It installs using a standard RJ12 telephone shunt and mounts flush against the wall of your RV. It’s built to be easy to install and configure while also providing a useful range of data points. The Victron Energy BMV-712 Battery Monitor is an advanced option for those looking to get really in-depth information about their batteries. Our list includes great examples of both sensors and models at every price point relevant to the modern RV enthusiast.Įditors Choice for Best Value RV Battery Monitor Victron Energy BMV-712 Best Battery Monitor The Victron Energy RV battery monitor product picture You can pick up basic sensors for a steal of a deal, or spend significantly more on models that provide more in-depth metrics about a greater range of systems. With RV battery monitors, the real choices come down to how much information you want and how you want to access it. We checked out and reviewed the best RV battery monitors we could find to help you pick out the perfect unit for your needs. An RV battery monitor gives you the tools to do just that, plus a whole host of other useful features that RVers love. The downside to this is that you now have to maintain and monitor those batteries to keep them in tip top shape. Modern deep-cycle batteries combined with a solar system or small charging generator let you extend your time away from shore power far longer than ever before. That is a great feeling.Battery technology has finally advanced to the point where it’s truly possible to take your RV boondocking off-grid for significant periods of time. Watching the voltage climb and the battery ‘percent full’ value climb as the sun rises is very neat! The battery bank is full by 09:30 AM and I can burn as much electricity as I like. I am entirely LED equipped so leaving all lights on doesn’t draw much power, so, I have to use things like fans, incandescent lights, and a small inverter. Believe it or not, this takes a great deal of effort. I’ve drawn the house batteries down to the 80% level overnight. ![]() It is fun to run various electrical components after dark and be able to see the amperage being drawn and the battery ‘percent full’ change. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with this new tool. It is certainly not difficult – just read the manual. Configuring the monitor requires a read or two of manual as everything is done with just two buttons. The monitor is very capable is this mode only. Initially, it is setup to provide just the basics and only requires setting three values. The Trimetric monitor has a bunch of features. These two add-on’s would allow the charge controller to do a better job by having an accurate sense of the battery voltage and temperature. Of course, while I was at it… I also ran a battery voltage sense cable and battery temperature cable to the MorningStar MPPT solar charge controller. I ordered a 50′ cable and just barely had enough. This required a run from the battery bank in the very front of Shaneeda, to the rear axle, up thru the floor, and then forward to my “electric panel” location. I wanted to follow the existing electrical wiring and not punch a new hole anywhere. The cable from the shunt to the Trimetric monitor is a not so easy – at least in my case. For this, I had to make one very short length of cable. You simply need a place to mount the shunt and the correct cables to connect it to the battery. In my case, I needed to install a 500 amp shunt at the battery bank and then run the cables. Installing the Trimetric Battery Monitor is pretty simple but that doesn’t mean that some effort is not required. ![]() I decided that knowing exactly what was going on with my 12 volt electrical system would be very beneficial, provide a great deal of peace of mind, and would be well worth the two-hundred dollars that the Trimetric battery monitor costs. ![]() However one does run the risk of damaging the batteries (over-depleting) and is constantly wondering what state things are in. As a result of that experiment, I began to understand how nice/convenient it would be to know what is happening with your battery bank. Why? Well, that is the question I had prior to spending ten days boondocking with solar only. So, I followed their lead and purchased one too. While researching solar power on the Internet, one cannot miss the many references to the Trimetric Battery Monitor.
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