How to Monitor RV Batteries On A Budget.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- Monitoring your RV Batteries is a must if you use your RV off grid, but battery monitors can be very expensive. We have a small list of budget Rv Battery monitors that will fit whatever size system you have or are planning and will be a big upgrade to a voltage based monitor. Having a monitor that will calculate amp hour or watt hours is a huge improvement to an RV. It is an RV modification worth doing. Here is the list of Battery monitors we talked about.
Option#1 with 100 amp shunt amzn.to/2yyRqQn
Drok Hall Sensor 200 Amp . amzn.to/2T02Zti
Aili with 350 amp shunt . amzn.to/2ZFc7WI
DPDT Switch for Monitor #1 amzn.to/2KfxUzh
My favorite BMV-712 . amzn.to/2yzh08b
Here is our Amazon page for our favorite gear. We will be adding more products as we find more products we use and love. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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If you are looking for my favorite battery monitor here it is. amzn.to/3n4PJqk. It gives so much info and is easy to set up and the quality is amazing!
You dont consider how these cheap option dont have a convenient way to mount the shunt (unlike the Victron). Do you just leave the shunt hanging in mid air?
I’ve learned a lot watching your channel and will be exploring one of these options. Just in the process of wiring up a small portable solar setup on our new trailer so it seems like the perfect time to add a monitor to the shopping list. Thanks Jared!
An Excellent Combo: Great explanation plus illustration of why a Battery Monitor is essential, followed by the best summary of truly affordable monitors that I've seen on TH-cam. This is a gem.
Not into RVs but the quality of information on this video is a pure gem.
Super grateful for the beginner basics. I am brand new RVer, with an older class C. Lots to learn, and so glad I found you and your channel. God bless!
Thanks for giving a clear, no nonsense explanation of the monitors. It's refreshing to watch someone who can produce a video without resorting to drama. You've earned another subscriber, just wish I'd have seen this particular video one day sooner. I would have ordered a different monitor.
Thanks. This is the best of DIY; actually showing people how to do it themselves without mistakes.
Great info, thanks! Nice to know there are lower cost items that can meet our needs. The tutorial and switch wiring animation are great too - excellent work.
I have watched several of your RV battery posts and I am an electrical engineer with an RV. You provide excellent info. I do the AGM for my occasional boon-docking. Well done!
I bought 2 of them from Amazon, they work pretty good, just a shake off of being 100% accurate
Best RV channel I have seen. You are a great teacher, very good at this. Excellent explanation of things. You should get paid for this.
Hi ! I'm looking to buy an RV but first I watch your vids and it helps me alot to be aware what I need to know and do on how to / what to look for before making the rights decisions.
Thank you very much for your infos.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada ✌
Great video. Energy monitoring and management are difficult concepts to explain, this demo will answer alot of basic questions for ppl. I have all three of the meter types you showed here, they all work great and serve their purpose. My next project is to install one on my engine alternator output and set up the field current wire to a relay so I can disable the alternator when my solar is putting out enough to run the chassis while on the road (old GM CS series alternator). Handy little devices
As a retired electrical engineer - Kudos to you!
Your videos are always helpful and timely. Many thanks
You are the consummate RV authority. I understand why you have the following that you do. It’s so apparent that you know exactly what you are talking about. Bravo!!!
Your videos have been saving our family's life. We got evicted and are moving into an unfinished skoolie in 2 weeks. Thank you for these, may God bless you and your family.
Great information. I always love your highly informative videos.
This video is a perfect example of why your channel is so informational and educational. Thank you so very much!
Thank you!
Always appreciate your videos.
Just watched your battier video was was think the $250 option was a bit much for my 03 Rialta, then you posted a video of the exact three cheaper battery monitors I was looking at, it's like your the Alexa of RVing you always know what I need. Thanks.
Nice job Jerod. Not only with the information but the time in presenting the information in the mockup and the diagrams you have appear on the screen. Always enjoy your videos. Thank you!
Thank you!
