Anyone else had grief with a Victron Multiplus 2 tripping on overload when running a basic induction hob?

Picked up a Multiplus 2 24/3000/70 back in the spring and overall it's been brilliant, but I keep hitting a wall whenever I try to use our cheap Cookology single induction hob (rated 2000W). The inverter trips out within a minute or two every time I push it past the 1500W setting on the hob, even though in theory the 3000VA unit should have plenty of headroom. Battery bank is 2 x 200Ah 24V lithium (Fogstar Drift cells), so I don't think it's a low voltage issue pulling it down.

I've had a look through VictronConnect and the assistant settings, and I notice the overload warning kicks in around 2800W on the display before it shuts off. From what I've read, induction hobs can have a fairly spiky inrush current even though the steady-state draw is manageable — is that what's catching me out here? I've not got a clamp meter with a peak-hold function so I can't actually verify what's happening in that first fraction of a second.

Has anyone dialled in the PowerControl or dynamic current limiter settings to deal with this, or is it more a case of the 3000VA unit just not being quite beefy enough for a 2000W induction hob in real-world use? Wondering whether the Multiplus 2 48/3000 would behave any differently at the higher voltage, or if I should just be looking at a 5000VA unit. Any experience gratefully received.

Hey @OwenYoung83, classic inrush current issue this one. Induction hobs are notorious for pulling 3-4x their rated wattage for a split second on startup, so your 2000W hob could be demanding 6000W+ briefly even though the Multiplus 2 24/3000 should handle it in theory.

Few things worth checking - what's your battery bank like? If your cells can't deliver the current fast enough, the inverter will trip before it even gets going. Also worth digging into the VE.Configure settings and looking at the overload trip delay - you can sometimes tweak the sensitivity there.

Some folk have luck starting the hob on its lowest power setting rather than cranking it straight up. Makes a surprising difference.

What batteries are you running and how long are your cable runs from the bank? That'll help narrow it down.

@Lee1968 has the inrush angle covered, but worth noting something specific to the 24V Multiplus 2 3000: at 24V your battery-side current during that inrush spike is enormous — we're talking potentially 300-400A instantaneously if your cable run or BMS isn't up to it. The inverter's overload protection trips before the hob's internal soft-start logic can ramp down.

Two things that actually helped on my cabin setup:

1. Pre-loading the inverter — turn on a small resistive load (a lamp, anything) before hitting the hob. Keeps the inverter "awake" with some real load.
2. Check your Low Battery Shutdown voltage in VictronConnect — if it's set aggressively, a momentary voltage sag during inrush can false-trigger a low-voltage trip rather than a true overload.

What's your battery configuration? LiFePO4 with a BMS, or AGM? That changes the diagnosis considerably.

@CarolWatson replied:

Good shout from @Lee1968 and @Paddy there. One thing I'd add — have you checked your PowerAssist settings in VE.Config? If you've got the input current limit set conservatively (common if you're also connected to a small generator or shore power), the Multiplus can trip before it even gets a chance to handle the inrush properly.

Also worth trying the hob on a lower power setting first to let it initialise, then ramping up. Some Cookology units are particularly aggressive at startup when set to maximum from cold.

Finally, double-check your battery cables and connections — any resistance at 24V means voltage sag under load is amplified compared to a 48V system, which can trigger low-voltage protection. Thicker cables than you think you need are almost always worth it! 😄

@Trigger63 replied:

Good points from everyone above. Just to add something nobody's mentioned yet — check what power level you're actually running the hob at. A lot of people assume 2000W rated means it draws 2000W constantly, but induction hobs often have a nasty spike right at startup regardless of the selected power level. Try starting it at a lower setting (say 60-70%) rather than full blast, then ramping up once it's running. Some hobs are far better behaved when you don't hit max power straight away.

Also worth checking your DC cable sizing and connections between batteries and the Multiplus. Undersized cables or a dodgy terminal can cause voltage sag under load, which the inverter interprets as an overload situation even when technically it isn't. A bad connection is surprisingly often the culprit when everything else looks fine on paper.

Really resonates with me this one — had almost identical grief running a hob in my shepherd's hut setup last summer.

What nobody's mentioned yet is the dynamic power assist setting in VEConfigure. If you've got any shore power or generator input connected, even occasionally, Victron's PowerAssist can behave oddly and actually interfere with how the inverter handles sudden load spikes rather than help.

Also worth checking your DC cable sizing from the batteries to the Multiplus. I was running marginally undersized cable and the voltage sag under inrush was enough to trigger low-voltage protection before the overload even became the issue. Switched to proper 70mm² cable and the problem largely disappeared before I'd touched a single setting.

Sometimes it's not the inverter at all — it's what's feeding it.