Victron Phoenix Inverter Smart. Is 3000VA enough to power our garage?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Guys, I know VA is not the same as W. Come on! 😉 The fan, the battery chargers all have a power factor less than 1 as they are inductive loads, the fluorescent lights in my garage are inductive too. But disconnecting all this and just running a pure light bulb of 100W, the inverter shows me 80VA, so that's not right.

[@FutureSystem738]

I’m impressed that you still actually HAVE an incandescent bulb, LOL :-) (I think I do too, but I’d have to search for it!) I agree, 100w incandescent is 100w, power factor of 1 ie: A purely resistive load should be 1.

[@kevinmills5293]

There may be an update for it that might hep.

[@habana7638]

Haha, nice to know that you know that too, but you do speak several times about VA as being Watts in your video. Btw. I called Victron here in the Netherlands and a Victron representative, and no one could give a simple answer why VA is shown in the Victron Connect Ap instead of Watts .. Watts would have been nicer, as always nice to watch...

[@shanebrowne2439]

Don’t forget all inverters have losses too. Also your inverter may be measuring True RMS AC volts not Peak volts. So that the value for 100 watts bulb may be correct. Cheers

[@BadIdea1123]

Isn't it apparent power vs realized power, an inverter that claims to be 3000w is only 3000w under the test scenario, we all know it effected by environmental stuff like temperature. So saying an inverter is 3000w but not specifying it as 3000@25 celsius is a marketing ploy. Victron does the right thing and uses VA which is apparent power and tells you that it varies based on environmental factors

[@jasonbroom7147]

I like your exhaustive reviews. Sometimes I forget that you're not necessarily just trying to get a system set up and use it, but constantly testing and learning and experimenting. We are all able to enjoy these same benefits, vicariously. :)

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you. That is exactly correct. I share as much of my experience as possible and always hope it's useful for others too.

[@nigelcharles511]

I have the Cerbo GX. It works great. My off-grid system is about 1 mile from home but we have a mobile router so I can view the whole system remotely. One thing to bear in mind with the Victron inverters is that the continuous power rating is less than the quoted power. I use a 10kw inverter so that I can charge my EV at 7.2kw. The continuous rating is 8kw but it copes with a kettle giving the necessary few minutes at 9.5kw. With the 3kw inverter the continuous rating is 2400W @ 25degC and 2200W @40degC so given your climate I would be disinclined to mount it inside another cabinet as it will reduce the cooling.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank Nigel, I'm looking the Cerbo for a while now. It seems to be the device which connects everything together and connects it to the VRM portal. I knew about the power rating of this inverter at different temperatures. I have made a high load test already at hot temperatures. Video is following.

[@kevinmills5293]

Victron quote VA ratings in their specs, not kW so you have a 10kVA inverter not a 10kW inverter.

[@mikewasowski1411]

Love your vids. I’m Subscribed to nearly a hundred channels and this one is getting to the top. Really great content and a very open and honest delivery. I’ve learnt so much. Thank you for your time!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Wow, thank you so much for your nice feedback. 🐸

[@colinbeckitt9495]

great to see you finally over the battery issues and onto the Pheonix 3k. I thought you must have realized it was too small for the Tesla so returned it for a bigger 48/5k. SO glad you didn't sell the Xijia 3k. At least it could do the constant 10A-12A all day for your Tesla charging. I guess Andy will have a future upgrade video going to the Victron Pheonix Smart 48/5k. I would properly earth the Xijia and used it for Tesla charging at 10A or 12A then use the lower performance Pheonix or anything extra (water pumps, drills, grinders, air compressors, etc.). Its so handy to have an extra Inverter. If the Xijia ever failed you could use the little Victron at a lower setting until your Xijia replacement arrived. The 800W water pump seemed to annoy the Pheonix even at

[@uhjyuff2095]

I would think the lower performance of the Victron is acceptable because it also has so many other features that other inverters don't have.

[@mgd09050]

You could also use that relay to turn on/off a dump load for the solar when your battery is full

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, like an aircon for the garage for example.

[@evil17]

Yes, I have been looking for ways to dump excess into a hot water system for my bus. Cheers

[@camwood7600]

Correct, you need a gx device to bring it all together. I've just started using the cerbo. Used to use colour control.

[@sprinterdiscovery]

You need to get the Victron Cerbo GX device. Then all your Smart equipment will be able to communicate and you can view on screen. Sweet! Awaiting your next awesome video! :-)

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, that will be one of the next devices I guess. I already signed up for the VRM but, yeah, the GX is missing ;)

[@jasonm914]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Look at Venus running on Raspberry Pi before you spend money on the Cerbo

[@MrToyorick]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia You can build the GX of a raspberry Pi , it works perfectly download the image from victron

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@MrToyorick I would, just not enough hours in my day to get this all done... and how do you connect Ve.direct to the Raspberry?

