Mastering Victron Inverter Control on Home Assistant

In our previous posts, we’ve discussed various aspects of power management on a sailboat. Today, we’re diving deep into how we control our Victron Quattro inverter/charger using Home Assistant. This setup allows for easy Inverter and Charger control and seamless integration with our other boat systems.

The Challenge: Simplifying Complex Power Management

The Victron Quattro is a powerful and versatile device, capable of operating in multiple modes. However, directly interfacing with these modes isn’t super easy, especially when you want to integrate it with other home automation tasks. Our solution? Use simple on/off toggles in Home Assistant to control the Quattro’s mode.

So first thing first, install the Victron Integration from HACS and connect it to your CCGX/Cerbo/Ekrano

The Solution: Smart Synchronization

We’ve created an automation in Home Assistant that synchronizes two input booleans with the Victron VE.Bus mode. Here’s how it works:

• input_boolean.onduleur: Controls the inverter functionality
• input_boolean.chargeur: Controls the charger functionality

These booleans correspond to the following Victron modes:

The Automation Explained

Our automation, named “[Victron] Sync Ondul-Chargeur”, does two main things:

1. Updates the input booleans when the Victron VE.Bus mode changes
2. Changes the Victron VE.Bus mode when we toggle the input booleans

This two-way synchronization ensures that our Home Assistant interface always reflects the actual state of the Quattro, and allows us to control the Quattro using simple on/off switches.

Practical Applications

This setup offers several advantages:

• Simplified Control: Instead of using the preset modes, or the Ekrano, we can control our power system with simple on/off toggles.
• Integration with Other Systems: We can easily incorporate power management into other automations. For example, we could automatically switch to inverter mode when solar production is high.
• Remote Management: Through Home Assistant’s remote access features, we can monitor and control our power system from anywhere.
• Intuitive Interface: The boolean toggles provide an intuitive interface that anyone on board can understand and use.

The Code Behind the Magic

For those interested in the technical details, here’s a my franken-automation:

alias: "[Victron] Sync Ondul-Chargeur"
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id:
      - input_boolean.onduleur
      - input_boolean.chargeur
    id: to_bus
  - platform: state
    entity_id:
      - select.victron_vebus_mode_229
    id: from_bus
condition: []
action:
  - if:
      - condition: trigger
        id:
          - from_bus
    then:
      - choose:
          - conditions:
              - condition: state
                entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                state: "ON"
            sequence:
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                action: input_boolean.turn_on
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                action: input_boolean.turn_on
          - conditions:
              - condition: state
                entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                state: INVERTER
            sequence:
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                action: input_boolean.turn_on
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                action: input_boolean.turn_off
          - conditions:
              - condition: state
                entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                state: CHARGER
            sequence:
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                action: input_boolean.turn_on
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                action: input_boolean.turn_off
          - conditions:
              - condition: state
                entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                state: "OFF"
            sequence:
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                action: input_boolean.turn_off
              - data: {}
                target:
                  entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                action: input_boolean.turn_off
  - if:
      - condition: trigger
        id:
          - to_bus
    then:
      - parallel:
          - choose:
              - conditions:
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                    state: "on"
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                    state: "off"
                sequence:
                  - data:
                      option: CHARGER
                    target:
                      entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                    action: select.select_option
              - conditions:
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                    state: "off"
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                    state: "off"
                sequence:
                  - data:
                      option: "OFF"
                    target:
                      entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                    action: select.select_option
              - conditions:
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                    state: "on"
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                    state: "on"
                sequence:
                  - data:
                      option: "ON"
                    target:
                      entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                    action: select.select_option
              - conditions:
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.chargeur
                    state: "off"
                  - condition: state
                    entity_id: input_boolean.onduleur
                    state: "on"
                sequence:
                  - data:
                      option: INVERTER
                    target:
                      entity_id: select.victron_vebus_mode_229
                    action: select.select_option

You can even use it with the Automatic-Water-Heater Automation to turn on inverter before trying to make hot water !

Remember, while this solution works well for our setup, always consult with a marine electrician before making significant changes to your boat’s electrical systems. Every boat is unique, and what works for us may need adjustments to work for you.

Happy sailing, and may your power management be ever smooth and efficient!