How to Monitor RV Batteries On A Budget.

[@AllAboutRVs]

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!

[@RobinRastle]

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?

[@RMalsawmtluanga]

Not into RVs but the quality of information on this video is a pure gem.

[@jackcoleman5618]

Once you started talking about the switch...I Lost Ya !!

[@MrRodgomez]

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!!!

[@SojourningHope]

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.

[@camrodger5381]

This video is a perfect example of why your channel is so informational and educational. Thank you so very much!

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thank you!

[@RoadDogMedia]

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.

[@AllAboutRVs]

That’s great!

[@crashwrench]

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 .

[@gaetansimard1594]

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.

[@fishhuntadventure]

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.

[@normferguson2769]

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.

[@natez_868]

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.

[@rolfschubert1853]

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.

[@martydouglas1802]

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!!

[@jacktyler7599]

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 KZbin. This is a gem.

[@Brood_Master]

Absolutely correct... All those cheap / standard RV battery monitors use only voltage to tell you your SOC or State Of Charge... If you go by those it looks like your batteries are running down way too fast any time a significant load comes on like the heater. As soon as the heater goes off though the voltage comes right back up and then your batteries look good again. I added 900 watts of solar to my trailer and installed a Midnight Solar Kid charge controller with the optional Wiz bang Jr. 500 amp shunt which provides accurate SOC data.. To your point though, This is an expensive option with the Kid charge controller running around $350 and the wiz bang Jr shunt upgrade running around $100... But if you're adding solar to your RV. You need a charge controller any way. When considering the overall cost of a solar upgrade. Adding the shunt is actually fairly cheap. The Kid charge controller however is practically plug and play. It provides a whole slew of information like percent charge, watt hours, watts, amps being used and much more... Hookup is fairly straight forward and easy. You will need to program in the battery information which requires reading through the manual to understand the menus and of coarse you will need to know the technical data for your specific batteries like battery type, max charge current and amp hours. No... I don't own stock in Midnight Solar. I just love my setup and the ease of DIY installation. I like it so much that I built a larger system for my off grid cabin using Midnight Solar Classic charge controllers. One controller for wind power and another for solar power...

[@karenovershiner5119]

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!

[@Alpha-ms9nj]

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.

[@heatherk8931]

Do you see what the brand is? He forgot to put the links in description. Th thank you, best wishes

[@RoadDogMedia]

So I installed the DROK monitor as I mentioned in a previous comment and ended up purchasing another. I have wired them across the same shunt so I can measure incoming and outgoing power at the same time. What two monitors gives me versus the DPDT switch solution you mention (and I previously considered) was now I get to see aggregate power consumption and charging as opposed to momentary. If I reset both Power meters at the same time, I can see over the course of a day or weekend just how much power I'm "making up" versus consuming. One other thing I noticed is that the consumption meter only factors in consumption OVER AND ABOVE whatever is being charged by solar or other means. Which is to say, if I have a 10 amp load and my solar is putting 8 amps in, the consumption meter shows NET consumption of 2 amps, not the 10 amp load. I suppose this is a result of the solar energy in the circuit being more "available" than the current that would need to travel across the shunt to the load. Essentially, following the path of least resistance. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@alanpetersen4615]

Nice hook up, thanks for sharing.

[@dougbas3980]

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!

[@ZonaJim]

As a retired electrical engineer - Kudos to you!

[@tswitz65]

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!

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thank you!

[@xraykadiddlehopper8067]

Clear and easy instruction on install and switch schematic for dual operation. The second one with Hall effect sensor is definitely a better option. But the aili is by far #1 and much, much less expensive than the $200 alternative 👍 thank you.

[@RoadDogMedia]

Hall effect sensor have been shown to be LESS accurate than shunt based solutions at detecting current. Surprised me.

[@JerryEricsson]

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.

[@alanpetersen4615]

Good story!

[@Robert-yq3os]

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.

[@alanpetersen4615]

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.

