Should I, Shouldn't I Battery monitor (1 Viewer)

[SMB]

Tony, just in case I confused you the remote control under the BM-1 is for my telly, its standing in a caddy with the remote controls for all my other gadgets

 

[DBK]

A weather station is a useful MH extra as well. One of these for example, much more comprehensive a forecast than you can get get with a hole in the roof.

 

[Brakers]

Does the meter you have only show battery voltage or can you press a button and it shows current. If it can do that you don't need anything else.

Yes It does I've loaded the pics I've just taken, but I've been told these meters are less than useless, but I can''t see a motorhome company putting a cheap meter into an expensive motorhome.

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[stevec]

If you're after the BM1 compact then look at Fox Marine in Ipswich. About £90 delivered. I got mine from my local yacht chandlers who matched price.

 

[Brakers]

Tony, just in case I confused you the remote control under the BM-1 is for my telly, its standing in a caddy with the remote controls for all my other gadgets

It's not hard to confuse me just put three spades in a row and tell me to take my pick. lol

 

[Deleted member 29692]

but I can''t see a motorhome company putting a cheap meter into an expensive motorhome

Schoolboy error. Of course they would

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[Brakers]

I forgot to mention the BM-1 has a cool blue backlight

WOW what can I say I must have one, I like cool blue lights

 

[SMB]

It's not hard to confuse me just put three spades in a row and tell me to take my pick. lol

Ha ha I must remember that one, hope you get your battery problem sorted out.

 

[Brakers]

Schoolboy error. Of course they would

Hi Nick
So are you agreeing with those who think that putting a better battery monitor in is prudent, as you are saying the ones the company fits are possibly cheap and cheerful?
Many Thanks Tony

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[Deleted member 29692]

Hi Nick
So are you agreeing with those who think that putting a better battery monitor in is prudent, as you are saying the ones the company fits are possibly cheap and cheerful?
Many Thanks Tony

I'm saying if they can't generally be bothered to make sure their expensive motorhomes are watertight why on earth would you expect them to fit expensive electronics?

I still think a battery monitor is pointless for the reasons I gave earlier: If the monitor tells you your battery is low and you have no means to charge it what exactly would you do about it? Knowing about a problem doesn't benefit you at all if you have no means to resolve it.

 

[andy63]

If the monitor tells you your battery is low and you have no means to charge it what exactly would you do about it

That's why I carry a Genny. ..

 

[DBK]

Yes It does I've loaded the pics I've just taken, but I've been told these meters are less than useless, but I can''t see a motorhome company putting a cheap meter into an expensive motorhome.View attachment 101673 View attachment 101674 View attachment 101673 View attachment 101674 View attachment 101675 View attachment 101673 View attachment 101674 View attachment 101675 View attachment 101676

I don't know why the meter would be described as useless. The main point is to know if the battery is being charged or discharged.

What happens if you start the engine? Given the apparent death throes of the battery I would suspect a charging current of twenty amps or more should be indicated.

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[Brakers]

That's why I carry a Genny

My thoughts exactly, but I still want my rig to be as wild camping friendly and efficient as possible. By the way what gennie have you got and how often do you use it.
Many Thanks Tony

 

[Brakers]

I would suspect a charging current of twenty amps or more should be indicated

Thanks for that I'll try that tomorrow.
Best Wishes Tony

 

[andy63]

My thoughts exactly, but I still want my rig to be as wild camping friendly and efficient as possible. By the way what gennie have you got and how often do you use it.
Many Thanks Tony

My little van is rather a heavy user.. diesel water and air heating and a compressor fridge... If I'm off hook up as I often am I don't usually last more than two or three days before I'm 90 odd amp hours in deficit... Only room for a 100w panel so without some decent light it can be 2 days..
Got 2x 110aH batteries..
The Genny is a Honda 2eu2oi.. nice machine but pricy...
Andy

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[Brakers]

The Genny is a Honda 2eu2oi.. nice machine but pricy...