As usual, a very well done explanation of things of which I have little expertise. Outfitting our 5th Wheel with a second battery for the occasional overnight boondock. Your information is very helpful in my planning and power usage strategy. I am going to try out the Aili with 350 amp shunt. Thanks so much!!
great demonstration and explanation, thanks. i have 4 of the "small ones". one for battery in, one for battery out, one for solar in, and one for inverter out. BUT, what you brought to my attention is the shunt limit of 100A! my inverter output exceeds that, and while i have not had a problem with it, i may switch that monitor to the mid grade one you demonstrated. I also put an on / off switch (same one you show) to turn the monitors off, for 2 reasons: 1) to stop the small draw when not in use, and 2) to stop the monitor glow when i am sleeping at night as 4 of them does light up a dark room. much thanks again.
Once you started talking about the switch...I Lost Ya !!
Love your videos looking into buying a used RV.
By far the best video I've seen on the subject. Thank you.
Good Job Jared, always a question people have about Rving
This is good! I bought this monitor for my electric boat and didn't know that all I needed was a switch to check charge/discarge. Thank you!!
I have learned soo much from you and mark!!!!
Awesome, thank you. Explained everything I needed to know for our RV
Really enjoy your clear presentation. All the info we need with no extra words 👍
Thanks for this.
I've been gathering a supply of portable power stations and putting them to use but I'm ready to start building a more permanent system and moving into building a battery bank. This will certainly make it easier to get going.
I purchased two of the cheap monitors a couple years ago and have one coming in from the solar panels and another heading out from my battery. It’s not the most elegant solution but it works well. I can see how much is going in and goi g out at the same time without switching back between screens so that is pretty nice.
This could possibly be the best most informative clearest well explained video ever produced and put on the net AAA+++
Thank you
Gatdangit, Jared Gillis! Once again, another one of your videos came in clutch! Super appreciative! Clever trick with the double polled/double throw switch. Maybe one day we'll see you on the road. Jared Gillis, THE RV GOD WITH ALL OF THE ANSWERS!
Hi , Might Want to add a couple of " In Line Fuses " To the Wiring At The Source Prevent a Short / Fire . Also a Weather / Marine
Type Water Proof High Ampere Circuit Breaker At The Batteries . For Mounting The " Shunts" Find Something Other Than Directly To A Piece Of Wood . These Shunts Can Get Very Hot Under A Load .
Hey Jered Your videos are excellent please keep educating us.
Excellent ! I am fitting out a small van and there is so much information to take in for the beginner I am. Thanks to your video, I understand a lot better how this little device I bought works, and that I will install asap. Thanks again.
I bought the monitor (off Amazon) that you recommended for my 5th wheel. We have 30 amp service at our seasonal campground and on hot days panic to not burn out or trip appliances. It was difficult to run the wire out of the breaker box and up inside the 2” thick wall. I mounted the readout in the main room. Took me several hours. It is on 24 hours per day and our only issue is that it becomes a very bright blue nightlight for people sleeping on the pop-out bed below it. It gave us a real readout on what appliances really draw. More stuff can be used when we run the A/C than we thought before.
Thank you so much for this video. I learned a lot as I decide what monitor to choose for my system.
Great video as always! Great information! Thank you! I always look forward to your videos!
Thanks!
Great video, that said, I believe I would fuse the positive side between the monitor and the battery, near the battery to protect in case of a short. Just a thought, I guess it comes to mind since when we travel in our Class A (we used to snow bird but had to take a couple of years off due to illness in the family) we usually spend nights while en-route at truck stops, parked between semi's. My daughter, who lives with us, is on the Ambulance Squad as an EMT. She had to respond at 5:00 AM to a truck fire at the local grocery store/fuel stop at the junction of the two highways that transect our little village. A trucker had been asleep in his sleeper when his heater apparently shorted out, caught the truck on fire, and they had to remove his chard body from the remains of his tractor. Not a pretty sight, but you take the job and you deal with what comes, much as I did when I too worked as an EMT while on the Police Force for 24 years. Fuses can, and do save lives, especially in a rig where you intend to spend time sleeping.
Good story!
Timing could not have been better for me! Just bought the first cheap battery monitor in the video and played around with installing it with some success but now I'll be wiring in the DPDT switch for my application! Thank you so much!
