Microwave (1500A) shuts down

DIY
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1

I need help. I built my campervan’s electrical system with these Victron Energy parts:

A Victron Energy Multiplus 3000VA, 12 volt, 120 amp

A Victory Energy SmartSolar charge controller (MPPT 150/70–Tr)

A Victory Energy Orion-Tr Smart 12/12 volt, 30 amp, 360 watt DC-DC charger.

The Victron Energy Multiplus 3000VA is hooked up to 3 batteries, and here are their specs:

CHINS Battery

LiFePO4 Battery 12V 300Ah Lithium Battery – Built-in 200A BMS

The three batteries are wired in parallel for 12V, 900 Ah.

I’ve got two electrical panels, one for 12V and one for 115V.

My 115V panel powers an AC unit, a microwave (1500A), and a kitchen plug. When I use the microwave, the Victron Energy Multiplus shuts down after a few seconds. The wire from the 115V panel to the microwave is 10 gauge (3 conductor wire).

So, my question is, do I need to tweak any settings in the Victron Energy Multiplus to fix this?

Thanks a lot for your help!

DCN

2

I presume you mean a 1500W microwave. The 1500W will be the quoted output power. The input power to a microwave can be 50% higher than the output, in your case 2300W, but you need to check the label.on the device or the manual. You may well find this is overloading a 3000VA Multiplus which is approx 2,400, depending exactly on the characteristics of the load. When A Multiplus shuts down the LEDs should flash a code for the reason. Look at the manual or download the Victron Toolkit app to your phone to work out the code.

3

For info, my 800W microwave pulls 1200W input power as measured by the Multiplus.

4

My 800 W microwave is more likely reaching 1400 W measured with a plugged power meter.

If you understand French, you may also have a look at the following video : Le pire appareil électrique en autonomie.

5

I sincerely appreciate your assistance. I’ll give an 800W microwave a try.

6

There are also inverter type microwaves which can step down their actual power requirement instead of running at full taps with a reduced duty cycle.

7

Hi Nick,

Could you let me know where I can purchase this inverter?

Thank you very much.

DCN

8

Just search for “inverter microwave”. UK example below.