Yes Andy I've been looking at those, they are pricy as you say but if I could I would like one, have been looking at 2nd hand ones but even they hold their price and get snapped up quickly, I've also been looking at Hyandai with remote start. I do like the thought of being able to start and stop it without getting out of the vehicle, but there have been a few who have had reliability problems with them. The ideal genny would be a honda 2kw with remote start but they don't do one, anyway thanks for your input.
Best Wishes Tony

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

but I still want my rig to be as wild camping friendly and efficient as possible.

Hi Tony, If you are a wild camper then the Nasa battery monitor is just invaluable. We also like to wild camp and like @andy63 are heavy power users. We have diesel heating and a 12v Compressor fridge. I find the battery monitor the most important bit of kit on my van, without it would be like driving a car with no fuel gauge. If you have the room i would recommend you go for the Nasa Bm2 especially if you run an inverter it reads a discharge up to 200 Amps. The thing i like about the Nasa monitors is their large readout, once you have one fitted you can just glance at it and instantly know where your at with your 12v power

Like others have mentioned these monitors tell you everything is working as it should be and more importantly nothing is left switched on pulling down your power. My van as you may know is a selfbuild and all the electrical system Victron, Victron gear is great but i found the readout a bit small, i am sure its a quality bit of kit.

To me every van should have a proper battery monitor fitted, You just know where you are rather than guessing
Cant recommend them enough, Its a must have man gadget

Ralph

 

[scotjimland]

With @NickNic on this .. KISS

all you need is a panel volt meter.. and understand what its telling you ...

it's all you need to know..

NEVER let your battery go below 12v .. and you won't go wrong..

To answer the OP directly.. No.. if you have to ask you don't need..



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[andy63]

With @NickNic on this .. KISS

all you need is a panel volt meter.. and understand what its telling you ...

it's all you need to know..

NEVER let your battery go below 12v .. and you won't go wrong..

To answer the OP directly.. No.. if you have to ask you don't need..



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That's sound enough ,but a power management panel does allow you to understand what individual appliances are using.. your load at any time total amp hours used ,even when your voltage doesn't look bad with solar working etc...
If you have one or take the trouble to fit one its defiantly handy IMHO. .
I only have the amp hour counter on my habitation battery bank...but can check voltage and current draw on up to 4 battery banks... or use it to check alternator output..
You need to install shunts for the current function and that's the only drawback I've found... It's expensive.. and the work involved of course...
Andy

 

[scotjimland]

That's sound enough ,but a power management panel does allow you to understand what individual appliances are using.. your load at any time total amp hours used ,even when your voltage doesn't look bad with solar working etc...
If you have one or take the trouble to fit one its defiantly handy IMHO. .
I only have the amp hour counter on my habitation battery bank...but can check voltage and current draw on up to 4 battery banks... or use it to check alternator output..
You need to install shunts for the current function and that's the only drawback I've found... It's expensive.. and the work involved of course...
Andy

fully understand how they work Andy, it's my trade.. but I still wouldn't fit one.. a voltmeter and an ammeter tell me all I need to know..
a Battery monitor is at best a guide ... it can never be 100% correct.. in fact it can be totally inaccurate if not calibrated correctly

but each to their own.. I was replying to the OP who asked did he need one.. simply answer is no

 

[andy63]

. a voltmeter and an ammeter tell me all I need to know..

Yes ,and that's basically what you have with pmp ..

I was replying to the OP who asked did he need one.. simply answer is no

And that's what I'm doing only I take the opposite view,in that I think they are handy, but agree not essential..
Seen a lot of vans which use a led voltage ladder as the only indication of battery state.. which seems to me unsatisfactory..
Anyway as you say each to their own..
Andy.

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[Techno]

I can't see anywhere where anyone has said put a voltmeter on the battery directly and this will tell you If your overdoor panel is talking bo**ocks
While the panel says 11.6 fair what does it read at the battery

 

[stevec]

I fitted one for a volt and amp monitor. The amp hour monitor I take with a pinch of salt.