[@MrToyorick]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia You use the ve- to usb cable to connect to raspberry

[@alexandergunda8916]

First, hihi - it's not swimming, that's good Andy, the autofocus on the GoPro is much better

[@BenCos2018]

lol true

[@iainkay3630]

“I don’t want to go nuts here” whilst you tightened the nut. That cracked me up :)

[@bostjantrancar9605]

MPPsolar is more cheaper units and about 2weeks i have made conection betwen PE and N ....no issues.... Excellent video....👍

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Great 👍

[@DerKanal]

Nice choice 👍🏻 I build my own "smart System" for my China Inverter and charger.

[@razvanduta3563]

Andy, following you. Great stuff! All my gear is Victron and I see that you are slowly turning towards it: the king way round. Although purchased all the components, just testing few. RE your concern about devices not talking to each other, yes Cerbo will integrate them all, but meantime you can create a Bluetooth network and your MMPT, SmartShunt and Inverter will connect to it. Go to Settings, VE Smart Networking and create network, than add each device.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The inverter does not connect to the network as it does not have BT. That was the disappointing part. If you keep watching, you will get to the video where I setup a Raspberry Pi and connect all devices to it. You can check it out here: vrm.victronenergy.com/installation/100328/share/2e028071

[@razvanduta3563]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hm...isn't a Smart Inverter? It is written on the front panel...In Victron language that means it has BT. Double check your device, look up the Victron official website for your inverter datasheet and you should be able to clarify the mystery. Please note that you need to have the BT turned on on the phone but you have to connect to any Victron device from within VictronConnect, not directly from the phone. I hope this help, Raz

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Exactly what I thought too. Hence the title of the video 😉

[@razvanduta3563]

Testing right now. Not happy with the solar panels. Will watch it the upcoming days.

[@sreekumarUSA]

030521/0136h PST - 1936h-Brisbane. Good evening, congratulations on obtaining VICTRON Phoenix smart inverter (the best inverter) it’s really a smart inverter as the name implies. You’d enjoy the power of the inverter. Later on Cerbo GX, perhaps? You could read your PV System from any where in the world. (Plus, ever so many paraphernalia connections, that Cerbo GX has, all connections remotely performed) A word of caution though.... the enclosure looks sturdy and will keep the insects away from it. But the heat produced inside the enclosure will be extremely high, more so, the hot air will recirculate adding more heat to the system. Adequate forced ventilation is required and how will that be done? Let’s know your response. Once again, congratulations on obtaining VICTRON inverter. Take care and 73s...

[@redcrow2006]

Really like that victron stuff. Seems good quality.

[@TallTom77]

I'm concerned the inverter will overheat as well. Let it breathe!

[@colinbeckitt9495]

OMG - YES these things run very warm at even moderate loads (2000W constant) on 35℃ summer days. he won't get Xijia 2800W constant output performance out of 1 of these units

[@cho4569]

Inverter lives matter!

[@sreekumarUSA]

@@cho4569 😀😀😀😀

[@vineshv7401]

Inside the cabinet heat transfer issue will happen due to lesser air flow and bluetooth signal attenuation may also happen😎.

[@sreekumarUSA]

Faraday cage effect, surely. Thank you, Vinesh.

[@UKsystems]

@@sreekumarUSA a faraday cage done not block all signals in cases it may need to be 1 inch thick steel

[@honumoorea873]

8:54 why those plus and minus battery pôles seems connected together...??

[@bluejeanvanlife8627]

I've gotten around the spark when connecting the inverter deal by shutting off the output of the BMS, using the same app you are using, then connect the inverter and then turn the BMS on, you get a big current (about 80A for my setup) outrush for s split second and then you're good, no spark, no resistor.

[@richardowens9061]

Thanks, for taking us along on your journey! Let me suggest that you not obsess about the "insect" issue regarding your inverter. I understand the concern, but you might be better off simply checking/cleaning out the insects when you clean your solar panels. This will keep the airflow unobstructed - which is more important - and you will remain aware of the situation. But, you are definitely going to need some active cooling of the enclosure. You can mount a 120mm 48v DC fan with a filter screen to pull air into the enclosure at the bottom and put some holes in the top of the enclosure to vent the hot air. Then, use a thermostatic speed control board to turn on/off the fan and regulate its speed - like the Phoenix inverter controls its own internal fan. Mount the temperature sensor for the fan control to the case of your solar charge controller since it gets the hottest. Remember, you need to spray any holes you make in your enclosure with some rust protecting gray primer. The standard gray primer paint will match the color of the enclosure nicely and really is important to protect it. I also installed rubber grommets on the holes I made in mine.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks Richard. I assume you're not from Australia? We have very nasty insects which are getting into these inverters and start building homes with mud they collect outside. There is no way to just 'clean of the insects' without taking the whole inverter apart. Also, the inverter has a relay output to control a fan when mounted inside a cabinet. They must have thought about me :)

[@richardowens9061]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Then, try placing some citronella inside the cabinet to repel them.

