LaunchnRetrieve
Sonoma County, CA
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Joined: 01/12/2012
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My oem capacity panel is useless for the battery status. If i turn on anything it shows as empty. Never shows more than 2/3 full even after fresh charge.
What are my options for accurately monitoring how much time is left on my battery under moment to moment loads or draws? Do i have options?
Using interstate deep cycle 12V battery.
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BFL13
Victoria, BC
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Joined: 02/15/2006
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You have to suspect the battery is collapsing under load and it is not the "monitor" at fault. That monitor is just a crude sort of voltmeter, but it is not useless. IMO it is telling you something useful right now. 
How do you charge the battery and how do you determine that it is fully charged? It could be a victim of undercharging ?
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KD4UPL
Swoope, VA
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Your monitor is a very crude voltmeter. A nice, digital voltmeter would be a vast improvement. However, voltage alone won't really tell you how much is in your battery. I would recommend a battery gauge like a Tri-metric or a Link-10. These device measure the amp-hours going into and out of your battery. It will tell you what percentage of your battery's capacity is left, much like an auto gas gauge.
These devices use a shunt in the negative cable to measure the amps. I'm sure their are other brands but the two mentioned are very good.
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LaunchnRetrieve
Sonoma County, CA
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First, i keep batteries in garage when not in use and charge with a vector charger a couple of times over the winter. The vector says full when charging done otherwise i dont know if its really full.
Second ill check those products, sounds like what im looking for in the bandaid solution dept. Still need to resolve problem of chronic short batterry life.
Neighbor says connect second battery to first and will last longer. That makes sense but seems like ill just have two dead batterries instead of one and no backup.
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BFL13
Victoria, BC
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When the Vector says "full" the first time, run it again at the low amp setting until it says "full" again. That will get you closer to a real full. if it has the Equalize feature with the hidden button, do that next until it says "full" again from that.
Next, very important, is take an hydrometer reading. If the battery has been undercharged, it will be sulfated. It might read 1.260 instead of 1.275. Now use the Vector for three or four days in a row of "Reconditioning" Charge again to "full" See if SG is up closer to 1.275.
If you need more amp hours for camping you can get a pair of batteries instead of just one. One battery usually won't get you through the night if you run the furnace.
IMO wait till you get a grip on the battery situation before spending $200 on a fancy monitor. You should have a $15 digital multimeter though for your voltmeter. That and the hydrometer will tell you enough for most needs..
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CA Traveler
The Western States
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The primary purpose of most rig battery displays is for the salesman to sell the rig. KD4UPL made a good suggestion for a battery monitor.
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Bob
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tktplz
Lake Bistineau, Louisiana
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KD4UPL wrote:Your monitor is a very crude voltmeter. A nice, digital voltmeter would be a vast improvement. However, voltage alone won't really tell you how much is in your battery. I would recommend a battery gauge like a Tri-metric or a Link-10. These device measure the amp-hours going into and out of your battery. It will tell you what percentage of your battery's capacity is left, much like an auto gas gauge.
These devices use a shunt in the negative cable to measure the amps. I'm sure their are other brands but the two mentioned are very good.
I like the idea of the meter telling me the Amp Hours. I have a small TC and only have room for 1-125 Amp Hour battery. Came with a group 24 wet battery and I changed it for a group 30HT AGM so I could use 3/4 of the space instead of less than half the space. I see they are pricey. Is there any way to get around that or is that just the price for what it does? TIA
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mexbungalows
las peñas, michoacan, mexico
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Determining remaining charge by voltage alone is like trying to take your temperature using a blood pressure monitor.
The ONLY and I mean ONLY reasonably accurate way to determine electrical activity and forecasts is by using kWh. Kilowatt Hours.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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Hi,
Since it is an AGM battery, some sort of amp-hour counter needs to be used.
Do you know the maker of yours?
Have you checked to see what their recommendations for charging are?
Another good way to extend the battery life is to add a solar system--since there is no way to add more amp-hours of capacity to the "bank".
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts solar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries 2500 watt inverter.
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korbe
Northern California
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My battery state of charge at the display panel does the same thing. It will read low if my lights are on. And I know my batteries are fine. I use a simple hand held volt meter at the batteries to let me know the state of charge. I placed a chart in the battery compartment indicating volts and percentage of charge from 100% down to 50%. Works for me.
* This post was
edited 02/05/12 08:40am by korbe *
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