[@alanmcrae8594]

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 KZbin presenters take note - this is how to do it if you want 100K views and a grateful audience. Teach the world!

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thank you that is very kind.

[@davelee-00]

Love the video. I highly recommend windscreen toll tags to save messing about with tickets and payment cards at the toll booths.

[@daveyusa1884]

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.

[@303nitzubishi4]

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

[@benkanobe7500]

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 KZbins, 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!!!

[@dannyandrose]

Okay , so I'm an idiot and followed the diagram on the back but.... But....... I found it much more explanatory when you showed that 10 second connection from the battery to the shunt on the table .... Thanks !

[@stanrathjen]

I use the Power Mon from Thornwave Labs. I drive up to stored RV, open app on phone, scan, and get percent charge of batteries. Simple to install.

[@JamesDean-ow7qo]

Thanks. This is the best of DIY; actually showing people how to do it themselves without mistakes.

[@eagle1532]

I bought 2 of them from Amazon, they work pretty good, just a shake off of being 100% accurate

[@davidstephens1092]

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.

[@heroesandzeros7802]

I use these on my solar panel projects and my RV. You can use them anywhere there is a 12VDC current.

[@glennmiddleton5634]

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.

[@Exterminator131]

I saw the version of this thing with 200 Amps shunt, but I'm not sure, if the concept of using shunt for current measurement is applicable to high-current setups... I can't say for sure about the shunt for the power meter from the video, but usually such shunts have voltage drop of 75 mV / 0.075V. For applications with little currents, it's not gonna be a problem. But for currents with tens of Amps, let alone hundreds of, this will definitely generate a lot of heat! Let's say, we're taking 50 Amps from the battery. Then, P = U x I = 0.075 x 50A = 3.75W. OK, it's not too much... But for 100 Amps it's already 7.5W, and for 200A - 15W! Of course, if take 100A case, when you're consuming 12V x 100A = 1200W, 7.5W is negligible addition for you... I agree, but the heating may be the problem! Therefore, my overall verdict is to use only the meters with hall counter for high-current applications, and for low-current ones (up to 20Amps in total), I'd suggest using the version of meters with integrated shunt. At least, it seems way easier to use: less wires, better accuracy (in theory). And usually low-current versions of power meters go with integrated shunt. In particular, I saw such version for the meter from video, and for many similar meters like that.

[@twochordthom2172]

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.

[@danielmclendon8346]

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!

[@johnsholian4318]

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!

[@powertool4uau]

This could possibly be the best most informative clearest well explained video ever produced and put on the net AAA+++

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thank you

[@rickrangel]

WOW!!! I don't know why your video came up, maybe because I'm an RV owner. That's KZbin for you. But DANG!!! I really like the way you explain things. You are absolutely a genius when it comes to this stuff. I want to thank you. I should get a battery monitor battery, as I don't have one. Come to think of it, I will get one. I have two, both batteries are like 8 years old. I'm almost sure I will need to replace them very soon. This will be a good time to get a battery monitor on a new set of batteries. Once again, thanks and you just got a new prescriber to your channel.

[@markgosser9578]

Bought the cheapest monitor for my camper batteries, thanks for video!

[@jennaparicio3738]

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

[@AllAboutRVs]

Glad it helped

[@DirtyPlumbus]

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.

[@Hiroak]

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.

[@BobBohner4851]

Best explanation in utube. Thanks for getting me to the right unit with the right capabilities!!!!!

[@Javy871]

Excellent video. I used one of the cheap ones to find what was killing my batteries!

[@noyopacific]

I knew what a shunt does. I watched this video to see how you mounted it so it doesn’t bounce around. The shunt has no mounting holes or tabs to attach it to something. I watched the video until the end and was disappointed that you didn’t address this important issue. BTW, Trimetric battery monitors are superior to Victron and they cost a bit less because the company doesn’t pay promoters to feature them.

