Will pay anyone in Los Angeles who owns a Victron BMV712 & a Victron MTTP unit ...

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by Nic7320

Very close to SB. 1.8 miles from UCSB.

After buying a Victron inverter and seeing how good it was, I got hooked and went all in. Now I have two Victron 20A/100v solar controllers, two battery disconnects (65A and 220A), two 24v inverters (375W and 1200W), two BMV712s and one 24 volt to 13.5 volt converter. All but one battery disconnect and the voltage converter are 'smart' versions with Bluetooth.

Doesn't make me the ultimate authority on all things Victron, but I also do have an electrical engineering degree.

PM me if you need me to take a look.

Nic,

An RV Flush Toilet has more electrical know how than I.

I love Santa Barbara, lived there for 6 years 87-93 shortly after I arrived in the USA.

In fact, I had spent a few days up.there every year since 2015 looking for a Unicorn: a Gay Woman who was very good to me one night on June 22nd 1991 - I invested $15,000 in Detective Fees to find her, no luck.

All I wanted to do was say THANK YOU.

I spent a few more days in Santa Barbara recently & I had made a pact if I didn't find her by that midnight, I would surrender. I NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP.

At 5pm that night I got a call from one of hundreds of people I had spoken to that there was a new lead - at 1pm the next day I reunited with my friend & we walked Leadbetter Beach. In fact I had met with the staff (now no longer there) at both St Vincents & Devereux because that is where she jad worked for a time.

What does this off topic post have to do with Class B - the whole time I was there I had to deal with the terrible 3 way Dometic I just jettisoned.

Santa Barbara is close enough & you are more than qualified.

It will take another trip unless you are down in LA soon.

Its a matter of timing.

As to the electrical set up I have, I think my system is performing at par with the new fridge installed.

Last night, the first night, my amp hours used was a measly 14ah.

The fridge is performing flawlessly!

[Nic7320]

Good to hear about your results. You're on the right track. Finding a refrigerator that's compatible with your battery and solar is a big part of the puzzle.

Interesting story, BTW. I too met a woman in S.B. when I first moved here, because she crashed her car into a row of eucalyptus trees trying to avoid a head-on accident with me. It was 1984, and she put me up for a time while I was looking for a rental near the university.

Yes, absorption refrigerators are horribly inefficient when run on 120VAC and especially on 12V electrical power. You're trying to make cold, with heat, and it only works okay if you have propane as a power source. I plugged mine in at home and it DOUBLED my electric bill.

I'll be here around another day or two. I've been cooped up since February riding out the pandemic. The rig is packed, and now it's time to head north.

[Sehc]

This is the best explanation I have found. https://marinehowto.com/programming-a-battery-monitor/

[booster]

Originally Posted by Sehc

This is the best explanation I have found. https://marinehowto.com/programming-a-battery-monitor/

And I will repeat again that it has been discussed here a lot. I find his articles on monitors to be full of what IMO is bad information. If you use the settings he recommends, you will get the poor results he is complaining about.

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by Nic7320

Good to hear about your results. You're on the right track. Finding a refrigerator that's compatible with your battery and solar is a big part of the puzzle.

Interesting story, BTW. I too met a woman in S.B. when I first moved here, because she crashed her car into a row of eucalyptus trees trying to avoid a head-on accident with me. It was 1984, and she put me up for a time while I was looking for a rental near the university.

Yes, absorption refrigerators are horribly inefficient when run on 120VAC and especially on 12V electrical power. You're trying to make cold, with heat, and it only works okay if you have propane as a power source. I plugged mine in at home and it DOUBLED my electric bill.

I'll be here around another day or two. I've been cooped up since February riding out the pandemic. The rig is packed, and now it's time to head north.

When you say time to go up North does that mean you are only there temporarily?

The timing is off.

By golly & to think I was up there for 12 days recently.

On my bike its only 36-45 minutes from West Hollywood to Carrillo. I would rather have my rig there so I can make notes based on my readings.

And have you run my system in front of you.

In my truck, its 120 minutes.

Love SB & appreciate the offer but I have two more days of freedom before I commit back to a part time practice.