[@dash8brj]

Haven't watched the whole video, but FFS get some muscles into it Andy!!! hehe yep those victron inverters are HEAVY! Welcome to the club. I own two :)

[@peterrock2838]

Great video! Let us see if it was worth the price for the Victron... Buy once, cry once if the product is worth it!

[@habana7638]

That's always the case with Victron.

[@waynehobbs5175]

Lucky Mrs Andy lifted it into wheelbarrow for you!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, she could not lift it up herself, almost 20kg in total.

[@rogga3]

I’m pretty sure the inverter will be smarter if you put the other Victron products closer to the inverter!. Especially the Smart Shunt, it has a very short range of the Bluetooth! Alternatively connect them with ve direct cable if there is a connection for ve on the inverter. Thanks for your videos! Love them!

[@offgridwanabe]

Australia, inverter in a box seems too hot for me but we will watch and see. I see a screen door in your future. good luck

[@colinbeckitt9495]

I see a removal of all additional loads (water pump was 800W), a air conditioner and then finally a 48/5k upgrade ... we all learn by mistake ...

[@offgridwanabe]

@@colinbeckitt9495 Totally agree inverter too small

[@ebenwaterman5858]

Yeah, screen door would be easy fix.

[@offgridwanabe]

@@ebenwaterman5858 Or use a furnace filter in the hole to keep the bugs out and let air in with the fans.

[@ebenwaterman5858]

@@offgridwanabe Screen door screen on the door would allow convection while a furnace filter needs forced air. Putting the screen on the door would be the easiest 'cause the door may be removable.

[@Tezza66]

you connect the the inverter from the device that monitors, but will only connect to one device at a time. an will not show up when connected to your phone. other than that to link victron devices its about using the v.e. connect.

[@ebenwaterman5858]

2:00 Your Wheelbarrow Drop Test should be adopted by UL and CE.

[@amumot7410]

16:27 sorry but If you tighten the screws firmly, there will be no problems between plus and minus even without protection. When working on the cables, the lines should be de-energized.

[@davebruessow6842]

I wish they made a 120v-60hz version for the North America. The Phoenix inverters here are not bluetooth (V.E. direct or dongle/extra) and limited to 1200va. We basically have to use the more expensive "Multiplus" inverters to get 2000va or more. They do have a built-in AC charger and transfer switch though (but no bluetooth). It requires a V.E. bus to USB adapter to configure it...

[@kibi15]

Well done Andy. The next stop is a Venus device and the use of VRM. Remember, you can use a cheap RaspberryPi to run the official Venus operating system if you don't want to spend money on a Venus device right now. Your pockets are probably a bit deflated at this point :)

[@jgren4048]

As far as I am concerned the unboxing is only needed if the plan is to nicely put it back the way it was, in order to return it. I just want to know what came in the box. What parts are provided, and what do I need to supply. So don’t be too mad at your wife. She is just trying to help you

[@alexandersupertramp7324]

with hair dryer does it work well? does it not increase the noise of the toroid? I saw videos where this happens ...

[@gruntspeed]

If you cannot link it. either buy a venux gx or colour gx then you can use the ve direct to connect all your devices together and have it connected to the internet for remote control, monitoring and configuring.

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

Victron is great gear. I have installed it in yachts and always works great. I am picking up 5.5kw of solar panels and rail mounts tomorrow (second hand) in anticipation of getting the MPP PIP 8048MAX which I am saving for. I would like to see if I can charge electric cars directly from the sun with no battery attached to the system.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Wow another 5.5kW, that sounds awesome! You need a specific charge controller which can supply the load without batteries. I don't think Victron can do that though. Also, I don't know what the car's charger would do if there is fluctuation power coming in all the time. Needs to be tested I guess...

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hi Andy. The MPP PIP 8048MAX handles batteryless output. I do intend to set up a 16 cell Lifepo4 battery like yours once I get the money together. How many KWh of usable energy does your pack hold? I have just arrived home with the solar panels and rails which I picked up on the Sunshine Coast. Paid just $250 for the lot so I think that is a good deal.

[@sventrebes7990]

Hi, if you would have switched the battery back off with the main switch and you would have connected the battery cables with the inverter would then the switch weld once switched on? I think loud as I want to connect my hybrid inverter within the next weeks with my battery rack. I am a little nervous if I will damage something.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

You have to precharge the inverter every time you turn it off with the switch. I only use the switch in an 'emergency' though. I'll show this in a future video.

[@fancyIOP]

I’m sorry you said the courier 🚚 left the box at the gate? Wow, that would never happen in my country. They might as well give it to anyone they bump into.

[@cncdavenz]

Keep in mind the difference between VA and Watts. Some of the loads you will be powering will have bad power factor. The Victron has conformal coating so as long as you keep the big bugs and snakes out you should be fine.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, absolutely. I did a test with a 100W light bulb and the inverter shows 80VA but really should show 100W as this is a pure resistive load.