My significant other balked at spending $300 Canadian for the Victron at this point so this will appease my inner mad scientist.
That’s great!
Awesome as usual...I am in the process of trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks
Thank you. We just invested in Twelve, 1200Ah AGM batteries to begin creating our house system. My wife and I are just playing with it (Panels, Charge Controller, Inverter, .....) using just one of the batteries just in case we screw up and kill the one.
We started by charging the one battery with our panels through our configured CC and then disconnecting the battery and bringing it into our house. We then connected the inverter (2000W Modified Sine Wave) to the battery. So just the inverter and battery and a calibrated Fluke Multimeter monitoring Battery Voltage at the battery terminals where the inverter was connected. We then plugged our Entertainment System (Giant Flat Screen, .....DVD, Channel Box, ..... Surround Sound Amp, .....) directly to the inverter AC out. We continually watched about 3.75 hours of Movies and such and monitored our battery voltage very carefully starting from 13.2 resting Voltage. Within the 3.75 hours, the underload voltage of our battery dropped to 12.46 Volts and we freaked and disconnected it. After 30 minutes of resting, the battery voltage at the terminals with inverter disconnected was 12.84 Volts. By the battery manual, this indicates a fully charged battery.(??)
We were confused until we watched some other TH-cams, but it all came together watching yours and have now ordered 2 of the inexpensive shunt monitors through your link and will play with those until we purchase the BMV you recommend. We think with the shunt monitor we will be able to correctly (safely) use much more of our battery capacity than we did cutting off at 3.46 loaded volts by monitoring Watt-Hours used as a percentage of fully charged Watt-Hours.
**** Is monitoring the "before and during" Watt-Hours with the above monitor a safe and reliable method of monitoring the capacity (usage) of our batteries? We want to get the maximum cycle life from our batteries and so only want to discharge them about 20% per discharge cycle.****
Thank You!!!
love your channel, thanks for the vids!
This is the best video I ever saw about battery monitors. I bought a 30$ one, I could not convince myself to pay over 250$ for a fancy one. All we need is a volt-meter and an energy meter or counter. Even if it drift a bit what we need is not necessary something very accurate but give us an idea of where we are and what is the actual consumption. With The solar controller and a clamp amp meter we have all the information that we need to figure were we are. Thanks for your time doing this very useful video.
It was a good video. But the apostrophe in “RVs” just bothers and annoys me
The $250 one? Never! The $30 one, then you have enough left over to buy that meter he has :)
But actually my solar charge controller gives my charge input and I just reset that datapoint every day. However, it doesn’t have the ability to monitor the cumulative draw of the inverter. Which could prove useful.
Another great informative video!
I just stumbled on your video. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I have solar on my trailer with a trimetric monitor and solar panel controller. But I also keep a solar panel on the cab of my truck to run a battery I use to run my Engle refrigerator. I’ve wanted to be able to monitor it for a while with more than voltage. This is the solution I am looking for. I’ve considered it but I have never taken the time to put together where to find what I needed. So thank you for your video. I assume you have others that are going to be just as informative and I have subscribed.
Thanks for that. I now know way more about monitors than before. Subbed also.
Can you tell me if I use a split charger will there be any issue with it charging a battery that may already be full?
Awesome video!!!! What I discovered with the cheap meter is if you put the negative wire from the charging source, in my case the charge controller, on the opposite end of the shunt, leaving everything else exactly as the wiring diagram on the meter, the meter no longer goes to zero when the battery is charging. It shows the total draw from the battery. This works better for me because it tells me exactly how many kWh is drawn from the battery regardless of it being charged and my solar system tells me the kWh produced. From there I can compare the difference between both so I know my energy consumption vs energy produced by my solar system.