But maybe it would be worth the ride today ...

Will answer in one hour.

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by Nic7320

Good to hear about your results. You're on the right track. Finding a refrigerator that's compatible with your battery and solar is a big part of the puzzle.

Interesting story, BTW. I too met a woman in S.B. when I first moved here, because she crashed her car into a row of eucalyptus trees trying to avoid a head-on accident with me. It was 1984, and she put me up for a time while I was looking for a rental near the university.

Yes, absorption refrigerators are horribly inefficient when run on 120VAC and especially on 12V electrical power. You're trying to make cold, with heat, and it only works okay if you have propane as a power source. I plugged mine in at home and it DOUBLED my electric bill.

I'll be here around another day or two. I've been cooped up since February riding out the pandemic. The rig is packed, and now it's time to head north.

I always ran my fridge on propane, unless I was on Shore Power, it was the dreaded Dometic RM2354 - when you purchased one Dometic gave you your own 800# & a Customer Service Rep who did little else but repeat the mantra "anytime a unit is outside of the 5% level performance drops ..."

The last year I ran it on #5 & it barely got through the year.

[themexicandoctor]

Nic,

I have to decline simply because the benefits would only be if I could take my rig to you directly & have you analyze my present set up.

I TRULY APPRECIATE THE OFFER & was tempted to race my bike up there.

Very soon I am meeting with my Electrical Guru who installed the second solar unit, both the first & second MTTP & whom I invested $500 with one afternoon finding my extra negatives/grounds that were giving my BMV712 all kinds of error messages & just cleaned up the work of everyone else before him when I pulled out the TrippLite & replaced it with a Magnum MMS1012.

For $100 he is going to read all these threads & give me a Masterclass. If you were in LA, I would be parked next to you in a moment.

Out of all the RV Professionals I know, this guy is an Electrical Genius who like you mastered in Electrical Engineering & by chance, inherited his father in laws RV & Generator repair biz for 40 years.

Marc Roundry of West Coast Marine & RV Repair

Sadly he closed his doors a week before the Covid restrictions, he was always a pleasure to work with, very laid back & knew exactly what he is doing, specializing in the Electrical side of RV's & Boats versus run of the mill RV Repair.

All the quality independent guys like this on LA are closing down, I guess the industry until Covid was no longer profitable like before.

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by booster

And I will repeat again that it has been discussed here a lot. I find his articles on monitors to be full of what IMO is bad information. If you use the settings he recommends, you will get the poor results he is complaining about.

Thank you SEHC,

Have you enjoyed the information you quoted, I usually defer to the Giants amongst us like Booster.

[booster]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Nic,

I have to decline simply because the benefits would only be if I could take my rig to you directly & have you analyze my present set up.

I TRULY APPRECIATE THE OFFER & was tempted to race my bike up there.

Very soon I am meeting with my Electrical Guru who installed the second solar unit, both the first & second MTTP & whom I invested $500 with one afternoon finding my extra negatives/grounds that were giving my BMV712 all kinds of error messages & just cleaned up the work of everyone else before him when I pulled out the TrippLite & replaced it with a Magnum MMS1012.

For $100 he is going to read all these threads & give me a Masterclass. If you were in LA, I would be parked next to you in a moment.

Out of all the RV Professionals I know, this guy is an Electrical Genius who like you mastered in Electrical Engineering & by chance, inherited his father in laws RV & Generator repair biz for 40 years.

Marc Roundry of West Coast Marine & RV Repair

Sadly he closed his doors a week before the Covid restrictions, he was always a pleasure to work with, very laid back & knew exactly what he is doing, specializing in the Electrical side of RV's & Boats versus run of the mill RV Repair.

All the quality independent guys like this on LA are closing down, I guess the industry until Covid was no longer profitable like before.

If you do manage to work out times to do the instruction and such, you may want to try to schedule some extra time also for testing that will take quite some time. Capacity testing and full charging test can take at least a day or two, depending on how well or poorly they go. Without a bottom limit (capacity) and a top limit (known full charge) reference points, it is going to be pretty difficult to get the best settings for your system, i think.