[@longwhitecloud]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Did you measure the power consumption of the light bulb directly with a meter - they have a pretty wide tolerance, might be marked 100W, a 20% manufacturing tolerance for a cheap bulb may well be expected. And 100W is a pretty small load for the inverter, only 3% probably hard for the inverter to show small loads accurately

[@UKsystems]

most wattage rating is done considering this on the appliances

[@spiritofziana7405]

Why would you want the inverter to be connected to the VE smart network? This basically exchanges info about battery voltage and temp, and synchronises charging sources. I can not see where the inverter comes into this. On the VE network (cabled), you would get data out to Victron controls and Victron displays, but you have these data already out to your phone.

[@FutureSystem738]

Nice one Andy. LOVED your (fake) drop test 🤣, I think your humour always adds to your videos. 👍 I think you’ll need better cooling- it’ll get far too warm in the box. I know you want to keep bugs, geckos and so forth out, but all the same ventilation is very important.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks Dave 😉

[@sreekumarUSA]

HHahaha😀 like how Andy wept on Camera by spraying water!

[@FutureSystem738]

@@sreekumarUSA Andy has always been good at comedy side of things! In another life, he must have been a comedian!

[@JeremyAkersInAustin]

Hi Andy, You really should just get a GX device to control/communicate with your devices via VE.direct, VE.Bus, and/or VE.Can. The Bluetooth network is still so new that many Victron products don't support it yet. You'd also need to trade your "Smart Shunt" for the standard wired BMV (Which still offers Bluetooth as well). But if you want to do the load shedding we discussed in an earlier comment thread you'd need that anyway as the wired BMV has an additional relay that can be programmed to come on when the battery reaches a certain voltage.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yep, I know. I am looking into it for a while already. I can also program the inverter to do shedding with its relay.

[@JeremyAkersInAustin]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia True, but I thought you were going to use that relay to control the fan for your enclosure? :)

[@laurentsosson1739]

Hello I plan to have a large power to supply my home with a multi in 8000VA but can it work without the ACin being connected? just the ACout to supply my panel? for the ACin of the multi connect it from time to time to a 20A socket to recharge my battery pack in HC especially in winter on a 20A socket and restore the Energy during the day in HP? valid especially with the TEMPO EDF option which is very expensive during the day in red period, I also think of putting a source inverter in case I am absent and switch back to EDF all possible this? I would like to avoid connecting the multi directly to the subscriber circuit breaker permanently especially since in principle you have to make a request and consuel! what I would like is to be in self-consumption almost all the time without any reinjection laurent

[@guywhoknows]

Lol you corrected. Do they use va because it's 2462 watts? Personally I don't like VA as it's a mean calculation. My inverter is 1500w with 3000 peak. Well that's what the label says... However having a look at the Mosfets datasheet I'd say it was 1500w only. I've a 800w inverter which is 950watts from the data sheet of the Mosfets. Technically it's a UPS, as I have a main inverter and sub ones for essential running, also if the main one goes down I can still run;) But I want to get a bigger inverter. Mine seems to offer weak power if that makes sense... 900 watts grid to 900 watts inverted isn't the same :( I notice it on my tools.

[@1981dasimpson]

i am suprised with them doing conroller shunts inverters etc that they dont have a control head unit that can collect all information and display it to what ever device you wont as in a single screen but the info for all devices

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

They do have the GX devices which connect all devices together and also present the data on an online platform which you can connect to and control al; your devices.

[@1981dasimpson]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia oh i did not know about that not scene anything about it

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@1981dasimpsonthat's the one I'm looking for a while. www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Cerbo_GX/en/index-en.html

[@1981dasimpson]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia ok thats a game changer i was looking at electrodacus for when i go off grid again but hmmm victrom may be building the kinda system i may want i just wish they would make rack mount stuff

[@mikoserbousek4987]

Doesn't this have the physical VE.Bus connector for talking with other Victron stuff?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yeah, they all have but you need a GX device to plug this all into. The mothership so to speak... Not Ve.Bus though but Ve.direct

[@tjnak]

What about the BMS? Did you get another one. You should get a Victron BMS they’re blue 😂😆 I crack myself up. Cheers enjoying the show.

[@craigfeil8844]

Good work mate👍🏼

[@crankydavesmylfs4787]

Andy. As people have already mentioned here and I did earlier it is a 3000va inverter. Not 3000 watts. It’s 2400 watts continuous. You multiply the va by the power factor which is always under 1.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

A light bulb has factor 1, right? Shows me 80VA with a 100W bulb though.

[@crankydavesmylfs4787]

Off-Grid Garage Yes. But it’s still a 2400w inverter.

[@niko6867]

I buy last year Victron 12v 3000W Inventer

[@beaker2000]

I think you are going to need fans, input fans, and exhaust fans at the top. That is going to be hot, even at idle at 18W with no airflow in the large case. Looking good!

