newbie here and i think i made a mistake
I just bought my first camper, a 1979 free spirit (coachman I believe) and I cant for the life of me figure out where the monitor panel is located or even the switch to activate the water pump. Did I...
Forum Discussion
Do you guys normally put a 12 volt gauge somewhere to monitor the battery? In-line perhaps?
Yes, i use a plug in type , just to give me a general idea of "how's by battery doing" . I don't leave it plugged in all the time, i use it when i need to .
Google 'plug in,12v volt meter'
I would also use a hand held 'multi-meter' to test volts as well.
Check one against the other for accuracy. Good RV tool to have .
If you don't have a 12v receptacle just add one and run heavy enough gauge wire for the distance you need to run it.
Do yourself a favor and check the battery you plan to use. If it's been sitting discharged too low for a period of time, it might not be very good anymore.
A fully charged battery is 12.6/12.7 volts and I would not let it go below 12v (while voltage is being measured while resting).
If you allow a wet cell hybrid deep cycle battery to drop too low (below 50% or so) you run the risk of doing damage to the battery.
They need to be kept on a 'smart trickle charger' either indoors or out.
The below link has very useful info on the 12v system and batteries.
12 volt side of life
