And now I’m wondering if I’m over my head??I have some questions on setting this up so I’m ready when it shows up.
I also have 2 200 watt solar panels wired in
And two 230 ah lithium batteries hopefully getting 2 more next spring
We basically vamp with no power majority of the time and ply in geny if we need to
But I just want to make sure that everything will work when I install this thing seems pretty confusing
I have 2 Yamaha 2000 watt generators that I can run together for 4000 Will this run both ac units? I’ve read numerous articles now and I just don’t know. I’m confused.
Speak ring of two generators sometimes I only plug into 1 generator because both aren’t needed. Will the multiplus be able to detect what load is coming in or do I specifically have to tell it when I’m running shore power. 1 generator or both generators?
Do I need a transfer switch? I don’t think I do because I don’t have a built in generator so the power from shore/generator are coming in on the same wire so I don’t think I need one right.
1&2) You can’t normally connect 2 small generators together on the AC side. If your load that you want to run exceeds the rating of one generator, get a bigger one. otherwise the loads need to be individually connected to the generators. You won’t be able to connect one generator to L1 and one to L2 (of the multiplus) as the frequency/phase of the 2 generators is not controlled.
Technically the 2 generators would be tied together so essentially 1. Then one chord would plug into the camper through the shore power plug. That wont work?
In the USA, it’s very common to find small generators that have parallel capability. Most of these generators are made in China and I assume are available in other parts of the world.
1 – Probably, lets look at it. The AC units likely draw about 1500 watts each. So 2X1500=3000. So assuming the power draw is correct and the generators are designed to be parallel connected, you should have no problems. Now, if you connect the generators to the AC in on the Multi, then you have 4000 + 2500 watts in power assist (you will never get 3K, so use 2500 for your calcs) = 6500 watts. Should be more than for 2 AC units. Quite possibly you could run one generator and get away with it but your batteries won’t last long. However, you really should find the specs for your units and do the math yourself. The compressor starting may be momentarily higher watts, so leave some headroom there, the power assist should be more than enough though. Soft starts on the AC units will help as well. We occasionally camp at 30 amp 120 volt campsites. 30 amps is 3600 watts, close to the output of your generators. We have a 3K Quattro in a RV with 2 X rooftop units. We can run both AC units and a few other electrical devices, coffee maker, microwave, etc at the same time with no issues.
2 – You need to set the correct input amps on the MP. Once the load exceeds the input amps the power assist will come into play. You can set the input amps several ways, but the easiest is to install a Digital Multi Control, then it’s quick and easy to set the dial for the proper amps.
3 – If you are connecting the shore power cable plugged into the generator(s) you will not need a transfer switch. You are basically using the generator to provide shore power, so no extra switching is required. A transfer switch is typically used if you have a built in generator to switch between shore and generator. And yes the Multi has a “transfer switch” but not the kind you are thinking. The Multi transfer switch switches between inverter and shore power, not generator/shore. You need a Quattro for that.
You didn’t ask but if you don’t have a Cerbo or GX device, you should think about getting one. With a Victron MPPT it will allow everything to work together, especially if you have Victron or Victron compatible batteries.
So yes my 2 2000 watt Yamaha generators are designed to parallel together so sounds like I’m good.
Getting into the calculations is where I’m a little confused as well. My current set up I didn’t need to calculate anything but with this it seems like it has alot of parameters you have to set. I’ll have to sit down and really figure some stuff out
What digital multi control should I be looking at?
I’ll have to look at the Cerbo or gx to see what they do to see if I need one. I like things that make it easy but not this stuff adds up very fast