[@futiletemptress]

hey Jared, the amazon reviews say that there is a bug with the BMV-712. here is a piece of the review from amazon: "..the purpose of this device is to monitor battery capacity so you are never left on the water with a dead battery and it does a spectacular job measuring load coming off your battery; however it does not measure the power which the gauge consumes on its own and it will consume every last amp left in your battery until it is completely dead and unusable. Unfortunately when it does this, the capacity will still show 99.9% or 100% of your battery remaining but in reality your battery is dead as a doornail and cannot be used. I have had 2 instances of this happening. One final thing I will mention is that the BMV consumes 4ma of power at idle and the Bluetooth dongle consumes 1ma of power at idle so there is always a parasitic load of 5ma of power on your battery. If you do the math that would be a .005amp per hour draw so every 8 days the BMV + Bluetooth has consumes 1 amp of power. On a standard 100amp battery, only 70amps would be usable so it is only a matter of time (depending upon the age and state of your battery) before your battery is dead leaving you stranded with a false sense of security of having 100% charge. In conclusion, after owning this BMV unit for 2 years and seeing the bugs first hand with 2 instances of dead batteries and the BMV telling me I still had 99% charge remaining I would NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT TO ANYBODY. Purchase at your own risk, you have been forewarned." what is your experience with this, Jared? p.s. disconnecting the shunt is an unacceptable solution bc the device loses all of it's saved settings and will have to be reconfigured. thought?

[@AllAboutRVs]

Good question, I haven’t had that issue at all. The amount that the BMV uses is so small I have a hard time thinking it is the only contributing factor. The math in the review doesn’t quite add up. It makes sense that it uses an amp in 8 days but that would leave you with 99 amps after the 8 days which will be completely fine. If I’m reading between the lines it looks like this happened in a storage situation and RV batteries need to be charged every few weeks to keep them charged and healthy anyway. A small solar battery tender in storage or charging every few weeks will keep your system working regardless of the monitor you have. The monitor will only calculate what passes through the shunt not what it naturally looses as it’s stored. I hope this helps.

[@futiletemptress]

@@AllAboutRVs i bought the new renogy 500a battery monitor. still waiting on it to arrive :) i think i will be pleased

[@jimbobxcityguy5338]

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.

[@sean808080]

Wow...it's like you read my mind. That victron battery monitor is nice but our budget is more like $50 bucks since we're not full=timing and there are more doodads to buy. Thanks for another informative video!

[@chriscarter7182]

sean808080 I’ve got all the doodads I need, I’m now looking for all of the gadgets, gizmos, thingamajigs,and other geewhizmo’s! All that treasure, just no place to put it! Dang!

[@sparkmiester]

Your videos are always helpful and timely. Many thanks

[@douglasrk44]

Really enjoy your clear presentation. All the info we need with no extra words 👍

[@ryancousins]

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.

[@rickcardona1026]

Loved the video great details to. 👍 Just needed to know where the switch wires go to.

[@skywagon185guy]

Jerry, The Drok looks like a nice solution, "except" for a major flaw. It's hall effect sensor comes with a very short cable..!! Not enough to do anything with, unless you plan to strap the display directly to your house batteries, or other... They need to supply a long shielded optional cable so one can mount this inside the RV and still have the sensor outside on the battery set....

[@rickw4022]

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!!

[@benjaminmagee9427]

You sir, have created an excellent video and I applaud your help!

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thanks!

[@TheGhungFu]

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.

[@KimWF570]

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!

[@donwatterson8343]

Keep the videos coming, lots of good information. I am exploring expanding my 100watt factory installed solar arrangement and want to add 300more watt solar panels and two 12v 100amp lithium batteries to my 2022 Winnebago 2108FBS trailer

[@peterraymond3653]

Awesome, thank you. Explained everything I needed to know for our RV

[@clintstinytrailerconversio5560]

The first meter/monitor shunt at 100 amps is a big limit. Shunts are rated that ive used from 60 to 500 amps, but you can't put that much load continuously. A 500 amp for instance might be good for 350 continuous, which is a lot. But that 100 amp might be really only good for 50 to 60 amps.