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yep, definitely need active cooling and airflow. Idling and small loads are fine with closed door. But it all depends on the ambient temperature as well...

[@Rottweilerdsq]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia But why keep it in the closet, it makes no sense, it is made to be in the open, just NOT to get too hot.

[@Pneumaticcannon]

You can run Venus os on a raspberry pi to tie everything together.

[@petrocellihouse]

That's what I use in my campervan. I have the Pi connected to a 4G router so I can monitor it remotely. Works really well.

[@toastiesvanbuild4644]

Love your videos keep up the good work andy

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks a ton!

[@shanebrowne2439]

Hi. Have you considered that overload you were getting may be related to DC conductor cross sectional area and length of cable. You may be experiencing lower than optimal voltages. Cheers. Keep up the the great videos. Shane

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks Shane! Absolutely. I need to cable everything correctly and will do more testing afterwards. This was just a first test to see the functionality quickly.

[@shanebrowne2439]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia you may find this calculator handy. I did some calculations for your set up 48v 250 amps and three meter run with 1% tolerance. It recommended 70mm2. I suggest that’s about right compared to my set up. Cheers Shane

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@shanebrowne2439 with the 3kW inverter, I'm pulling only 50-60A max. The battery has a 100A fuse. My cables are 'only' 35mm for that setup. I keep it easy...

[@Josh-b3c]

I have the multiplus and it has a divider between its negative and positives

[@aday1637]

You guys over there are lucky. Here in the US we have 120 volt single phase and 240 volt split phase which is of course two 120's that are 180 deg out of phase with each other. Use of 230 volt all the time make so much more sense to me. How this all started here in the US is beyond me. We have some devices that are 240 and others that are 120 volt. Such misery and confusion and with inverters doubly so. We can get split phase inverters but at a premium cost. So we have to wire our inverters to a panel and use either single breakers or 240 (2 pole) breakers. Then of course for some commercial applications there is 3 phase where the legs of current are 120 deg out of phase. All in all it's a huge inconvenience and expense. We used to have 'Y' 3 phase and delta 3 phase. I believe they've done away with Y. Then we have 440 volt and 208 volt in 3 phase. And if you tap one hot leg and a neutral in 208 you get some wacky voltage. And none of that accounts for voltage fluctuation within a particular nominal voltage. Some things you can run on lower voltage but some will burn open if you do so. Better read the labels thoroughly here.

[@sam418]

Does anyone know where the weight difference comes in? These are 19kg Renogy equivalent is 7kg Obviously there is a dramatic quality difference but the weight difference is crazy. I wouldn’t use anything but victron inverters but just interesting to know

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

The Victron inverters have huge toroidal transformers which is essential for large loads starting.

[@renewyers4699]

Hi Andy I'm in Victoria and I run a 10000 watt inverter in a enclosure mines outside and it does get a bit dusty I have several openings for it to breath,and I run 2 fans 12 volt in the summer constantly there able to be switch of or on and it's imperative u have circulation or they disconnect and stop working,my inverter weighs 48 kgs big beast it's a low frequency inverter which gives me 30000volt spike will run anything I have at home.what part in Aus are u from.cheers Rene.

[@OffGridValentin]

In Nordamerika sind 120V und 60Hz Standard, der Wechselrichter kann aber nicht bis 120V heruntergehen. In manchen Ländern wie Südkorea und teilen des Mittleren Osten sind 230V und 60Hz Standard. Dafür kann man das umstellen.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Victron sells different hardware for different markets. The frequency can be adjusted but not the voltage (in that range). I didn't know Middle East has 230V/60Hz. Crazy...

[@OffGridValentin]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Nicht nur im Mittleren Osten und Südkorea. Auch in Peru, teilen von Brasilien, Guyana und den Phillipinen sind 230V 60Hz die Netzfrequenz. Deswegen sind viele Elektrogeräte für 230V für 50 und 60Hz ausgelegt.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@OffGridValentin There you go....

[@dig1035]

You make me want a Victron! Good Victron commercial! Does Victron make an inverter/charge controller?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, they do: www.victronenergy.com/inverters-chargers

[@wideawaketotruth5301]

Well done. I appreciate it. Informative, as always! Rick from Fort Worth Texas.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thank you, Rick!

[@897aa33]

Can you run electric shower 8kw ?

[@MiniLuv-1984]

Use midge mesh on the air inputs and outputs of the inverter.

[@isaachauser521]

Say that the inverter could join the VE Smart Network, what useful purpose would there be in having the battery voltage being sent to it wirelessly when it can just measure the voltage at it's own terminals? I like the idea of having it on the VE Smart Network as well but I can't really think how it would add any value? Everything the inverter needs to know it can obtain locally, why complicate it?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It compensates for voltage drop and would know the real battery voltage measured by the Smart Shunt. Especially important at higher currents.

[@isaachauser521]

​@@OffGridGarageAustralia the voltage measured at the battery is irrelevant to the inverters operation, it doesn't matter if the voltage drop is 0.1V or 5V the inverter has no ability to change this and will compensate accordingly based on inverters input terminal voltage. I am genuinely interested to hear what you think the inverter could usefully do with the battery terminal voltage instead of at the inverter input terminals?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@isaachauser521 it does matter if the voltage drop is higher. The true battery voltage matters as the inverter could keep running longer. It gets the wrong picture of the state of the battery if it measures only at its terminals. But the inverter is smart! 😉 It has a setting called Dynamic Shutdown where it not only measures the voltage but also the current and shutd itself down according to the actual load. So higher load, it shuts down later. With this setting it somehow compensates for voltage drop between inverter and battery.

[@isaachauser521]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia it does not matter how much higher the battery voltage is compared to the inverter terminals, once the input voltage is out of the inverters operating range, the inverter will stop. The Dynamic Shutdown setting you are referring to is the unit dynamically adjusting the shutdown voltage based on load, this indeed compensates for voltage drop and sag from the battery itself, it basically just sets a series of shutdown voltages and current points and then interpolates between these values when deciding when it's time to shutdown due to low voltage. Example (200Ah LiFePo4 battery) 1A current = 52V shutdown voltage, 50A current = 50V, 140A current = 49.20V and 400A current = 48V. I understand you want it to talk VE Smart Networking but again I ask what useful thing would you like it to do?

[@mikenewman4078]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia Andy, I'm going to have to disagree. The only way to counter the effects of voltage drop is to eliminate it to the greatest extent possible. In another response I have detailed a cheap and easy way to achieve this. Where V is voltage drop, lost energy is V squared divided resistance multiplied by time or if you prefer current squared by resistance by time. For high current extra low voltage circuits resistance needs to be minimised. Keeping cable runs short and using two or more cables in parallel divides the resistance and I strongly recommend the use of Belleville washers at all high current connection points to vastly increase effective contact area. Cable lug preparation and crimping is another poorly understood issue. It is worth cleaning inside the ferrule of the lug before crimping. Oddly enough indent crimpers are the most effective for flexible cables.

[@richardtoth1273]

it would have been better to connect cables to inverter and pre charge at battery. It looked cramped to get that resistor in that space.

[@TheGalifrey]

Yeah always connect the inverter cables before the battery, then you aren't waving live cables about :D

[@brownies-midlifeadventure]

Great review mate. Well done. Thanks 🤠👍

[@dietermaes2647]

For the Communication between the devices you Need to configure the ve Network. Why did. you get a Phoenix ? And Not a multiplus ? You als Need to put your MPPT in the ve Network.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

You need a GX device for all that...

[@dietermaes2647]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia You can also Use a multiplus whitout a Gx device.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@dietermaes2647 yeah but you need a GX if you want to access your system through cloud...

[@551moley]

The easy solar comes with mppt and colour control (old models) the new version has a simplified GX, but lacks the Ac distribution of the old version. It was on the Victron KZbin channel recently!

[@pellethoresen4025]

How about cutting some sort of an opening in the door and fit a plexi glass so you can gaze at your perfect workmanship? Do i forsee you install HomeAssistand on a Rasberypi with a Bt dongle, so all your Victron Bt devices connect to the pi and you can use your tablet or phone to watch charging, current draw, tempereature`? I think you can even add your Tesla to Homeassistant so you can check the status. Would be nice to have one place where you can see everything. Just a thought-..- Keep up your Great work Andy, I do enjoy watching your videos from Norway.

[@longwhitecloud]

Yep, I think he will be cutting some sort of opening in the door, but probably for cooling, not plexiglass ;-)

[@LucodeHome]

To connect any smart victron device to each other you need to install a GX device. Or a Raspi with Venus os installed.

[@michael7544]

Hello, i think it would be best to put loops in your wires on your output, seems like there short and stretching to the active neutral and ground ports... But really appreciate your videos!!!!

[@saluuhi]

Hi there. If i have 30 solar panels and each is 100 watts, total 3000w is it suitable this inverter?

[@sam418]

This is an inverter not an MPPT

[@berko79]

Silly question, I'm a tesla noob, but is there any option to DC to DC charge the tesla to avoid inverting to AC and then back to DC (which is just a waste in conversion both ways)?

[@berko79]

Oh btw, enjoying your experiments.... love watching you work things out and discover what works and what doesnt. The other night i said to my wife.... I'm just watching these batteries discharge haha

[@yanmob8166]

It's amazing because I was researching the victron quattro and here you are posting a video on a victron inverter. How are you going to communicate the BMS with the inverter? Via Cerbo I guess but how? The cable that comes out of your BMS on which there is SW will be used? Or the RS485? Thanks for sharing your experience !

