Blog Home

Its a bit confusing that there are three different types of Victron 24 volt Lithium batteries and this article attempts to explain the difference between them.

I spend so much of my time answering questions about Lithium Batteries that I decided to put some of the most common questions here for all to see. This is an ongoing project so check back again to see more. I apologize for the randomness of it but when I have enough written I will try to sort them by category

This is a link to two detailed articles that appered in the online magazine Truck Camper Adventure. Written by PKYS customer Pat Davitt they detail the ultimate electrical system he constructed for his Truck Camper Rig. He went with a pair of 24 Volt Victron HE Lithium batteries to make a system that runs on 48 volts. The articles give detailed wiring diagrams and specifications as well as background on why he selected the items he did.

This is a sample labout prepared for a catamaran with a 24 volt electrical system.

The United States Coast Guard recently issued an alert regarding the potential for Electro Magnetic Interference between some LED lighting products and vital communication devices like VHF radios and Automatic Identification Systems.

The panel is a Canadian Solar 300watt mono-Si PERC. The van is a Sprinter 170. The batteries are Victron Smart LiFePO4 200 Amp Hour Lithium Iron Phosphate. The Inverter is a Victron Multiplus

The Victron Energy Autotransformer is the one item we sell that causes the most confusion. Read about how it gets used in a US 120/240 volt system here

Camper van and RV electrical systems comprise charging from the engine, shore power and solar panels. From these sources we can charge batteries or power AC and DC systems directly allowing for extended time off grid and away from shore power.

As many of you know, on November 10, 2018, a fire broke out at the Blue Sea Systems Bellingham, WA facility resulting in a total loss of the building including the production area, office space, product, assembly fixtures and test equipment. Since then, a lot of work has been done to aid in the recovery plan. Read an update of the progress that has been made.

Galvanic isolators are a bit difficult to test.  Current ABYC standards require that galvanic isolators be self testing.  For testing older isolators without this feature there are a number of methods that can be used, the one that follows is one that I found most useful.

Arguably, there is no more worthwhile electrical project you can undertake on your boat to improve comfort and convenience than the installation of a high power alternator.  Having a high power alternator will provide you with a substantial improvement in the availability of electrical power on board. 

Amp hour meters do a great job at assisting the boat owner with battery management.  They provide an accurate reading of voltage and of amps going in and out of the batteries and by keeping track of these readings over time they can provide a reading of "amp hours" or the state of charge of the battery as a percentage.  They also often maintain a record of historical data and can use that to figure out battery efficiency.

For most people to answer to this is "as big as possible".  Charlie Wing's book the "Boatowners Illustrated handbook of Wiring"  has a very good explanation of how to calculate the capacity you need. The calculations start by working out what your daily load will be both at anchor and while underway.

There may be some disadvantages to hooking up batteries in parallel but there are also considerable advantages. The main disadvantage as I see it is that as the batteries get old one will fail first, quite often by getting a shorted cell.

The simplest way, if you can remember to do it, is to turn your battery switch to "BOTH" when charging, and turn it back to 1 or 2 when you are finished.  This solution is unsatisfactory for those who sometimes forget and then end up with a flat battery from time to time.

Victron Energy offers a suite of equipment for use with their own brand of Lithium Ion batteries. Can that same equipment be used with other brands of batteries? See here what works and what doesnt.......

This Blog post explains why you might want to update the Firmware in your MultiPlus or Quattro and how to go about it

A new Victron forum has been launched – it’s called Victron Community. You can use it for your questions, as well as for helping other people.

This key might be helpful to identify the output terminals on your alternator

This is a collection of photos of an extreme RV that caught our eye

Victron recently released firmware update v1.37 for their SmartSolar Chargers. This fix is especially important for all 150V and 250V SmartSolar Charger models. The BlueSolar Charger range is not affected. The new v1.37 firmware fixes a problem that can, in certain cases, cause the device to fail.

The latest version of the Victron Connect App has a firmware update for Victron Smart Lithium Ion batteries that allows you to set their low temperature "allow to charge" parameters.

The terms Watts and VA are often used interchangeably when referring to inverter specifications, but are they the same?

The Victron Venus GX or Color Control GX will be able to provide a seamless plug and play integration with many models of Raymarine, Garmin and Navico MFD's starting in 2019