During two recent Hurricanes we had here in Florida, my boat was without an A/C connection for several months. The Marina lost its power and the power pedestals were all ruined. I just got power back today. I had turned all battery switches off to remove loads. However, my house batteries seem to have discharged down to a little over 8 volts. I connected A/C to my #1 A/C circuit which is connected to the Victron Multiplus that is installed. My understanding is that with the A/C live on the input to the Victron, it should show up on the output side by default. I verified that A/C was making it to the boat electrical system. The Victron Digital Multi Control does not operate. I manually switched the battery switches that control the inverter and house battery system so I know they were on. The green LED that indicates A/C power is making it to the Bank 1 A/C circuit is not lit and therefore A/C is not making it to my panel.
Do the batteries connected to the Multiplus have to have some minimum charge to allow the A/C to pass through? Thanks.
First try to get your batteries to a reasonable value of over 13V. Until then, just leave everything off …!!!
How are you charging your batteries at the moment?
I am not charging them at the moment. Just got power back at the marina yesterday. Have to move the boat today back to my normal slip and plan to bring an external charger to charge them up separately from the Victron. So is it fair then to say that if the batteries are low, the Victron will NOT pass through the 120 Volt A/C? And therefore will not charge the batteries? That is the main thing I am trying to determine as the manual does not seem to explain that. Thanks!
The Victron devices, Multis / Quattros are mostly dependent on a functioning battery bank.
We do not know the circuit diagrams. It may well be that an assistant in the multi prevents the function via AC Out 2 or similar.
Charge the batteries slowly …
What kind of battery technology are you using?
OK, I suspected that was the issue. Seems like sort of a bad arrangement for a boat. If I am in port and have a sudden battery problem, now I have no A/C to my #1 A/C circuit. Would be good if there was an override. I get that it is best to have the batteries up to voltage, but sometimes things just don’t go as hoped. Like 2 back to back Hurricanes and then a Marina that has their entire power distribution taken out. I could not put the boat down to run the generator because no power to the lift. And there was no power even remotely close enough to plug in an electric cord to a seperate charger. I turned all battery switches off completely, but there must have still been some sort of parasitic load on the house battery. The two engine batteries and the forward battery for the bow thruster, each with their own switch, were still at 12.5 volts. The house bank, which is (3) 110 AH AGM batteries, were down to like 8 volts best I can tell as I did not have my Fluke with me yesterday to measure. The volt meter on the panel in the boat stops at 8 on the low end and it seemed the needle was just off that. AGM batteries normally hold their charge for many months if no load at all. Or at least that has been my experience. I had a car with an AGM and a batt switch and I could turn the switch on and start the car after not touching it for 8 months to a year.
I have a Noco battery charger that has a repair function that I plan to use on the house bank today. Hopefully that can get them back working. I used it on the 3 Victron super cells that were the original house bank that the dealer gave to me when I bought the boat and it brought them back from the dead. They had left them uncharged for a long time and had to replace the batteries when I bought the boat. I plan to put those into the boat soon anyway, but that is
another story.
Update: After charging the batteries, everything is back working. So clearly, dead batteries means no A/C output.
Anyone have any suggestions on a marine rated switch I could install to give me an override option if the battery bank has issues again in the future?
Thanks!
You can only connect your own power supply to the battery connection in parallel to get the multis running in an absolute emergency.
The power supply unit then only replaces the most essential power supply. You can NOT operate loads with it.
Actually, I was meaning to bypass the A/C. Where the A/C comes into the Multi, I want to install a switch to bypass the Multi on the A/C circuit since the Multi does not allow the A/C to pass through when the batteries are too low. I think you understood me to mean overriding the batteries?
Do you have a (double) split-phase feed with 120/230V available at your marina or just a single split with 120V?
The solution with the battery replacement via a power supply unit would only be to get the multis working.
The AC bypass function can of course work … however, your air conditioning system could be a (double) split with 230V and not run at all on the singlesplit Marina … Question above
My A/C systems are both 120 V. My power pedestal is just single 120 too. It may have access to 120/230, but is not wired to provide it at this time. I really only need the single leg. I do have two 30 Amp cords to the boat. And of course the manufacturer did not wire any outlets to the second 30 amp circuit or I could have plugged my charger into that. I suggested to them that they provide an outlet in the second bank B A/C circuit. I plan to add one myself. There are extra breaker spots open. Thanks for the suggestions.