 

[DBK]

Mr Micawber knew about this:

"...income twenty Ah, expenditure nineteen Ah, result happiness. Income twenty Ah, expenditure twenty one Ah, result misery."

I may have brought his originals words up to date a bit...

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[andy63]

I fitted one for a volt and amp monitor. The amp hour monitor I take with a pinch of salt.

There appear to be different types of pmp..
Some require a calibration in the form of entering your battery bank capacity and gives a % battery state from that...so that's the first possible uncertainty... It will depend on age and state of batteries..
Mine doesn't require that... you have to make sure the batteries are fully charged and then make sure the amp hour counter is set to zero... It then monitors and amp hour usage or if it's charging the batteries they are back to fully charged when the counter returns to zero..
I've found mine is accurate... by checking with a separate meter while running a specific load.. and also checking the volt drop across the shunt and comparing that against the current reading...
In my case 1mv equals 1 amp...
Andy..

 

[Lenny HB]

My opinion, FWIW.

I don't have a battery monitor and don't want one. I pretty much know how long my batteries last. The solar ticks along and does its own thing. If I have the opportunity to plug in then I do so. Therefore having another bit of kit to tell me my batteries are flat would be a waste of time because there would be sod all I could do about it that I wasn't already doing.

To me it's akin to going online for a weather forecast instead of looking out the window.

All very well until you have a problem.
I was pleased I had fitted a battery monitor, last year in Greece both my crap Banner AGM batteries died within a couple of days of each other. I was in a remote part of the country with 5 weeks of our holiday still to go. I was able to esablish I could get around 20 A/H of power before the volage dropped too low which enabled me to monitor usage and with my 200 watts of solar I was able to nurse them until I returned home. Without a battery monitor this would not have been very easy at all.
I only fitted a cheap one £20 on eBay from China, it reads voltage, current charge/discharge and can be set up for watts and percentage.

 

[SMB]

Yes ,and that's basically what you have with pmp ..


And that's what I'm doing only I take the opposite view,in that I think they are handy, but agree not essential..
Seen a lot of vans which use a led voltage ladder as the only indication of battery state.. which seems to me unsatisfactory..
Anyway as you say each to their own..
Andy.

Yep the LED ladder is whats factory fitted in my van, rubbish in comparison to the BM-1. Especially after replacing the two old batteries after the electric problem with four new 110a batteries, I wouldn't say I'm paranoid about it but I monitor them at night and don't let them go below 80%. I have a Ctek 250 smartpass dual b2b system fitted as well for when I'm off hookup, no room in my garageless Swift for a genny!

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[andy63]

I have a Ctek 250 smartpass dual b2b system fitted as well for when I'm off hookup, no room in my garageless Swift for a genny!

I seen referenc to that in other posts... It's highly spoken of of by a lot of propel. .. was reading something about problems connecting smart charge alternators to that system which I didn't fully understand ...
Ta andy.

 

[Brakers]

a voltmeter and an ammeter tell me all I need to know..

Hi Jim
I think I understand where you are coming from, but isn’t battery monitor like the BM’s just a more precise and accurate gauge of what your system is using and you can tell exactly what each piece of equipment draws. As I understand it these monitors are sometimes fitted to boats which I’m sure would require accuracy as loosing power on the ocean is more detrimental than in a field, is that not correct.
Many Thanks Tony

 

[Brakers]

If you are a wild camper then the Nasa battery monitor is just invaluable.

Hi Ralph-n-Bev Thanks for you detailed post, I'm not one for spending money willy nilly as they say but I do like to be able to see what is being drawn as I turn items on and off. The readout on the BM's is quite large which would suit me if I went down that route, as my eyes as well as other parts of my anatomy are failing as year go on LOL. With my sysetm I have to cycle through various menus to see what is happening so a large readout like yours would be helpfull but still unsure if the price of £107 + fitting would be cost helpfull if you know what I mean. As a foot note are they difficult to fitt yourself?
Also this is a bit off topic but are diesel heaters expensive to buy and fit?
Best Wishes Tony

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