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Thanks for your comment. No communication yet to the inverter. I need to get one of the GX devices to connect everything through Ve.direct ports. I don't think I can utilise the RS485 port of the BMS to talk to Victron. The BMS would need a modified firmware to make this happen. I still haven't explored the switch function of the BMS and what it does. It's totally undocumented, so not sure how it works and how it can be programmed.

[@DavidLouthan]

The Bigfoot of inverters! Good stuff 👏

[@colinbeckitt9495]

yes - rumoured to be ... but actually isn't

[@DavidLouthan]

@@colinbeckitt9495 lol

[@ciucurflorin9749]

The price of a simple current transformer is enormous (€1,800) compared to what it offers, and the companies that offer the warranty charge you for the inspection and say that the energy measurement sensor has nothing wrong with it. Victron Phoenix Smart 48/5000VA. In the profile picture, Cerbo GX tells me that Phoenix charges with 33A in AC.

[@UKsystems]

the authorised dealer who assisted you when you purchased should be able to help

[@danielnapier4501]

Very nice , you're a very brilliant man.

[@etv4075]

Your inverter is very nice, but i think you can't charged your tesla car up to 12A coz the max output of your ve inverter is 2400w only..

[@colinbeckitt9495]

I think Victron is designed for colder countries and Andy's shed sometimes gets over 35℃ in summer so that cabinet will impinge on that 12A charge. My 48/3k MultiPlus II could only handle a constant 7A-8A on hot WA summer days and constantly overheated so I had to restrict it to just 1750 - 1850W constant output just to get it to run all day. Good luck with a 10A - 12A for Tesla charging. We all tried to tell him 48/5k was the way to go.

[@habana7638]

This converter has a capacity of 3000VA and 2400Watt continuously, many people forget the difference between VA and Watts

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I don't need to charge on 12A as I said before.

[@szevlin]

Can't you just measure the continuity between the inverter case and the PE terminal to see if its grounded? great video as always

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

I did, it's 0 Ohm.

[@andreiapostolache3487]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia can u measure ground of the solar panels and ground of the inverter and see if is there any 50 volts. I mean like the problem with the anoter inverter, the chineze one and i hawe the same problem with an voltronic vm3

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@andreiapostolache3487 yeah, I did this already and there is no voltage between AC and DC with the Victron inverter. I'll show this again in one of the next videos.

[@davegeorge7094]

Did you know you pay for 2KW to put 1KW in you battery when using the grid?

[@WimSchutten]

But it is smart. You should use the VRM Online Portal. You need another device for that. Cerbo cx or something.

[@jasondevine6014]

At least with that inverter you can connect a grid feed inverter on the output and feed additional kws of power in to charge with.

[@randylenart9674]

Just put some window screen over the vents and they make filter material you can cut to size for computer fans 😎👍🇺🇸

[@sreekumarUSA]

030521/0206h PST 🇺🇸 ....that may also not be effective. The garage also is metal enclosure and it’s closed when Andy leaves home. Looks like double Faraday Cage. Heat is what Andy needs to look into. Australian summer is quite hot, about 26.8C (80F+) and climbing. Imagine the heat inside the garage and the inverter enclosure.

[@randylenart9674]

Ya keep it outside the enclosure with screen and filters

[@millzee60]

You need to create a VE network. Then the shunt and inverter will 'talk' to one another. Not that they will have much to say.

[@isaachauser521]

that particular inverter doesn't support VE Smart Networking

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

@@isaachauser521 just Ve.direct to a GX device, I know. I was hoping it does the BT thing as well until I get a GX...

[@stupidmonkeykev]

I got the Mk3 USB to connect and program my victron inverter, rather than bluetooth. I like the fact you can program everything :) my 2000w Victron is twice the size of my giandel 3000w. The victron stuff does seem well thought out, plenty of options for various usages in the real world :) Is it not worth keeping the old inverter? Then you can use all 3000w to charge the Tesla and swap the pump to the other for when it runs. I have 2 inverters and switches to swap the loads between or all onto the Victron thats on 24/7. Ah ... you maybe clicked that later on in video "it depends how often i charge the tesla from this one" I think thats the way - leave the Victron on 24/7 for your normal loads / well pump and have the old one for just charging the Tesla :)

[@colinbeckitt9495]

I totally agree Kev, Andy should have kept the better performing Xijia inverter for the heavy work (Tesla charging) that way he has the new Victron Smart for any miscellaneous uses. The Xijia 3k would have no problem at 2800W constant charging at 12A for 5hrs or until is battery cuts out. I was impressed to see this little Victron Pheonix 3k outputing >2600W for a few minutes they must do a lot better without the MPPT built-in. My Victron MultiPlus II couldn't handle >2000W constant on hot days. I think Andy shouldn't put the Pheonix inside the little cabinet if he wants to get 2500W for hours on ens - it simply won't do it. Victron is top quality but low performing at high temp ambient.

