Water and Battery Monitoring September 11, 2022, 02:51:31 pm Recognizing that the factory gauges don't give us a lot of information, I removed the panels under the frig so I can keep an eye on the actual water level and I installed a cheapo amp/volt meter to keep an eye on the batteries (shunt in the battery compartment). Eventually, I'll probably put in a SeeLevel for the water and a Trimetric or another brand for the power. This'll do for now.I was also curious how much water remains when the gauge reads empty. Anyhow, on this rig with a very slight starboard list, when the gauge reads empty, 5 and 1/2 usable gallons remain. When that is gone and the pump is sucking air, 2 and 1/2 gallons can still be drained from the tank. jor
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #1 – September 11, 2022, 05:17:51 pm If you used a precision shunt, you can get a decent idea at night how much the current draw is for various appliances, etc. By day, you can monitor solar or other charge rate of the batteries, but without the battery monitor circuitry to integrate the data, it will be difficult to get a realistic handle on how much charge you have put back or removed. A handy aspect of lithium batteries is that they are 'smart', and the on-board BMS will cut off the charge current once they are topped off. Full sun and no current through the shunt means fully charged.Steve
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #2 – September 11, 2022, 07:35:39 pm Quoteit will be difficult to get a realistic handle on how much charge you have put back or removed.Yea, this little $20 deal won't do much. Just kind of give me a feel for it. I ran the wires from the batteries to the cabinet so they will be in place when I get a good monitor. I didn't even mount the shunt. Just kinda' shoved it in next to the batteries. When I get a good monitor I'd sure like to mount the monitor up high where the factory one is. Not sure how to pull the wires there though. On the batteries, I'm going to see how these work out. Just the regular two six volts in series with two solar panels. We're used to a lot more battery but no solar so it will be interesting to see. Thanks.jor
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #3 – September 11, 2022, 07:51:25 pm If you get a Victron BMV-700 battery monitor, e.g, it not only comes with the shunt, but also the data cable that runs up to the monitor, and that is the one you must use. All other wiring takes place in the battery box.Steve
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #4 – September 11, 2022, 08:07:20 pm Quote but also the data cableI think I will probably go with the Victron. Everyone seems to like them and I do like the idea of a data cable rather than the separate wires. I can always use those for a SeeLevel!!! jor
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #5 – September 12, 2022, 11:27:23 am I have used the following battery monitor in several of my solar projects. Very easy to install, a single cable to the display while all else is at the shunt on the battery. A nice low cost alternative to the higher priced monitors, and pretty accurate and reliable. Measures both charge and discharge.AiLi Voltmeter Ammeter Voltage Current Meter Voltmeter Ammeter 100V 350A... As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #6 – September 12, 2022, 01:42:27 pm The price is attractive, but I did not see a link on the site to an operator's manual. In order to get accurate information, many parameters need to be set to tailor a meter to your situation. At the most basic is the battery 20-hr discharge rate A-hr capacity, but also the auto-sync parameters, peukert's exponent, and charge efficiency, to name a few. Does this meter allow setting those parameters?Steve 1 Likes
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #7 – September 12, 2022, 04:54:52 pm The AiLi battery monitor's manual can be downloaded here. It's only two pages, but looks as if it has the information and specs needed to use the thing. (I haven't read it.)I've found that I can usually find manuals online by searching for "<product name> manual pdf". That's how I found this one.
Re: Water and Battery Monitoring Reply #8 – September 12, 2022, 05:33:50 pm Thanks for finding that Andy. I downloaded it and confirmed that virtually no parameters are settable. Without being able to program these in, and not knowing what defaults may exist in the internal algorithm, at best this meter may give an approximation of the battery condition, but is too simple to be accurate. The fully featured and programmable Victron is relatively inexpensive and very accurate, and can be set to be so with virtually any battery chemistry available.Steve 1 Likes
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Topic: Water and Battery Monitoring (Read 203 times)
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