Upgrade to Victron Multiplus 2000 Inverter: Benefits of Doing So?

[BogeyPro]

Hello,

I currently have the stock 1000W pure sine wave inverter. If I were to upgrade to the Victron Multiplus 2000 inverter, how would I benefit?

Thank you very much for your valuable feedback.

Dorsey

[Tyler2you]

A few benefits I can think of:

- Capacity for larger appliances
- Power Assist functionality will supplement shore power with battery power in cases where shore power capacity is marginal
- You can get rid of your converter since the functionality is incorporated in the Victron unit (whether or not that's a benefit could be questionable since it creates a single point of failure?)

[AKNate]

Simply replacing the inverter wouldn’t especially be worth it unless you do some rewiring. The stock inverter doesn’t feed useful outlets like the microwave or countertop ones. You don’t need more power for the existing inverter outlets.
If however you rewire things you can power all your outlets and be able to run anything you want, depending on your batteries. The 2000 will easily power your microwave or anything you can plug into a 15A receptacle.

[BogeyPro]

Originally Posted by AKNate

Simply replacing the inverter wouldn’t especially be worth it unless you do some rewiring. The stock inverter doesn’t feed useful outlets like the microwave or countertop ones. You don’t need more power for the existing inverter outlets.
If however you rewire things you can power all your outlets and be able to run anything you want, depending on your batteries. The 2000 will easily power your microwave or anything you can plug into a 15A receptacle.

Ah Ha! I totally forgot about this...the fact that in my AS Globetrotter, there are only two inverter outlets...in the most inconvenient places..one in the bedroom that the TV is plugged into...and the other is next to the Fusion Sound System in the cabinet above the dinette.

So the gain is marginal at best. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

[DaHealey]

Replacing the existing inverter with a Multiplus isn’t really a simple operation. The Multiplus is both an inverter (DC to AC) AND a converter (AC to DC). As others have said you really need to rewire the full trailer to get the full benefits of the Multiplus, but as many have shown, if you do this, they’re great pieces of hardware.

If you only want more power out of your inverter, Victron makes dedicated inverters with 2000 or 3000W.

[AlIslander]

I mean, it's a little involved but it's not a complete rewire job. If installed, you could simply send shore power directly to the multiplus, then back to the circuit breaker panel. That way all of your outlets will have power when inverting from the batteries. You'd have to connect your battery bank to the multiplus and remove or disconnect your oem converter. I don't personally think it's work the effort unless you have a few hundred amp hours or more of batteries on board to benefit from its features. But if you do it's totally worth it, especially for power assist.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by AlIslander

I mean, it's a little involved but it's not a complete rewire job. If installed, you could simply send shore power directly to the multiplus, then back to the circuit breaker panel. That way all of your outlets will have power when inverting from the batteries. You'd have to connect your battery bank to the multiplus and remove or disconnect your oem converter. I don't personally think it's work the effort unless you have a few hundred amp hours or more of batteries on board to benefit from its features. But if you do it's totally worth it, especially for power assist.

True, but it's a little more complicated in practical terms. And unless there is enough battery capacity to run the a/c unit, it needs to have a dedicated line run to the Victron so that it runs on shore power only. Otherwise if shore power is lost while running the a/c the inverter will attempt to power it and quickly deplete the batteries and shut down.

I installed one of these in a motorhome, and while it didn't require a full & complete rewiring job, it did require quite a bit of work running new feed lines to/from the circuit breaker panel and to/from the batteries, as well require the installation of a sub-panel for the circuits which I didn't want running on the inverter such as the a/c and electric water heater element.

[Air2Dream]

I think a 2000 watt investor makes a lot of sense. it would allow all 15 amp circuits to be powered including the microwave. Installing a 3000 watt unit would allow a person to power their AC but you would need a massive battery/solar system to run it for any length of time. The same could be said about plugging any heat device including operating the convection/microwave oven on convection. If it is AC that is required a generator would make more sense. However being able to plug your devices into any circuit, or using the microwave for 1 minute to heat up a muffin for your morning coffee is a nice touch.

I have wondered why Airstream only installs 1000 watt unit. A 2000 watt unit makes more sense.

[daleyocum]

I installed the 3000 watt multiplus and would never look back. That allows you, as others have said, to just install it in line with the external power input. Basically the whole trailer thinks it is running from shore power. The Multiplus takes care of switching from shore to battery.

At 3000watts, the standard 6ga battery cabling isn’t sufficient so that needs to be rewired with heavier wire. I used 02. Most people do this as part of a lithium upgrade moving the batteries inside.

This makes a world of difference to living in the trailer off grid. Every outlet is hot.

Here’s a picture of the electrical system under our twin bed in a 25’

[BogeyPro]

Originally Posted by Big Enough

I think a 2000 watt investor makes a lot of sense. it would allow all 15 amp circuits to be powered including the microwave.

Hello, Big Enough. When you say "all 15 amp circuits" is that another way of saying it will power ONLY the 120 volt receptacles, i.e. the three ones labeled as "inverter circuit" ?

[uncle_bob]

Hi

How much time do you want to invest?

What you get with your Multi:

1) A brand new converter / charger that is way better than the stock unit

2) A new inverter that puts out 2X what the stock unit does (and has some nicer features)

3) A transfer switch so you don't have to fiddle with plugging into "inverter output only" outlets. Some trailers have those, others do not.

The price for the 2,000 or 3,000 is near the same. Size wise, the 2000 may be a bit easier to fit in. If you have enough battery, they both can power a lot of this or that. Without a *LOT* of battery, forget about running the A/C.

