What position do I leave my inverter switch in?

DIY
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1

Hi sorry i’m new to this not sure where to start.

I have a motorhome i bought second hand with what I can gather is an off grid setup of sorts, I have a Victron energy compact plus inverter with 3 switch positions on off and charger only. A Fogstar Drift lithium battery and two solar panels on the roof all set up to keep the lifepo4 battery constantly charged.

My question is when on shore power without the Inverter on I have no power to the 3 pin socket’s but with the inverter on once in float mode the battery is kept constantly at 100%which from what i’ve read isn’t great for the battery, , even in charge only the situation is the same! Is there a way of being on shore power having 3 pin socket’s live without constantly charging the battery or doesn’t it really matter? Other than unplugging the shore power relying on the battery and when it needs recharging plug the shore power back in which seems daft! Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill .

Thanks in advance just unsure if it’s healthy to have the battery kept at 100% whilst on shore power with the Inverter and two solar panels continuously in float mode !

2

As long as the dc voltage has dropped to 13.5V or lower on float you will be OK. No further charging of the battery occurs and the charger covers the DC loads.

What you can do with some Victron inverters is set prefer renewable energy, sometimes called wind and sun priority. When the inverter gets to float it ets the charge voltage to 13.2V or whatever you choose so you then go onto supply from solar or battery. If the solar does not keep up and the battery gets too low, or after a set interval the inverter recharges from shore power.

3

Thanks for the reply, I guessed it had been set up to look after itself just wasn’t sure, as I haven’t had a system like this before :+1:

4

Keeping the battery at 100% isn’t usually an issue unless the manufacturer warns against it. Battery life is increased by avoiding discharge below a threshold specified by the manufacturer but only a slight increase in life if constantly recharged to 100%. Holding the battery at 100% for a few hours once in a while is essential for cell balancing and avoiding this can reduce capacity.

Switching the inverter off will increase battery life while traveling unless solar can keep up with the loads. Certainly, you’d want to switch off the inverter and turn off DC loads when not using the motorhome (unless plugged into shore power which is what I do.)

5

Thanks for the reply hearing from people who have used the equipment really helps​:+1: