Am I correct in thinking.... (1 Viewer)

[Fletton]

During the winter I hooked up (or ran gennie) every now and then... and I pondered getting a battery monitor....

However.. now that the Sun is higher.. I haven't been on hookup for quiet a few weeks ... or run gennie.. have moved around - but not daily...

So.... I've just been looking at my MPPT every day.. and if if both lights are "steady state".. i.e - on float.. (usually around lunch time)... I'm all good to go?..

And if so.... that means I'm well within capacity with 100w solar and 2 * Varta LFD90?...

Is my thinking correct?

 

[Lenny HB]

The LFD90's are wet cells, so once 14.4 is reach they should be fully charged after another hour. If your lights are indicating the regulator has gone into float charge mode (13.8v) yes you should be fully charged.
Nothing better than a battery monitor to give peace of mind.

 

[Fletton]

The LFD90's are wet cells, so once 14.4 is reach they should be fully charged after another hour. If your lights are indicating the regulator has gone into float charge mode (13.8v) yes you should be fully charged.
Nothing better than a battery monitor to give peace of mind.

I still might get one... after reading the threads on here - considered the blu tooth one... as less faff to install...

But as of today.... I'm still thinking it's a "nice to have" as opposed to an essential..

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[Lenny HB]

I still might get one... after reading the threads on here - considered the blu tooth one... as less faff to install...

But as of today.... I'm still thinking it's a "nice to have" as opposed to an essential..

For a lot of people nice to have for anyone with a technical background who needs to know what is going on it's essential I couldn't sleep at night without one.

 

[Fletton]

For a lot of people nice to have for anyone with a technical background who needs to know what is going on it's essential I couldn't sleep at night without one.

Or a plain and simple...."gadget freak"!!???!..

 

[CWH]

Am I correct in thinking....

Definitely not, it's an activity always best avoided.

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[Zigisla]

I have just got a blue tooth dongle for mine and it works really well. Good app and easy to set up and use. Will probably get a monitor later if @eddievanbitz ever fits my b2b.

 

[Larrynwin]

I had a NASA BM1 in our last RV , all info on domestic and starter battery condition very useful .

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Technical background here and I don't have and don't want any kind of battery monitor. I don't see the point at all.

It was summed up perfectly for me when I mentioned the idea to someone who could have sold me one and installed it. He said "there's no point. If you have one all you'll do is sit watching it and worrying about it. Just forget about it and use your van however you want."

He's been proven absolutely right. We use the van how we want to, we don't think about or worry about power consumption and we've never had a problem.

We use our van all through the winter with no hookup and the solar panels cope just fine.

If the batteries fail I'll get new ones. I don't need some gadget to give me a couple of hours warning.

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[Lenny HB]

Don't agree, a couple of years ago my batteries failed in Greece, I was able to establish I could use 20a/h before they died completely. By monitoring current and voltage I survived another 4 weeks until getting back home.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I was able to establish I could use 20a/h before they died completely. By monitoring current and voltage I survived another 4 weeks until getting back home.

That sounds too much like work to me. Couldn't be doing with it.

If I couldn't buy new ones wherever I happened to be when the old ones packed in I'd just manage without until I found somewhere I could buy them.

 

[Crazylegs]

This reminds me of a recent conversation with a young work colleague, "I'm struggling today, up six times with baby Olivia last night" oh dear what's wrong I enquired. It transpired that baby Olivia was just fine, the problems were a malfunctioning sensor on his fancy alarm together with alerts from a baby monitoring mat in Olivia's cot because she decided to sleep right at the end of the cot and off the mat !

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[Lenny HB]

That sounds too much like work to me. Couldn't be doing with it.

If I couldn't buy new ones wherever I happened to be when the old ones packed in I'd just manage without until I found somewhere I could buy them.

Bascily what I did as it would have been a round trip of several hundred miles to get batteries the monitor made life easy so I could concentrate on my holiday and not bother about the batteries until back home saved loosing valuable holiday time.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Bascily what I did as it would have been a round trip of several hundred miles to get batteries the monitor made life easy so I could concentrate on my holiday and not bother about the batteries until back home saved loosing valuable holiday time.

