DC load seems wrong on Ekrano

Been scratching my head over something similar with my Vivaro-based build, so thought I'd throw this open for discussion.

My setup runs a Multiplus-II as the main inverter/charger, with DC input coming from three sources: a Renogy 400W rooftop solar array, a Fogstar 200Ah lithium bank, and occasionally a DC-DC charger off the engine alternator. All monitored through a Cerbo GX with an Ekrano touchscreen.

The issue I keep noticing is that the DC loads figure on the Ekrano feels wrong — sometimes showing consumption that's higher than what I'd expect when I've physically unplugged most kit and cross-referenced against a clamp meter. It's not wildly off, but enough to make me question whether my system design is actually working as efficiently as I think.

From what I can gather, the Victron system calculates DC loads rather than measuring them directly — it's essentially:

DC Load = (Solar MPPT output + DC charger input) − Battery charge/discharge − Inverter DC draw

So any small inaccuracies in shunt calibration or rounding across multiple inputs can compound pretty quickly.

A few things I'm looking at:

• Shunt placement and whether parasitic draws are upstream or downstream
• Whether the SmartShunt is properly set as the only current measurement point
• Firmware versions across all devices (mismatched firmware has caused me weird readings before)

Has anyone else seen this with multiple DC charging sources? Curious whether adding a hydrogenerator-style input (or anything not directly monitored by a dedicated MPPT) makes the calculation drift more noticeably.

Would love to hear how others have

@VivaroWanderer the DC load figure on the Ekrano (and in VRM) is calculated, not measured directly — it's basically watts in minus watts out from the Multiplus's perspective, so any DC loads not going through a Victron shunt will skew it.

Classic culprit is a DC-DC charger or fridge wired directly to the battery. If the BMV-712 or SmartShunt isn't seeing all your DC consumption, the maths goes wonky.

Quick check — does your DC load figure go negative sometimes? That's usually the giveaway.

Worth making sure everything passes through the shunt, or at minimum that you've got the system configured correctly in VEConfigure so Victron knows what's monitored and what isn't.

@BirchLover has covered the calculation side well. One thing worth adding — if you've got any DC-DC converters or a Cerbo-connected MPPT in the mix, make sure they're properly associated in the VRM device list. I had a similar head-scratcher on my own van build where an Orion DC-DC was pulling current that wasn't being attributed correctly, which threw the calculated DC load figure right off.

Also worth checking your battery shunt placement — if anything is drawing current from a point between the shunt and the battery terminals rather than through it, those loads will appear as phantom DC consumption. A quick sanity check with a clamp meter on your main DC feeds usually settles the mystery pretty quickly. What else have you got connected on the DC side, @VivaroWanderer?

@BirchLover @RockySailor — decent points both. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: shunt placement matters enormously here. If your SmartShunt or BMV isn't sitting on the negative bus with everything running through it, the calculation's going to be garbage from the start. Had exactly this on my boat build — fridge was bypassing the shunt entirely and the DC load figure was reading nonsense for weeks before I traced it.

Also worth checking your Multiplus-II settings in VEConfigure — specifically whether DC system voltage/current is enabled correctly. Easy to overlook during initial setup.

What's your actual shunt setup? That'd narrow it down pretty quickly.

@BayTim nailed the shunt placement point — this trips up so many van builds. I had exactly this on my narrowboat where I'd initially positioned my SmartShunt after the DC-DC Orion-Tr rather than on the battery negative. The Ekrano was showing phantom loads that didn't exist, because the Orion's draw wasn't being attributed correctly in the calculation chain.

Worth also checking whether your Multiplus-II's assistant configuration is correctly set for your DC system voltage — an incorrectly calibrated battery voltage offset can skew the arithmetic considerably, since the DC load figure is essentially:

DC Load = (Solar + Shore/Alternator input) - (Battery charge/discharge) - (AC output converted to DC)

Any inaccuracy compounds. If you're running a Cerbo GX rather than relying solely on the Ekrano's local data, cross-referencing VRM's detailed logs often helps isolate exactly where the discrepancy originates.