[@jcsjourney9937]

Hmm, based on your impressive vid on the BRV-712, just received my order 2 days ago. Still believe that the blue tooth app will provide so much more info and history, and thus justify much of the price premium. I do appreciate that you are trying to provide solutions at multiple price/function points.

[@jcsjourney9937]

Sorry, that is the BMV-712. Have you considered implementing mid point monitoring or the battery balancer solutions for your monitoring with the BMV-712??

[@grantspapa9537]

Very good how-to in this video and easy to understand instructions for installing a monitor.

[@Scoopy4444]

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 ✌

[@paparentman]

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.

[@lionridds]

Awesome video! Easy and simple to understand. Now hopefully I don’t blow my third battery monitor 🫣

[@VideoByPatrick]

I never knew that shunts could meter in both directions; I thought in DC, voltage always travels plus (positive hot polarity) to minus (negative ground).

[@Eric12358]

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.

[@jessebonds1014]

Got mine for 6$ awesome buy

[@vincentrvlife2393]

Thank you so much for this video. I learned a lot as I decide what monitor to choose for my system.

[@soujrnr]

Good stuff and very succinct explanations of things. I would only add one word of caution. When working with electricity of any kind, please remove ALL jewelry. That ring on your finger could cause you to lose that finger (or worse) if you touch the wrong thing with it. I've seen it happen. I worked in the avionic and defense industry as both a radar and system engineer and safety is absolutely paramount when working with electricity. Aside from that, great stuff!! Thanks for sharing!

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thanks for the heads up! I switched to a silicone ring a few years ago because of the risk of losing a finger

[@robertkaplan6600]

Awesome as usual...I am in the process of trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks

[@TeachandTugTravels]

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

[@TchauRod]

My question on this meter is: I installed one on my 2x 200amp/h lithium battery 24v system, but which settings would i choose being that those readers are set for 100amp batteries? (1,2,3,4,5 batteries, but all 100amp) My meter shows 100% all the time. Gotta be wrong!

[@GunnerBoomer]

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.

[@BobBlarneystone]

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.

[@snapfly7]

Can you explain why resetting the whrs is necessary? I'm new to this 😬

[@nannermakuk]

Your videos are so clear and informative. Thank you so much!

[@adlcm67]

Last part was Great..!!

[@adassociates8235]

Hi Jared, thanks for all wonderful informative videos, we are going to build our camper van , we are wondering that the need of bus bar ( either neg and pos ) is necessary for hooking up power inverter to house battery as we plan to have Renogy DC DC charger with Bigbattery Lithium while we drive? Very confuse about how lithium battery is be able to feed Inverter while charging at same time as battery only has 1 neg and 1 pos post, there is no such input or output posts😅😇.

[@wildcatcortex]

you can easy order 5 of them, after around 12 month of use the display was showing incorrect voltages. So i changed it and now it is good since a couple of weeks. But I ordered 2 more just to make sure. If I can see a major difference between Inverter, charger and monitor system in Voltage, I check my battery bank by hand and mostly it is the monitor. could be a difference of 0.2 to 0.8 volt sometimes more. Its cheap, yes but you still need to monitor by hand ...

[@salembaabbad8783]

You actually answered my questions with out asking you 😃, thanks 🙏 sur

[@flasha29]

Of course the Victron is his favorite.. usually these videos are Victron Ads..disguised as recommendations or reviews.

[@timstevens9992]

By far the best video I've seen on the subject. Thank you.

[@vernpasfield3892]

Great presentation, have been using a Blueseas M2 for 3 years and its having problems, Blueseas tech are giving support but its good to know what is out there.

[@everydayeverydayjane2997]

Lol you had me and I was listening and understanding. 😂 but then, somehow I got to technical.

[@charlieodom9107]

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.

[@KevinModz65]

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

[@neubert500]

Excellent video with great explanation. Thank you Sir

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thank you!

