Victron VE.Bus Configuration Guide

10.4. Charger
10.4.1. Enable charger
The inverter and assist functions of the Multi will continue to operate, but it will no longer charge; the charging current is therefore
zero!
100% self-consumption by disabling the charge functionality of the Multi It can be quite expensive to charge the batteries from the
grid. Lead-acid batteries have a low charge efficiency. About 20% of the energy used to charge the batteries is lost in the form of
heat. Some installers therefore prefer to disable the charger functionality of the Multi.
When the charger functionality is disabled and the Multi is accepting the grid, it will supply the loads with grid power, but will not
charge the batteries. The batteries will only receive charge from the MPPT charge controllers. In this type of system it is very
important to have a large enough solar array. It is also important that the Ignore AC battery voltage settings are set higher than
you would do normally. This is to make sure that the battery has some extra charge left should there be a blackout.
Incorrect system design can cause battery damage. Disabling the charger is only recommended in systems
that have excess solar power. If the batteries get empty during the night, the system cannot be recovered
unless you connect an external battery charger.
10.4.2. Charge current
Use this setting to specify the current with which the battery is charged during the bulk phase. Note that the actual charge current
depends on other conditions also. Therefore it is possible that the actual charge current is lower than this setting. This can,
among others, be due to a low AC input current limit in combination with a high load; high environmental temperature; too high
ripple voltage due to improper cabling. For lead batteries, the charging current should be approximately 10 to 20% of the battery
capacity. Also keep in mind the DC consumption that is expected in the system.
VictronConnect - VE.Bus Configuration guide
Page 14 Description of Settings