Maintenance & Restoration

MJo · 09-03-2021, 10:32 AM

Thank you. Where did you connect it? My Scamp has a cigarette lighter type port next to the ones I use to charge my iPhone, will that be ok or do I need a special port somewhere else? I can’t see the area where your monitor is plugged in. MJo.
also, what’s the brand of the one you use? I didn’t see one like that on Amazon, but of course, I wasn’t looking….

CarlD · 09-03-2021, 11:18 AM

MJo, measuring just the battery voltage can estimate the state of charge, HOWEVER it needs to be done when the battery is resting, which is after an hour or two with no load and no charging. I would think first thing in the morning would be best. No need to buy a voltmeter, you already have one in your Adventurer solar charger, You can experiment with that one and see how well it works for you. It may be all you need.

Here are a couple battery monitors on Amazon. I own the first one and it works great. I have no experience with the other two which look like rebranded units. Perhaps someone will chime in.

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Energ...s%2C187&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-500A-B...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V1VZNGH...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Glenn Baglo · 09-03-2021, 11:22 AM

I'm in Canada so my search results won't help you.
Google Cigarette Car Battery Tester Voltage Meter Voltmeter

gordon2 · 09-03-2021, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJo

So I looked on Amazon. The ones you’re talking about, Victron, etc. run $200+. How about just a little one, I’m not looking for something to control the space satellite, just know how my battery is doing. Isn’t there one in the $20-$40 range that would do the trick?

There are some cheap Chinese made monitors with shunts that work the same way. Some have the shunt inside the display case. But keep in mind that ALL the 12 volt current you use is going through the shunt. That can be a considerable amount. For that reason I prefer a reputable brand.

The basic Victron is $ 144 but you will need to add a little for wire and connectors.

CarlD · 09-03-2021, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordon2

There are some cheap Chinese made monitors with shunts that work the same way. Some have the shunt inside the display case. But keep in mind that ALL the 12 volt current you use is going through the shunt. That can be a considerable amount. For that reason I prefer a reputable brand.

The basic Victron is $ 144 but you will need to add a little for wire and connectors.

See post 82 for links to a couple monitors.

starbrightsteve · 09-03-2021, 06:29 PM

There are lots of technical solutions to storing electrons. But...the thing that matters the most when you have a 100 watt panel is how much the sun shines. Ida passed here yesterday and we have a 8900 watt panel(array) in our back yard. It rained all day and we made 5 kilowatts. The next day the sun shone all day and we made 55 kilowatts. Two weeks ago in the Adirondacks we were in a shaded site and on 4 of the 8 days we camped, it rained and was cloudy.we have a 160 watt panel on the roof and a 160 watt portable but we burned up 1.5 gallons with of gas with a Honda generator keeping our batteries from discharging too low. If the sun is shining and your panel can see it,100 watts is fine.

jwcolby123 · 09-03-2021, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starbrightsteve

...

If the sun is shining and your panel can see it,100 watts is fine.

I'm sorry I have to keep pounding on this but a statement like that is not helpful for a nubee asking for advice.

How about "I'm not bothering to tell you what I do with my power, nor what I have for a battery, nor whether I care at all about the state of charge and taking care of my battery, but FOR ME If the sun is shining and MY panel can see it, 100 watts is fine FOR ME." (which apparently even that isn't true because you have 160 watts)

I can tell you, unequivocally, that it is NOT fine for ME.

Steve, the OP (and likely others reading this thread) is someone who is just getting started in this stuff. If you have a solar array in your back yard at home, that is obviously NOT TRUE for you.

Steve, I have been RVing since the early 90s. And because I did not understand this stuff I went through lead acid batteries every two years or so. Now one can argue all one wishes that "so what, they are cheap" but there is still the whole issue of "damned, the battery is not holding a charge any more (and I found this out in the middle of my camping trip), let's haul the rv down to wal-mart AGAIN".

Lead acid batteries, and panels to keep them charged up, and the electronics to monitor them are about as close to rocket science as any part of RVing gets. And having folks with lots of experience throwing out pretty much useless statements like "100 watt panels are fine" with no surrounding context is ... unhelpful.

Steve please understand I am NOT attacking you, I am frustrated that a half dozen folks with the best of intentions have given that same pretty much useless statement.

Glenn Baglo · 09-03-2021, 09:20 PM

It's the thread that never ends

jwcolby123 · 09-04-2021, 02:56 AM

Yeah and I'm done.
Any nubees just know that 90% of responses in this forum regarding batteries and solar will be useless at best and downright dangerous at worst. You might want to look elsewhere for advice.

But hey, batteries are cheap, and if you buy at walmart, and are amoral, you can get a lifetime warranty replacement for when you trash it.

MJo · 09-05-2021, 09:46 AM

So, for those of us who just want to hook things up and use them, and aren’t interested in the technical intricacies, a 100 watt solar should run a refrigerator and a l.e.d. or 2 and keep a battery healthy without problems. that’s all many of us want to know, those of us who just want to load up, check the gas, get on the road and find a place to sit and enjoy the great outdoors for a day or 2. There probably is a site out there somewhere for those who want to argue watts and Ohms and buy expensive meters, there must be, somewhere….

Glenn Baglo · 09-05-2021, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJo

a 100 watt solar should run a refrigerator and a l.e.d. or 2 and keep a battery healthy without problems.

Only if you are running the fridge on propane, with limited use of the furnace ( because of the electric fan ).

gordon2 · 09-05-2021, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJo

.. There probably is a site out there somewhere for those who want to argue watts and Ohms and buy expensive meters, there must be, somewhere….

Yes, you are on it now

It does depend on what you use and how you camp... My fridge uses no electric at all.. and I have a Wave 3 heater.. again, no electric at all. And I can use small LED lights for a few days on a pair of "D" cell batteries. So a 000 watt solar system would work for me (if I use only those things). I can even leave the 45 lb 12 volt battery at home!

But if you are depending on food in a fridge with a 12 volt control board, or depending on a fan driven furnace to keep from freezing, then the math starts to matter. And if you don't like math, the "gas gauge" makes life easy and it is not that all that expensive when its the difference between fun weekends or miserable, hungry and cold ones.

MJo · 09-05-2021, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Only if you are running the fridge on propane, with limited use of the furnace ( because of the electric fan ).

but with a frig and an l.e.d. or 2, with nothing else, a 100 watt solar could keep the battery charged?
I don’t have a furnace or a/c, I’m just trying to get a range of what my 100 watt solar panel can do, (if anything) to start with. If i needed to, I have 2-20 lb. propane tanks.

Glenn Baglo · 09-05-2021, 12:13 PM

I don't think you'll have any issues. I have a lantern ( for emergency use ) that can run for 30 days, using three D cells. A couple LED lights in the trailer will draw very little from the house battery. Other draws would be igniter for fridge and propane gas detector ( assuming you have one ).

Raz · 09-05-2021, 12:28 PM

Most fridge control boards draw about 1/2 amp when on propane. The fridge manual should tell you. That could be your biggest demand and you can't turn it off. Then you have to account for cloudy days. That's why it's tough to say yes or no.

Glenn Baglo · 09-05-2021, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raz

Most fridge control boards draw about 1/2 amp when on propane. The fridge manual should tell you. That could be your biggest demand and you can't turn it off. Then you have to account for cloudy days. That's why it's tough to say yes or no.

My old Dometic 2510 AC/Propane fridge doesn't have a control board to need replacement. No blinking LEDs. The only DC would be to spark the igniter on start up.