[themexicandoctor]

Thank you Booster.

I hope to get it dialed in with my Guru for a perfect world & then switch out those batteries out with new ones at Lifeline & have the rewiring of the batteries fore & aft of the rear wheel completed beforehand.

Its been a year plus, maybe 18 months, if I was simply going to reverse the position of the batteries, would that over an equal period of time balance out the minute but reap charging difference within the batteries?

Or compromise my system sooner ie; having two poorly charged batteries?

[booster]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Thank you Booster.

I hope to get it dialed in with my Guru for a perfect world & then switch out those batteries out with new ones at Lifeline & have the rewiring of the batteries fore & aft of the rear wheel completed beforehand.

Its been a year plus, maybe 18 months, if I was simply going to reverse the position of the batteries, would that over an equal period of time balance out the minute but reap charging difference within the batteries?

Or compromise my system sooner ie; having two poorly charged batteries?

If they have been charging unevenly, reversing them may be a good idea. I would certainly equalize them one at a time while you have them out, to get them as good as they will get, though, before putting them back in.

[themexicandoctor]

What I like & sometimes admit I dislike* about your answers Booster is that you think of every possibility & your solutions require a detailed, step by step approach that accounts for every variable.

1. So giving them an Equalisation Charge of 4 hours while both are connected as they are in order, isnt enough.

Specifically I need to equalise each, separately.

2. Would connecting each of them to a CTEK Charger on Equalisation mode be the answer, while they are both out of the coach, the only way?

3. Or could I have one equalizing disconnected from the coach & the other connected & then reconnect the Equalised unit to the coach while the other is being equalized?

Or once I reverse the order & install them that freshly Equalised battery be at odds with the unit that was sitting in the coach for 2-4 hours hooked up & taking care of basic operating needs?

*if a job is worth doing, its only worth doing, right!

[Winston]

Originally Posted by booster

And I will repeat again that it has been discussed here a lot.

And it should be noted that this article applies only to lead-acid/AGM batteries. One of the delightful features of lithium is that one can practically ignore: 1) charge efficiency; 2) Peukert's Law; and 3) battery temperature. (As well as Bulk, Absorption, and Float!).

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by Winston

And it should be noted that this article applies only to lead-acid/AGM batteries. One of the delightful features of lithium is that one can practically ignore: 1) charge efficiency; 2) Peukert's Law; and 3) battery temperature. (As well as Bulk, Absorption, and Float!).

Booster,

Have my charge effeciency set to 90% on the Magnum Inverter & 95% on the Battery Monitor, is that okay.

In fact I am goimg to call the Reseller now of the MTTP & go over all the settings.

[booster]

Originally Posted by themexicandoctor

Booster,

Have my charge effeciency set to 90% on the Magnum Inverter & 95% on the Battery Monitor, is that okay.

In fact I am goimg to call the Reseller now of the MTTP & go over all the settings.

The work independently, so they won't affect each other, so that's not an issue. It would mainly be a difference in SOC reading during recharge, assuming you get good synchronization/resets regularly on both of them. I don't think the Magnum is using the charge efficiency in any of the charge control, just the monitor, so if that is correct it wouldn't affect charging.


Because you have deep discharges, my guess would be closer to the 95% than the 90%, but it will vary cycle to cycle, too, so hard to say for any given recharge.

[Nic7320]

Originally Posted by booster

If you do manage to work out times to do the instruction and such, you may want to try to schedule some extra time also for testing that will take quite some time. Capacity testing and full charging test can take at least a day or two, depending on how well or poorly they go. Without a bottom limit (capacity) and a top limit (known full charge) reference points, it is going to be pretty difficult to get the best settings for your system, i think.

I might be the wrong person to consult with, since I replaced my lead acid batteries a year and a half ago and went with a lithium (NMC) battery and never looked back. My Victron experience started when I bought a 24 volt Tesla battery module off ebay, and had to upgrade my inverter to 24V. The Tesla battery took some engineering since it has no BMS built in, but it was absolutely worth the effort.

For most RVers, a pre-engineered Lithium battery is the way to go.