Wiring the multi to replace the converter is a simple afternoon sort of thing.

Wiring it to replace the inverter can be simple if it's a straight swap. If you want to add things, you'll spend a weekend. The Multi can go either way, it's just your time that's involved.

Adding more batteries and cabling all that up can be a bit involved. It very much depends on just where the batteries get installed.

With the existing wiring, you are good for 1KW from the batteries to the inverter. Adding more cable also is a bit involved. A lot depends on just how you run it. Could be a weekend, could be more.

You will need a control of some sort of the Multi. Installing that is an hour at most.

Programming all the functions on the Multi gets you playing with a dongle attached to your computer. It's pretty easy once you get just the right sequence of "this is off, that is off, turn this on, dongle connects".

Is it worth doing? How much time do you have?

Bob

[BogeyPro]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Is it worth doing? How much time do you have?

Bob

Thanks, Uncle Bob. I plan on getting this installed by a professional, so it's really how much money do I have (

Excellent feedback here. I just want to confirm the benefits, as so many have listed here.

[Air2Dream]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

Hello, Big Enough. When you say "all 15 amp circuits" is that another way of saying it will power ONLY the 120 volt receptacles, i.e. the three ones labeled as "inverter circuit" ?

The following picture shows the 15 amp circuits in a 23 foot FB trailer. Their are more than just the inverter circuit receptacles.

[Life is a Highway]

You would soon wish for a 3000 not much more money however a single 270 Game-changer or 300 amps of lithium needed to enjoy it 500-800 amps to love it.

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

Hello,

I currently have the stock 1000W pure sine wave inverter. If I were to upgrade to the Victron Multiplus 2000 inverter, how would I benefit?

Thank you very much for your valuable feedback.

Dorsey

[Life is a Highway]

Coming soon, coming soon

Originally Posted by Big Enough

I think a 2000 watt investor makes a lot of sense. it would allow all 15 amp circuits to be powered including the microwave. Installing a 3000 watt unit would allow a person to power their AC but you would need a massive battery/solar system to run it for any length of time. The same could be said about plugging any heat device including operating the convection/microwave oven on convection. If it is AC that is required a generator would make more sense. However being able to plug your devices into any circuit, or using the microwave for 1 minute to heat up a muffin for your morning coffee is a nice touch.

I have wondered why Airstream only installs 1000 watt unit. A 2000 watt unit makes more sense.

[s1000pre]

I’m not sure what your goals are. I was going to install a MP3000 until realizing the size, weight, and possible cooling issues. All I was looking for was a way to power my microwave/convection, kitchen and bath outlets off an inverter. Progressive Dynamics recommended their 1,800 watt inverter. It’s enough power to run either a coffee maker, hair dryer, convection microwave, Vitamix, etc. without needing to rewire the circuits. If you run an appliance that draws more than 1,800 watts, you need to rewire the circuit with 12awg. I don't even know how I would begin rewiring the outlets behind the walls.
Installation I installed the 1,800 over a year ago and has worked flawlessly. I installed it across from my existing inverter up front allowing for short (+ & -) connections to the batteries. I then ran (2) 14awg inside the belly (under the floor) back to the microwave circuit. One for the incoming shore power, and the outgoing back to the circuit. I then traced and tied in my bath and galley outlets to the same circuit.
Limitation regardless of being on shore power or inverted, you can only run one appliance at a time on that circuit.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

Thanks, Uncle Bob. I plan on getting this installed by a professional, so it's really how much money do I have (

Excellent feedback here. I just want to confirm the benefits, as so many have listed here.

Hi

If you are going to have a pro do the work, far better to ask them which unit they would suggest putting in and how they would do it. Handing them a bundle of this or that is usually not the best approach.

What they likely will tell you:

Put in bigger batteries than the stock lead acids (if you haven't already). Do that along with the Multi. A pair of 100AH lithiums is about the minimum. A set of 4 would make more sense.

Re-wire things so that the inverter will feed the microwave and a couple more outlets. Keep it separate from the fridge, furnace, and A/C.

No, that's not the low cost approach for "just the Multi". It's what you are likely to do eventually. If you are using a pro to do it, *far* cheaper to get it all done at once than in multiple passes.

Bob

[Kvsterling]

The multi 3000 has (2) 120v outputs. One for inverting and 1 pass through

This allows keeping air con and fridge separate from inverted outlets. That is how we have ours wired so the batteries will not be called on to power the air conditioner or fridge

[waninae39]

as well Victron products talk to each other an allow monitoring on mobile devices and through a web browser

check out their youtube page and you can see how it works

[BogeyPro]

Originally Posted by s1000pre

I’m not sure what your goals are. I was going to install a MP3000 until realizing the size, weight, and possible cooling issues. All I was looking for was a way to power my microwave/convection, kitchen and bath outlets off an inverter.

I want to run a space heater in the bedroom during cold nights. Why? Because the propane/furnace option is not efficient. That option heats up the entire AS, you can't isolate it to the bedroom...and it burning all that propane.

With the space heater, just pull over the curtains and keep the heat in that side (also the bathroom...open the door for that)

Fortunately, I have that one inverter circuit in the bedroom where I could use to plug in the space heater.

Sure, it would be nice to have on-demand microwave. I don't have any pressing need for a hair dryer either. Besides, I do have the F-150 Powerboost I could plug into.

So yeah, just the inverter upgrade (2000 watts) and use the existing inverter receptacles.

You guys are the best, so much good information found on here....the deep well of AS wisdom, right here!