It sounds like the opposite to me, you concentrated on the battery monitor rather than your holiday.

Having to constantly be thinking about batteries, eking out limited power always watching a monitor to make sure I didn't go over doesn't sound like much of a holiday to me.

I would have rather let them fail and managed with no power for a few hundred miles.

 

[Fletton]

Ok guys..... @NickNic and @Lenny HB ...

...

Just Enjoy the day

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[movan]

I havn't understood a word of this thread.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Me neither Joy. But Ralph put a NASA BM-2 on Pug.
He watches what's going in and out and as we never use hook up. He's not looking all the time , granted, but likes to know.
We watch tv regularly on an evening or a wet day , have webasto heating and a 12 v fridge so we are power hungry. Especially if I'm washing blowing and curling/straightening my hair after a shower. He's even got a gadget on his phone for it .
But it's all gobldy gook to me. I just expect to be able to flick a switch and use what I would at home , where ever.
He says not having one is like driving a car with no fuel gage when your not hooked up.
But he says you do need to understand what it's telling you . And I don't !

 

[Fletton]

I havn't understood a word of this thread.

Tut.... and there's me thinkin you is Ard-Cor ....

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[Gromett]

I have one and find it essential when running off hookup for extended periods. I need juice to last me all night for my work. If it gets to about 4pm and my batteries don't have enough charge I can whack the generator on for an hour or two to give me enough reserves to last the night. Without the battery monitor I would be guessing.

As a fulltimer it is not a case of enjoying my holiday and getting on with it, it is a vital piece of gear for me. Fletton is also a fulltimer.

If you are just going away on holiday for a week at a time or a 2-3 week holiday then yes you probably don't actually need one.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you are just going away on holiday for a week at a time or a 2-3 week holiday then yes you probably don't actually need one.

Agree, we go away for 6-8 weeks at a time and don't use EHU, to us it is an essential bit of kit.

 

[Infinity31]

I'm not really interested in knowing whats going in or out of my batteries, but I think knowing the SOC is very important.

I like the fuel gauge analogy, and monitors that let you set a warning sound at a set %SOC, much the same as you fuel warning warning are must have.

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[manda3000gt]

Me neither Joy. But Ralph put a NASA BM-2 on Pug.
He watches what's going in and out and as we never use hook up. He's not looking all the time , granted, but likes to know.
We watch tv regularly on an evening or a wet day , have webasto heating and a 12 v fridge so we are power hungry. Especially if I'm washing blowing and curling/straightening my hair after a shower. He's even got a gadget on his phone for it .
But it's all gobldy gook to me. I just expect to be able to flick a switch and use what I would at home , where ever.
He says not having one is like driving a car with no fuel gage when your not hooked up.
But he says you do need to understand what it's telling you . And I don't !

More details on the phone app Bev ? I can only find a Bluetooth BM-1 which is not big enough for us, we also have the BM-2 fitted

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

More details on the phone app Bev ? I can only find a Bluetooth BM-1 which is not big enough for us, we also have the BM-2 fitted

Your joking Dave, I've not got a clue as I said.
I just expect everything to work and it does. But then again we are a lot smaller than you with less power hungry gadgets I'm guessing?? You'll have to ring Ralph

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

@manda3000gt I just told him, he says he'll ring you tonight.

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[Ralph-n-Bev]

@manda3000gt Hi Dave & Amanda, The way i monitor by Bluetooth is through the Victron solar controller......



More details and screen shots below....

www.victronenergy.com/live/victronconnect:start

www.victronenergy.com/blog/2015/03/31/battery-and-mppt-solar-charge-state-bluetooth-low-energy-dongle-app-has-arrived/

www.victronenergy.com/accessories/ve-direct-bluetooth-smart-dongle

It is also possible to connect Bluetooth to a Victron battery monitor.
I have the Nasa Bm2 (200A) so not possible but the solar Bluetooth app gives me all the information i need

Cheers Ralph