I couldn't agree with you more. On my camper trailer I have 4 X 190watt 24 volt panels in a series / parallel configuration ( 48volt 380watt ) feeding a 50/100 victron MPPT controller with a victron remote monitor and a victron 100 amp load controller set at 11 volts cutout . This feeds 6 X 240 AH 2 volt Narada Lead Carbon Batteries in series ( 12 volts ). The controller gave me the ability to set the charge voltage at 13.8 , the float at 13.5 and limit the input to 40amps as per manufacturers specs. The panels lose sun at 3pm and sunup on the panels is around 7am at which time the battery bank is usually around 12.5 volts no load. I put a basic shunt and display unit in ( Identical to the one you showed ) on the load side and have found it so easy to glance at as I go past that I am also going to put one on the input side. While the Victron display is excellent it requires stopping and scrolling through to check. While although it is currently parked it is running a 150 ltr ( 6.5 cubic feet) 240 volt ac freezer and a 50 ltr 12 volt dc fridge, even though we are in late winter the controller switches over to float at around 8am. The panels were purchased second hand from a dealer at 1/3 new price , are less than 2 years old and come with a 10 year guarantee. For any one wondering about the lead carbon batteries, they treat the negative plates with carbon to reduce the sulfation that occurs when in Partial State Of Charge ( POSC ) as is normal with a solar powered system . Set up as I have them they have a life expectancy of 25 years.
The 'less featured' one is perfect for a teardrop setup. The only issue is learning the adjustment procedures of the meter, i.e.. setting the alarms and resetting the accumulated Whrs.
Can you explain why resetting the whrs is necessary? I'm new to this 😬
you explain everything so clearly. Really informative.... thank you
Thank you
Thanks. Your a Wizz kid. Being 71 yrs old I had to watch the end for the switch setup to get it. Ha. Probably have to watch is a few times more to get this monitor in.
Best explanation in utube. Thanks for getting me to the right unit with the right capabilities!!!!!
Love the video. I highly recommend windscreen toll tags to save messing about with tickets and payment cards at the toll booths.
Thanks Jared. I’ve been wanting a battery monitor and you helped me decide what to get at a reasonable price. Now I can move on to solar panels. Thanks again for another awesome video
Your videos are so clear and informative. Thank you so much!
Last part was Great..!!
Great info yet again Jared Thank you for sharing all your knowledge.
You sir, have created an excellent video and I applaud your help!
Thanks!
You make terrific videos. Thanks for your contribution!
Thank you!
Hi! Loved the video! Any chance tou could provide a quick diagram on the DPDT switch.... a bit lost there on which cable goes where......TIA
Thanks for the great vid, Jared. You have a new subscriber! I have two batteries configured in parallel. I just need to connect the shunt to one of the batteries, correct? I'm also thinking of switching to two 6v running in series. Will that require different shunt wiring from the parallel batteries?
Jared, thanks for your great videos. I watch all the time and you always provide great info. One question I need to ask. I live in Tennessee close to Memphis and I have to winterize each year. First year with a class A RV. Should I leave the RV plugged in to AC to keep batteries charged? Or unplug AC and maybe put a light bulb inside the battery compartment to keep them somewhat warm. I do have AGM batteries so sealed batteries. Just not sure what to do. Appreciate any help. It does get down to mid teens here in the winter but most of the time mid-20's is the lowest. Thanks.
I've found that I really only need a cheap volt meter wired to my solar charge controller. An ammeter wired to my solar panels cable to know how much power in getting from them is nice too.
Not Sponsored? You must not be sponsored, because this is an incredible video instructing the common layman how to hook up sophisticated monitoring for very small amount of $$$. I loved this video, and commend you for giving us people on a tight budget, a chance to hook up great power and voltage monitoring at affordable prices. This is an example of helping our common man, or neighbor, on how to wire things up, like the big boys do, but on a very tight budget. Hooking up a switch to allow the viewer to see both power out versus power in is a lot of help.
Just the info and instructions I was looking for. I didn't realize this type of monitor was a one way only, but the switch idea is great and I will be using it like per your instructions to monitor my battery on my small 200 watt solar setup that I am building for the first time. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, it is very much appreciated for noobs like me.
Do you see what the brand is? He forgot to put the links in description. Th thank you, best wishes
Excellent presentation that is very clear and easy to understand. No distracting music in the background. Devices clearly shown, demonstrated and Amazon links posted in the video notes. Other TH-cam presenters take note - this is how to do it if you want 100K views and a grateful audience. Teach the world!
