Easy & Cheap way to determine battery draw
I would like to do some boondocking in Oct. How can I determine battery drain when I turn on a device, like a TV, amp, etc... while boondocking? Looking for an easy/cheap method to accomplish. Thanks
Forum Discussion
hershey wrote:It's +/-3% +6 counts. Good enough for what you want to do but a shunt with a quality DMM would be more accurate.Tom_M wrote:
One of the most useful meters I have is a DC clamp-on amp meter. Sears sells one for about $55. Here' a link: Sears clamp meter
All you have to do is clamp the jaws around a wire in the circuit you want to measure. Clamping it around a cable that is connected to your battery will tell you the total current you are using.
Take that suggestion to the bank. Its very accurate, considering the accuracy that RVers really need :)
Just clamp it onto a single wire/or cable and it will give you the amperage being drawn at that time.
