Camper battery monitor11/22/2023 ![]() Most RVs have one of those 12V car ports in them to run things like 12V TVs, heating blankets, and other appliances. The Innova 3721 is great if you are looking for a more plug-and-play method to monitor your battery’s state of charge inside your RV. Innova 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor. Use the table below to determine your remaining battery power. Touch the red probe to positive and black to negative after setting the multimeter to read DC volts and note the battery’s voltage. There are no fluids to get into for specific gravity tests when checking lithium batteries, so you will want to use the multimeter method to measure your battery’s charge state via voltage. So, How Do You Determine How Much Battery Power You Have Left When Using Lithium? In practice, that means your 100 amp-hour lead-acid battery only has 50Ah of usable battery power, while just about all 100Ah are usable when using lithium. Although experts recommend only discharging it down to 20% regularly to get the longest lifespan. While lead-acid shouldn’t be discharged below 50%, a lithium battery can be discharged down further without seriously harming the battery. One big advantage LiFePO4 batteries have over lead-acid is it has a much deeper DoD. If you are thinking of switching over to LiFePO4 batteries, have a look at Everything You Need to Know About Installing Lithium Batteries in an RV. This type of lithium battery has proven to be safe, reliable, and longer-lasting than lead-acid batteries. You will see this marketed using the compound’s chemical formula LiFePO4. The most common type of 12V lithium battery found in RVs uses lithium iron phosphate. There are different types of lithium-ion batteries used in various applications. Of course, they are based on using lithium rather than lead in their makeup, and they have several advantages over lead-acid batteries. Like AGM lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries are sealed and maintenance-free. Lithium batteries are becoming more popular with RVers-especially those interested in solar systems and boondocking. If you choose to measure your battery power with this method, make sure to get one with a built-in thermometer and follow the directions carefully to arrive at an accurate reading. Note: A professional battery hydrometer will give you more pinpointed readings than the ranges on the EZRED model. Refer to the specific gravity table to find your current battery power.050 or more difference in the specific gravity reading between the highest and lowest cell, you may have a weak or dead battery cell. All the cells should read about the same.Continue onto the next cell and repeat until you have measured all the battery cells.Read the measured value on the device and write that value down.Release the bulb to draw fluid into the hydrometer until the battery electrolyte solution fills the hydrometer to the maximum level. ![]() ![]() Squeeze the bulb and carefully insert the battery hydrometer into the cell.Safety first! Battery acid is very harmful to your skin.The nice thing about the EZRED hydrometer is it’s a temperature compensating hydrometer. You can find them online and in most auto-part stores. One of the easiest to use is an EZRED Battery Hydrometer. How to Use a Multimeter to Determine Battery Power In effect, when determining the remaining battery power of a lead-acid battery, you are trying to determine how close you are to 50% rather than 0%. It probably won’t hurt the battery too much if you used 60-70% of the battery capacity every once in a while, but doing so frequently will shorten the battery’s lifespan. In other words, your battery will last the longest when you don’t drain it below 50%. Regardless of the type of lead-acid battery you have, the recommended maximum depth of discharge is 50%. Depth of Discharge (DoD) of an RV Lead-Acid Battery If you don’t already know your battery type, this information should be on the battery label. 6V deep-cycle golf cart batteries (typically flooded type)īefore determining the charge state of your LA batteries, it is a good idea to know what kind of battery you have.12V sealed Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries.12V flooded lead-acid batteries (the kind you have to add water to).You’ll find three styles of deep-cycle lead-acid batteries in the RV world: × Thank you for subscribing to the Camper Smarts newsletter, keep your eye on your inbox for updates.
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