Thank you that is very kind.
Very clear and organized.
Your videos are Awesome Thanks so much.
This is great info, thank you! We are looking for a way to add a power meter to the inside of our teardrop. We only have the 2 main lines coming in from the external battery. Can these be wired without running any additional wires to the battery? Just drawing power from our fuse box? Thank you!
Thanks for another great video. Do you know if you can use a larger shunt with the low end monitor?
Well done, and super helpful!!👏
Hey there great vid. I’ve got the bayite as well. What did you use to make a secure connection to the meter? I can’t create anything secure enough to survive the driving. Thanks
Great info. Thanks
Very informative info. Most of it I already know but I really like the way you take the time to explain it in the simplest way possible for the less informed. For that I will subscribe to give you more exposure. The switch idea is excellent and I will use as I have the same battery monitor. Thanks.
I'm definitely having a look at the last shunt in 100a format.
The one I was looking at had a low voltage cutout though.
I have that one. It worked well for a few days, now it’s stuck on 100% and never moves no matter what I do. The quality of these seems to be hit or miss
Thank you for making this intelligent video! I’m going to do just what you’ve demonstrated. 👍🏼
Very good how-to in this video and easy to understand instructions for installing a monitor.
Just found your channel.. outstanding!
Papa Jack Price ...Dad said a long time ago : "Son, you should be outstanding in your field"... So I went out and stood in the field...& lunchtime passed with Mom probably wundrin' bout me... Then dinner time came but I could not wait any longer & hunger won out. (I did grow up becoming outstanding in my field too)
Excellent video. I used one of the cheap ones to find what was killing my batteries!
Thanks so much for the education!! Great video!!
Excellent review! Simple and clear! 😊
Could you do a video comparing RV and residential fridge and battery setup for residential.
Excellent video!!!! You area natural teacher. Touched on all the main points, fast and without skipping a beat! I'm not electrical savvy but after your video i feel as an expert! GREAT JOB! The only thing I did not quite understood is if the monitor is recording the used Watthr and the charging WH will it show the balance indicating your battery staus or will it jut show the input or output from the battery. I'm talknog about the hall effect one because I believe the first one either does one or the other? If you can answer i certainly would appreciate it. Once again your video is the best I have ever watched. I subscribed to your channel.
Thank you for the information.
Great video I continue to share your useful information thank you
Thank you!
Bogart Engineering Trimetric, or the PentaMetric which will log your battery cycles over time (pricey but well worth it, and cheaper than a new set of batteries). I like the Penta's ability to send/log data to a PC or laptop and/or remote display, and can monitor more than one battery bank and solar input separately. I'm not affiliated in any way, just a happy customer.
GREAT video. Thanks you! I have 3 big 8D batteries on on my boat with a 3100 watt Magnum Inverter/Charger. I have no idea how to calculate the properly sized shunt or exactly where to put it in the wiring. Part of the complication is that there are 2 rotary battery switches that can combine all 3 batteries or keep the 2 house batteries separate from the third, isolated as a 'start' battery. Where do I even begin to get this one figured out? Any tips
Excellent video with great explanation. Thank you Sir
Thank you!
Thanks for doing this. Good info.
You’re welcome!
Always top notich 101-content and teachings! I should just start pasting that into my replies, would save me time on your channel LOL. Thanks again man!
Thank you! That’s very kind of you!
Thanks!! My new RV supposedly has a Bluetooth monitoring system. But I need something that actually works so I can monitor my battery / solar when boondocking. The Drok unit looks like a great option.
This is a good idea. Could you please show me how to connect between the switch and both of monitor and the shunt with a complete diagram? Thanks a lot.
Great information :)
This so great. I really need to monitor my battery as I mostly boondocks, but am not ready to go to the Victron. However, I don't understand where you put all this stuff--is inside the battery box or do you need to get wires inside the RV somehow? Would love to see an installation video. Thanks for your super helpful and thorough videos!
Thank you! You did an awesome job with explaining what the numbers one the monitors mean and how to calculate them. I learned so much and I only had to watch it once to understand it! lol
Glad it helped