[@rogerespinoza9367]

Great info yet again Jared Thank you for sharing all your knowledge.

[@kimbo1961]

I have a battery lighting emergency system at home with the 1st meter to monitor battery but i also have a batt charger connected to it but going directly to battery bypassing meter. Do you have a circuit diagram of how i can connect the charger also to operate through the meter so i can also monitor the charging process and see the amps and watthrs going into battery. Thanks. ALL YOUR VIDEOS ARE EXCELLENT and you are a natural. Wish i had had you as my teacher in college. MAN YOU ARE GOOD !!! Keep up the good work. .

[@tonydeleo3642]

I believe the terminals on the switch you used would accept crimp-on 1/4 inch female spade connectors, save having to solder. There is also one that fits smaller spade termonals. As to power for the battery monitor, do you have to connect directly to the battery or just a full time 12 volt power source?

[@Russell_and_Rosko]

The chart you’ve used onscreen for checking battery levels by monitoring voltage is for lithium batteries only. Battery chemistry determines what voltage to charge, boost, equalize, float a battery at. This is the #1 most important factor when maintaining your expensive batteries. Check with the manufacturer of your battery (most batteries have this on the tag) for the range of voltage the battery is most healthy. The generic chart posted will quickly damage all but lithium batteries. Sealed lead acid, gel, agm batteries all don’t “like” voltages under 11.9, even while under load briefly ie starting the vehicle. Once you see under 11.0, you are damaging your batteries. The primary reason expensive banks fail prematurely is from a lack of awareness and continued use at damaging voltage. Set your charge, boost, equalize, float voltages to the battery manufacturers range. Clean all terminals and check all connections to ensure they’re tight (a loose connection raises resistance and creates heat), check for loosely crimped terminals, oxidation indicates a poorly maintained system and everything should be cleaned up with a wire brush at least once a year. Monitor everything while it’s under load without supplementing the bank with solar, alt, or shore power and make sure the voltage does not excessively “sag” beyond the safe range while in use. Verify voltage from in anything that supplies charge to the bank (verify the health of the voltage regulator on the alternator). The vehicles starting battery health can impact the alternators ability to charge the house battery bank. Check voltage at the alternator, the starting battery, the battery switch or acr, then at the house bank while the engine is on to check voltage drop between the alternator and the house battery bank. Excessive voltage drop usually indicates the wiring to the house bank needs to be supplemented. Clean your ground connections.

[@AllAboutRVs]

The chart I used was a generic Lead Acid chart that many use. Lithium is actually hard to use a chart for voltage because it holds its voltage much better than lead-acid and slightly higher as well. The chart did show that 11.9 is under 50% which you should not take your lead-acid batteries below 50%. The point was to show how these monitors give you much better information to know the health of you battery and the state of charge compared to a voltage only type monitor. I hope that helps clear it up.

[@Russell_and_Rosko]

All About RV's - Thanks for the response. If there’s the awareness that anything under 50% is damaging for most batteries, then good, but most are not aware of this and many allow their batteries to discharge beyond safe limits because they don’t monitor their bank constantly, whether they meter it or watch an analyzer. The bank becomes badly damaged when discharged to 10v...unless it’s lithium.

[@b4804514]

Hey Jered Your videos are excellent please keep educating us.

[@TQMouse]

I have learned soo much from you and mark!!!!

[@imadudd5]

you don't have to lose your charge from the alternator if you install a boost converter from 12V to 24V just before the battery. that way you can have a 24V system and also have charge from your alternator and have charge from your solar mppt charger.

[@goddardwb]

How about a video on setting up the GLMT300 $20 mini router for a hub for Visible cellular. It works great and competes with $300 routers. Yes, the battery monitor works great. I wired mine with the toggle switch. Reading compare very well to the AC200P Bluetti. Keep your interesting topics.

[@ScottyP5947]

You make terrific videos. Thanks for your contribution!

[@AllAboutRVs]

Thank you!