09/10/2025
Just because you can buy something at the click of a button, doesn't mean it's easy to use...
We're seeing this issue more and more lately. People seem to be under the impression that because a product can be purchased online, and they saw a YouTuber say "it takes 5 seconds to wire up", that they can set it up too... This is very often not the case!
While Victron is where we see the most common problems, we also see issues with Enerdrive, Renogy, and likely soon with Redarc now they they have some programmable models in their product line. This is not a slight against the brands, most of these work just fine, but they require KNOWLEDGE, not just about how to screw them to a board and wire them up, but how to properly program them so they work as the system is supposed to.
This knowledge isn't something that most people can pick up from watching a few videos, or even reading the manual, and it's the reason Victron and some other brands do training days for their dealers and installers, they are complex systems.
We recently had a customer contact us with a system playing up, and when we drilled down into some settings, there were 3 different voltage settings for his 3 different chargers. The line "I set it to Lithium" was mentioned as if it would magically set everything correctly, it does not do that. Some of the settings were simply maxed out, like the Multiplus being set to 120A and 14.6v, which will almost always cause a battery disconnect event to occur.
Vehicles, Doctors, Electricians, Builders and more all require specific training and an appropriate licence to perform those tasks, and this is because it's not a simple thing, and there are risks to oneself and others if done wrong.
If you're a DIY'er, be prepared to spend countless hours, days, weeks or more researching and correcting things that you didn't know to start with. And be prepared to take on personal liability and ownership if something fails due to a mistake or lack of knowledge. Remember that a simple wrong setting could create damage to other items, and that may not be covered under the item warranty.
If you're not 100% sure about how to do something, just get it done professionally and save the risk. We have a good network of installers who can provide the sort of service to design and install a system to suit your needs, and provide ongoing support when you need it.
https://powerpaul.com.au/stockists-and-installers-directory/