[@Oldguydoingthings]

Hello Andy. Enjoying following your 'adventure'! I'm looking at the Victron inverter 48/3000 products also and find them a bit confusing. If you're willing to share your reasons for selecting the Phoenix model over others it would be interesting and maybe help me make a better decision. Thanks Much!

[@guy7gsa]

What did you get up setting the float and bulk/absortion voltages on the 48v-16s system

[@UKsystems]

depends on the battery specs

[@marcrismanga1283]

Where did you bought your phoenix inverter? Is there available online? Can ship to philippines. I also need 230vac output. Lots of 120vac is availble online.

[@UKsystems]

regional dealers are available if not contact the regional sales manager

[@rnishanthan1988]

Did you test over 3000 watts Or 4000 watts did it works for few min Can you charge Ev with this inverter

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Full test is coming...

[@ChetCheng]

It's looking good 👍

[@henvan8737]

Good work

[@dig1035]

Power Point is Australian for outlet?

[@Ropetangler]

A very belated yes, you are correct.

[@JD_Manufacturing]

Would that not be 1.9kw and not 19kw? Its a 2000 watt inverter

[@andrewjefferies8391]

WOW.. AMAZING FEATURE $0.25 thermal switch to turn on case fan !

[@UKsystems]

still a feature

[@Raphael_Hofmann]

As far as I know, you can create a smart network and then invite all smart devices into the smart network...

[@nealgrammertaylor7572]

I agree, at least it worked for a BMS712 and a BT Dongle for my not so smart Victron Multi inverter.

[@wernerrieber8246]

Also ich habe den 24 3000 VA, bin damit zufrieden, leistet dauerhaft 2,4 KW, habe mal 3 Stunden getestet, im Täglichen Normalbetrieb laufen aber bei mir maximal nur 1,4 KW zeitweise drüber

[@Tom111060]

... you know that 3000VA are not 3000W ... it's rated for 2400W continous load ... (a little less than your old inverter) ... therefore you got an overload warning at 2500 Watts ...

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Yes, I know VA is not equal W unless it's a resistive load.

[@Tom111060]

@@OffGridGarageAustralia ... dann is' ja gut ... (-;

[@brucebugbee6604]

I see a Victron Cerbo in your future Andy. lol

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It's close ;)

[@Catamorons]

Common misconception is it is 3000w but it is not. It is 3000va. It is 2400w at 25 Celsius internals and 1700w at 65 Celsius internals.

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Where does it say internal temperatuer?

[@dig1035]

Garage only or garage and house?

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

Garage first, testing and proofing concept. Once I figured everything out I'll connect the house as well with a larger system.

[@ochjoo77]

Ive had bad experience with Victron, they look fancy and have fancy features, But the converters i bought didnt at all do what they claimed and the service was horrendous.. they basically send you to a community forum where no one ever answered my questions. I went for something from China for 1/4 of the price that actually did what it claimed and had service that answered questions within 1h. Viel Glueck!

[@PhilippeCJR]

what did you get from china? brand type store etc? 😉

[@ochjoo77]

@@PhilippeCJR well I had the orion 12/24 20 as they advertised them as useable as battery chargers.. which turned out is maybe true for a little drone battery or something but not my use case. What I got from China is 1500w boost converters from AliExpress, I run 2 in parallel to charge my Tesla battery pack, running perfectly fine for 6 months now. The Orion's simply don't current limit, so if you run them into a Tesla pack they just go to 120amp and fry your wires or themselves, in my case just tripped the breakers immediately..but if it's say they are for charging batteries it should do so. Anyway I'm staying away from Victron, the service experience was terrible.

[@mikenewman4078]

I have a pair of Giant brand 5kva 4kw all in one units set up as parallel 230 vac. They can be set up as 460 vac centre tap or with 3 units 400 vac 3 phase. You can parallel for those connections as well. I bought them in 2015 from Aussie Batteries and Solar on the Sunny Coast. I bought them before the Lithium revolution got going. Unfortunately Aussie Batteries haven't made the step to Lithium, which is why I'm watching Andy, Will Prowse and others. At this point I'm deciding how many 280AH 48volt strings to buy. Each string will warrant a separate BMS and probably active balancer. They will replace 5 AGM 130AH strings. It would be nice to bump the output up to 245 vac to match my grid tie Kaco.

[@ochjoo77]

@@mikenewman4078 I just found the diybms here on KZbin, seems a very cost effective and also fun BMS for some crazy battery setups..like how open it is, should be super easy to integrate into something like home assistant. Also can deal with a ton of cells and has pretty good balancing current. Might be worth a look if you like tinkering.

[@UKsystems]

ther authorised dealers and engineers offer regional support they don't as they have a language barrier contact the dealer you used

[@Stoic-of-Rome]

I think plastic housings are better to place units. Steel will kill the wireless device signal. Also heat up like ovens!!

[@ebenwaterman5858]

What! You didn't open the inverter for a peek inside? :)

[@OffGridGarageAustralia]

It has 5 years warranty ;)