Multiplus II und Quattro als reines Ladegerät

Been scratching my head over this one for a while now and wondering if anyone else has run into the same confusion.

I've got a Victron Multiplus II in my static caravan setup, paired with a Cerbo GX and a couple of SmartSolar MPPTs handling the main PV work. The MPPTs are doing the bulk of the battery charging during daylight, which is all fine and dandy.

My question is around using the Multiplus II purely as a charger — so just pulling from shore power or a generator to top up — without it inverting at all. Is that actually possible to configure cleanly, or does the Multiplus II always want to be "in the loop" in a way that causes conflicts with the MPPT charge controllers?

Specifically I'm worried about:

• Charge current conflicts — does the Cerbo GX properly coordinate between the MPPTs and the Multiplus II charger function, or do they end up fighting each other?
• ESS vs non-ESS — does it matter which mode I'm running? I'm not on ESS currently, just a straightforward off-grid setup
• VE.Bus vs shared voltage sensing — does the Multiplus II defer to the MPPT charge profile settings, or does it insist on its own?

I've had a poke around VictronConnect and VEConfigure but I'm going in circles a bit. Feels like there's a gap between what the documentation says and what actually happens in practice.

Anyone running a similar arrangement — Multiplus II alongside MPPTs, Cerbo coordinating the lot — who can shed some light on how you've configured it?

Hey @PanelPaula! Great setup you've got there. Just to flag - the thread title's in German so I'm guessing you've maybe copy-pasted from the Victron community forum? 😄

Anyway, to your actual question - yes, you can absolutely run a Multiplus II as a pure charger without it inverting. In VictronConnect or via the VEConfigure tool, there's an option to disable the inverter function entirely whilst keeping the charger active. Really handy if you're on hookup at a site and just want to top up your batteries without the inverter kicking in unnecessarily.

With your Cerbo GX you've got even more flexibility through the GX Touch or Remote Console to manage charging profiles. What battery chemistry are you running? That might affect which settings make most sense for your situation. Happy to help narrow it down!

@PanelPaula the thread title aside, this is a question I've gone through myself with my static caravan setup.

The Multiplus II can absolutely run as a pure charger — you just need to set the inverter output to "off" via VictronConnect or the Cerbo GX. Under the ESS assistant or in standalone mode, you can configure it so it only charges the battery without inverting.

A few things worth checking:

• Input current limit — set this correctly for your hookup supply
• Charge current — configure via the Battery menu to suit your bank
• AC-out load — make sure nothing critical is dropping off when you disable the inverter side

On a Cerbo GX you can toggle this remotely which is handy. Were you trying to do this for a specific reason — grid-tied charging only, or something else? That might affect which approach suits you best.

Hey @PanelPaula, good question! To add to what @BlownFuse is getting at - yes, the Multiplus II can absolutely function as a pure charger without inverting. If you're connected to shore power and just want it to charge your batteries without the inverter side doing anything, you can disable the inverter via VE.Configure or through the Cerbo GX directly in the remote console.

There's a "charger only" mode that's really handy for static setups where you're not necessarily needing the inverter running constantly. Keeps things simpler and reduces any potential interference with sensitive equipment too.

Your Cerbo GX makes this dead easy to toggle as needed. Worth having a poke around in the ESS settings as well depending on how your system's configured - that'll give you finer control over the whole charging behaviour.

Worth noting that if you're running it as a pure charger, you can just disable the inverter function in VE.Config — job done, no faff, and it won't accidentally backfeed anything when you don't want it to. 🔌

Good shout from @SamFrost on disabling the inverter in VE.Config — one thing worth adding though: if you've got the Cerbo GX in the mix, you can also set a charge current limit remotely via the VRM portal without touching VE.Config at all. Handy if you're tweaking things on the fly.

Also worth checking your shore power input current limit is set correctly so you're not tripping the site's supply — static caravan parks can be fussy about that. Done this on my garden office setup and it makes a big difference.

If you're only ever charging (no inverting needed), also double-check your charger profile matches your battery chemistry — easy to overlook when the unit's primarily marketed as an inverter/charger combo.