45 replies to this topic

[Bombsight]

Vic .... where do you enter the camper with the power source? Front right access door?

[Vic Harder]

when it it off the truck?  Extension cord ... through the door or turnbuckle door.  Need to add an external AC port, but so far the good ones have scared me away with the price... $75 or so!  

 

AND, I doubt I will ever use it now that my solar is working better than I had ever hoped.  I think I have enough power to get 110v appliances to run inside my camper    Well, at least an induction hot plate!

[Power Wagon]

No one has mentioned a battery monitor. I believe a good battery monitor to be crucial to maintaining deep cycle batteries. You will always know your batteries condition and state of charge. Until I am able to install solar panels, I will monitor their state of charge and charge them as needed with the converter/charger. When not in use I leave them disconnected via the disconnect switch. I have found my batteries have a very slow rate of self discharge when disconnected. Since I just spent $500 on batteries, why would I not spend $150 to monitor their health? If you don't want to access your batteries to charge them, then I am sure you wouldn't want to access them to check them with a multimeter. Get a battery monitor so you don't have to guess, then you won't be over(or under) charging your batteries.

[Vic Harder]

Good point PowerWagon.  Bombsight would know from other threads that I have lots of monitoring going on!

[Bombsight]

Doesn't the solar panels controller provide that info? ... or am I thinking otherwise?

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[Vic Harder]

Yes and no.  The solar controller has no idea how much power is coming into the batteries via the 110v Genius charger or your alternator.  For that you need a battery monitor with a shunt, like the trimetric or victron energy units.

 

By the way, 12.0 v is quite discharged.  What was going on when you took that picture?

[Power Wagon]

Not all do. A stand alone monitor monitors not only charging but discharging. It can show amps coming in from ANY source or amps being used so you can determine how much juice any device draws. They will display % charge, so you can literally read them like a fuel gauge. Again they can show volts so you can determine if ANY charger being used is charging at the proper voltage for the type batteries being used. And on and on and on. If you want to get the most from your batteries you need to watch (monitor) them especially if you boondock.

[Bombsight]

Thanks, guys. Can we make this simple and just post some Amazon links as to what I need?

 

Vic ... I got that controller photo off the internet. Its not actually mine. Mine is just like it though.

[Advmoto18]

If AGM batteries, good read here.

 

I do not keep my AGMs on a maintainer.  On an as needed basis, I plug into shore power, monitor the battery state.  I remove shore power once I have a full charge or when battery temp reaches 115F.  I have a small, surface mounted thermometer on top of one of the batteries.

[rando]

Battery Monitor:

http://shop.pkys.com...tor_p_2810.html

 

Maintainer (really just a small smart charger):

https://www.amazon.c...B004LWVEKS?th=1

or

https://www.amazon.c...2&keywords=ctek