Battery monitor: useful tool or toy?
Hello all. As we prepare for FT (mostly boondocking) I am working through the 12v upgrades. Got the 600 AH of Lifelines in place. Two banks of 6v pairs; 4 batts in all. Upgraded the converter to 80, p...
Forum Discussion
Duct,
This a battle I have been fighting for years without much success until I put in a Trimetric. If you are going to count on the house bank for much of your lifestyle at all, it is a very good investment. I don't care which one you choose, but a volt only is a waste of your time. A true monitor will tell you where you stand with little doubt.
As soon as I got ours on-line, I found out that the oven light was on. That saved a lot. Then I found out that our converter is too far from the house bank so I was not getting the charge rate I had been counting on.
Without such an instrument, you are blind about the actual battery state of charge and with AGMs, you can't even check the density.
I electric upgrades on performance cruisers (read retired racing sloops) for several years before the depression. This was always a recommended upgrade and always appreciated when the owner found out what he bought.
Matt
This a battle I have been fighting for years without much success until I put in a Trimetric. If you are going to count on the house bank for much of your lifestyle at all, it is a very good investment. I don't care which one you choose, but a volt only is a waste of your time. A true monitor will tell you where you stand with little doubt.
As soon as I got ours on-line, I found out that the oven light was on. That saved a lot. Then I found out that our converter is too far from the house bank so I was not getting the charge rate I had been counting on.
Without such an instrument, you are blind about the actual battery state of charge and with AGMs, you can't even check the density.
I electric upgrades on performance cruisers (read retired racing sloops) for several years before the depression. This was always a recommended upgrade and always appreciated when the owner found out what he bought.
Matt
