Forum Discussion
5erToyHauler
Apr 21, 2015Explorer
I agree with a lot of what has been said here. The meter that I have does calculate AH In/Out. However that is only accurate to anything plugged into the "Load" output on my controller. As with many controllers that have this feature, the draw on a 5th Wheel can far exceed what the rated output is at that terminal. So needless to say, my power source does not come from that output. So I do stand corrected..... There is no way that my meter and controller can actually sense an accurate SOC. Therefore the SOC that it is giving me is likely based off of the current Voltage that it is seeing at any given time. As stated before, the voltage reading on the solar meter/display is accurate. The only thing that still confuses me is why last year my SOC didn't seem to drop permanently and not recover to where it should as soon as I put a load on the batteries. Maybe that wasn't the case and my memory is failing me here. But it's weird that the voltage will come back up to 12.8V (which is 100%) but the SOC only comes back up to 50%-60%. It doesn't make any sense to me. I put 2 x 6v's in on the weekend and the result still seems to be the same. But at the end of the day both sets of batteries seem equally as strong. So I believe that my lesson learned here is to not pay attention to the SOC and just worry about my voltage reading on my solar display. I don't think that my issue has anything to do with weak batteries. The batteries which I removed from the camper have settled for well over 24 hours now and are reading 12.68V. I did however have some corrosion starting on a couple of my jumper wires. I replaced the corroded cables with new. I'm sure that didn't help matters. I ran my onboard generator for a bit and the converter seems to be working as it should. I'm still going to take a hydrometer to the batteries as recommended many times over in this thread. As long as that test checks out, I think that I'll just gauge my battery life off of my voltage reading. Unless anybody thinks that isn't a good idea. I know that I can install a proper Xantrex or equivalent battery meter that measures current In/Out. But to be honest, I really don't have the time to be messing with one and keeping it calibrated. I want to keep my time spent in my Toy Hauler as leisure time with my family and the least amount of work possible. Our first camper was a 1979 Kustom Koach. The only fancy meters that it had was an analogue battery meter. We didn't have any generators or solar power. Boondocking on weekends was a breeze. That was only a few years ago. My what whimps we've turned into.
About Technical Issues
Having RV issues? Connect with others who have been in your shoes.24,203 PostsLatest Activity: Feb 22, 2025