 10kW.
3x 5kVA multiplusses is more (3 x 4000W=12kW), so it has consequences.
Therefore I am looking into 3 x 3kVA multiplusses (2400W each)
Do note these are factory assembled Seplos batteries: CE certified, with serial numbers and so on.
Take in consideration the HIM406 can’t be switched under load (it floats its neutral). You probably want a transfer switch which switches the neutral last when switching off and first when switching on, like the Sontheimer UL063 I used (I got it from amazon.nl).
I’m not sure if 5G10 suffices for a 27 meter run. You’ll want to calculate that, keeping in mind that you’ll be running them quite hard for long periods of time (as opposed to regular electrical wiring which is seldomly used long to their limits).
If you want your solar on the AC-out you’ll need to make sure your battery is big enough to handle the solar output in case of a grid failure, see the Victron factor 1.0 rule.
The differentials will depend on your EV charger. Keep in mind that if you need a type B for the EV charger, you need type Bs all the way from the EV charger to the main differential. The victron inverters don’t require a type B.
As for the breaker, I put a curve B breaker on the AC-OUT. Supposedly a regular type C wouldn’t switch off quickly enough when running off-grid because the inverters can’t produce a large enough short circuit current. The rest of the breakers are just normal type Cs. Keep in mind your breakers need to be sized for the wires you run (they protect the wires), and your wires need to be able to handle all the current that can pass through them, including battery & solar output. Which is why I have a separate “brake” breaker before the parallel circuits, as you can see in my “eendraadschema”.
I think it took three working days to receive the cables from Spain.
I’m not planning on using a VAT number for my electricity. If my provider starts asking for one I’ll just tell them to turn off my injection plan (no profit, no VAT requirement). I certainly won’t miss those cents(!) I’m getting each month from injecting my surplus. Theoretically you can also ask the Belgian finance department for an exception, explaining you’re just a private person looking to optimize their self-consumption, but it’s just not worth the hassle to me. If I ever decide to go for a dynamic tariff, and they haven’t aligned themselves with Fluvius yet, I can still consider petitioning them or using my VAT number. But for now I’d rather just forego my injection payments and avoid the headache altogether.
I have a 10kW solar inverter, so my victron setup needs to at least match that to be able to run it all off grid, so 3x3kVA would not suffice for me.
