Are you struggling to keep track of your RV electrical system? An RV battery monitor might come in handy and save you, as it can help to measure how much power is utilized by batteries.
It can be quite challenging to maintain a healthy Electrical system. And even more difficult to keep an eye on each electrical appliance present inside your RV. So, to avoid over-discharging of batteries, it is suggested to take some precautionary measures like installing a battery monitor.
Some of the factors that can be considered before investing in an RV battery monitor:-
- It can ensure keeping a check on a wide variety of batteries and their current output range.
- Other than the current output range, a battery monitor that can measure voltage range is also equally important.
- Certain RV monitors have Bluetooth connectivity feature that enables one to view readings of batteries simply on the smartphone itself.
- Battery monitors that come with the benefit of a warranty period are also preferred.
All the factors mentioned above contribute to helping in deciding a suitable RV battery monitor. In addition, you can even take insights from a complete buying guide before investing in one.
Best RV Monitors In The Market
1. Victorian BMV 712 Smart Battery Monitor
Victorian Energy is one of the market’s most affordable and reliable brands that offers a current range of 0 to 500 amps. It is fascinating to know that, though the display screen of the monitor is comparatively small, it has a unique Bluetooth connectivity feature. And with this feature, you can view readings on your smartphone effortlessly. It also comes with a five-year warranty, making it an even better choice.
2. Renogy 500A Battery Monitor
Renogy battery monitor has a good battery life and a large backlit display, suitable for your RV. In addition, it is an efficient battery monitor as the monitor’s screen reflects battery capacity and the amount of Energy consumed by the electrical appliances.
3. INNOVA 3721 Battery Monitor
Innova is a new brand introduced that deals with battery-related accessories. The Innova battery monitor is unique due to its compact design. It is capable of connecting to a fixed 12-volt battery. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that it doesn’t show the current value. However, it is fairly affordable and has a year’s warranty.
4. MNJ Multifunction Battery Monitor
MNJ motor manufactures all sorts of RV accessories. They have introduced a battery monitor that can even read high voltages. It also has multiple options to view readings and is relatively affordable.
5. ANCEL BM300 Battery Monitor
Ancel battery monitor is best If you are looking for something than can provide numerous features. For example, it allows Bluetooth connectivity and even supports smartphone apps. However, it is not versatile regarding voltage reading range and works with only 12 – volt batteries.
How To Read RV Battery Monitor Panel
There are certain features that are found in an ideal battery monitor. And one of the highlighting traits of the battery monitor panel is its clear and visible screen. A good RV monitor panel allows us to easily read the battery percentage or current usage. As some battery monitor panels make it difficult for us to read their screen in a day or bright light.
We need to keep a track of certain readings, such as the amount of Energy going into your battery or the amount of Energy left in it. Thus, a good panel provides all the necessary information about battery health. Also, it helps to keep an eye on the remaining battery or the amount of time left for the battery to drain completely.
An excellent battery panel shows the battery percentage along with “increments,” for example, 22½ to 35⅔ as compared to the ones that are incapable of showing these increments.
How Do I Check My RV Battery Health
An efficient device called a multimeter is used to check the battery’s accurate charge state. It is used on DC settings. The meter generally displays the battery in volts and has the capacity to read up to 12V or 6V voltage.
Also, one of the easiest ways to keep a check on your RV battery health is by noting down the voltage range that works with different battery percentages. And make sure that your battery percentage never falls below 50%, as most batteries destroy when they continuously fall below 20%.
How Does An RV Battery Monitor Work
If you want to use an RV battery monitor to check the battery health of your RV, it is necessary to understand how an RV battery monitor work. An essential device in your RV is a shunt. It can be of great significance as it measures the amount of electricity that passes through a battery and then send that information to the RV battery monitor. Then, the registered information is calculated and reflected on the screen of the battery monitor.
All the electricity that goes inside the circuit of the battery monitor needs to pass through the shunt in order to have complete access to the information of the battery system and the health of your RV.
It basically tells us about the amount of power being consumed and how much battery is charging, ultimately directing on how much power is left that remains and can be consumed.
How To Install An RV Battery Monitor
There are various steps through which you can successfully install a battery monitor in your RV campervan.
First of all, identify and learn about all the components that are present in an RV battery monitor. Some of them are battery monitor shunt, battery monitor display, shunt-monitor connection cable, and temperature sensor wire.
After getting familiar with the individual components, you can now connect the battery monitor shunt to the negative battery terminal. Also, do not forget to connect the shunt to the display of the battery monitor. Such an arrangement will allow a clear and correct display of readings on the battery monitor screen when connected with Bluetooth.
Conclusion
Nowadays, traveling in your own RV is preferred by everyone, but it also brings a lot of responsibilities regarding its maintenance.
One needs to be super sure about the above factors and then update their RV electrical system. For example, it wouldn’t be appreciable if the electrical appliances present inside your RV suddenly stopped in the middle of the trip due to high voltage consumption.
Hence, an RV battery monitor is required to track the power available when running an RV on the road.
