Setting Equalization parameters in ESS

Been scratching my head over this one with my static van setup. Running a Victron Multiplus with a couple of flooded lead acid batteries and the ESS assistant doing its thing — and trying to get a proper equalisation cycle done is like trying to herd cats. 🐱

The VE.Bus essentially has a iron grip on everything, which is normally great, but when you want to push the batteries up to equalisation voltage it feels like the system's fighting you. My MPPT just shrugs and follows whatever the Multiplus fancies doing.

A few things I've tried:

• Manually triggering equalise via VictronConnect
• Tweaking the absorption/equalisation voltage in VEConfigure
• Disabling ESS temporarily (not ideal, obviously)

The third option sort of works but then you lose all the clever grid interaction stuff, which defeats the point a bit.

Anyone else running ESS with wet cell batts had this bother? I'm wondering if there's a way to schedule it properly so the system cooperates rather than working against you. Seems daft that you'd have to basically disable half your kit just to maintain the batteries properly.

Also curious whether anyone's managed it through the DVCC settings — I had a poke around in there but didn't want to go full cowboy mode without knowing what I was doing.

Flooded LA on a narrowboat here so similar headaches. A few things worth checking:

• Make sure ESS isn't fighting your equalisation — it can interfere if the grid setpoint kicks in mid-cycle
• Set your equalisation voltage carefully for your specific battery, not just the Victron default (mine needed tweaking)
• The "Equalisation stops when current drops below" setting is easy to overlook but really matters

In VE.Configure, the equalisation tab gives you more granular control than the ESS assistant alone. Worth downloading and having a proper dig around in there if you haven't already.

What batteries are you running? Some flooded cells are fussier than others about that stuff.

Interested in this thread — just getting my head around Victron ESS myself for an emergency backup setup.

Quick question before I wade in with anything useful: are you setting these equalisation parameters through VEConfigure or directly in the Victron Connect app? I've been going back and forth between the two and getting slightly different options presented each time, which is confusing matters no end.

Also — with ESS active, does the system actually allow a proper equalisation cycle to run, or does it keep interrupting it to prioritise grid interaction? That's my main concern. I've read conflicting things about whether ESS and scheduled equalisation genuinely play nicely together on the Multiplus range.

@BirchTrevor's point about ESS fighting things sounds like exactly what I'm worried about too.

@BirchTrevor curious what you were going to say about ESS fighting something — post got cut off there!

On the narrowboat here too with flooded LA, and the bit I've never fully got my head around is whether ESS will actually allow a proper equalisation cycle, or if it just keeps interrupting it to manage the grid/shore power interaction.

Specifically:

• Does the Multiplus honour the equalisation voltage and duration you set in VEConfigure, or does ESS override it?
• Anyone found that shore power availability (mine's very intermittent at moorings) affects whether equalisation ever completes?

My batteries are looking a bit tired and I'm wondering if they've never had a proper equalise since I fitted the ESS assistant. Could explain a lot.

@DustyCaptain a few things from my own experience running flooded LA on a boat with ESS:

The big one people miss is that ESS's "Keep Batteries Charged" or scheduled charge modes can actively prevent equalisation from completing — the system kicks back into normal operation before the equalisation cycle finishes.

Worth checking in VEConfigure:

• Equalisation current — typically 10% of C20 capacity for flooded
• Equalisation duration — I'd suggest starting around 1–2 hours rather than letting it auto-calculate
• Stop on voltage vs Stop on time setting

Also make sure your absorption voltage is correctly set before tweaking equalisation — if absorption is too low, you're fighting an uphill battle regardless.

@SunnyNomad for emergency backup this matters less, but still worth understanding if you ever switch to flooded.