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03-22-2023, 03:46 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 144
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Looking for simple Battery Monitor for house and chassis.
Hi All,
After a recent issue with low chassis battery and need to use boost switch I'm looking for a simple battery monitor for both house and chassis. My inside panel in hallway only shows house battery condition. I'd like something blue tooth to my phone or a small panel that works via blue tooth so I don't need to run wires from battery compartment. The charging indicator while running is one thing, but having something for a quick scan while either driving or parked to just give voltage readings for both battery banks would be handy. Any suggestions for something reasonably priced? <$200  I do have access in left front compartment to chassis and coach power cables.
Thanx - Dean
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2008 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40SKQ (8/21)
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03-22-2023, 03:58 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 583
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deanrd
Hi All,
After a recent issue with low chassis battery and need to use boost switch I'm looking for a simple battery monitor for both house and chassis. My inside panel in hallway only shows house battery condition. I'd like something blue tooth to my phone or a small panel that works via blue tooth so I don't need to run wires from battery compartment. The charging indicator while running is one thing, but having something for a quick scan while either driving or parked to just give voltage readings for both battery banks would be handy. Any suggestions for something reasonably priced? <$200  I do have access in left front compartment to chassis and coach power cables.
Thanx - Dean
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The Victron smart shunt has Bluetooth to monitor battery with your phone.
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03-22-2023, 07:11 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 13,193
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X2 on the Victron BMV712
I installed on last year, works great. Comes with a monitor but also on bluetooth which is great.
I have my rig parked in my garage, when I'm in my workshop I can check the status of the house and chassis batteries using my phone. This winter I decided to use a timer and charge the batteries 4 hours on Friday. The rest of the time the batteries are not being charged and slowly deplete. By being able to monitor I can confirm their state of charge.
__________________
Jim J
2002 Monaco Windsor 38 PKD Cummins ISC 350 8.3L
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee w/5.7 Hemi
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03-22-2023, 07:18 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 3,334
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About 30$ on Amazon for a Bluetooth one
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2004 Dynasty 4
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03-22-2023, 09:01 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 28,553
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacwjames
X2 on the Victron BMV712
I installed on last year, works great. Comes with a monitor but also on bluetooth which is great.
I have my rig parked in my garage, when I'm in my workshop I can check the status of the house and chassis batteries using my phone. This winter I decided to use a timer and charge the batteries 4 hours on Friday. The rest of the time the batteries are not being charged and slowly deplete. By being able to monitor I can confirm their state of charge.
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Each battery type is rated for a number of cycles. This means each week, when they deplete, you are using one cycle. IMO it is better to maintain the charge constantly, or disconnect the ground cable so they do not deplete or require charging.
Plus, unless they are fully-charged at the end of those 4 hrs. they are sulfating and slowly being ruined.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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03-22-2023, 09:16 PM
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#6
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Solar Maniac
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Posts: 2,909
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You can buy cheap or you can buy good..... but it's almost impossible to get both 
The Victron Smartshunt and BMV712 are the best, both can connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone and they will monitor both your house batteries as well as your chassis or starting batteries (if applicable). If you don't have starting batteries (TT or 5th wheel) then the second channel can be used to monitor battery temp.
All the rest or simply cheaper substitutes.
The SS sells for around $125 and the BMV 712 (Which includes a remote gauge and extended BT range) goes for around $195.
__________________
Paul & Jean
2001 Alpine 36FDDS (74291)-3900W Solar, 13,440Wh (525Ah @24V) LiFePO4
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (Hemi)
2006 Alpenlite 32RL - Sold
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03-23-2023, 06:26 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paul65k
You can buy cheap or you can buy good..... but it's almost impossible to get both 
The Victron Smartshunt and BMV712 are the best, both can connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone and they will monitor both your house batteries as well as your chassis or starting batteries (if applicable). If you don't have starting batteries (TT or 5th wheel) then the second channel can be used to monitor battery temp.
All the rest or simply cheaper substitutes.
The SS sells for around $125 and the BMV 712 (Which includes a remote gauge and extended BT range) goes for around $195.
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Amazon shows a BMV712 with shunt. Now to figure out how to run a cable from battery compartment behind rear axle to opposite side up front into drivers area.
Thanx - Dean
__________________
2008 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 40SKQ (8/21)
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03-23-2023, 08:59 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2022
Location: Mid Coast Maine
Posts: 139
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Dean, you can run it up inside the frame. You can also get some rugged wire like Marine wire. Tinned. It looks like romex but is much more substantial.
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03-23-2023, 10:07 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Wandering below the Gnat Line
Posts: 1,804
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I know you have an elegant solution in mind....
My dash cigarette lighter is connected to the chassis battery and is live even with the ignition off. This plugs into it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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-jbh-
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03-23-2023, 01:15 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Thornville, Ohio
Posts: 3,091
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Years ago I built a bud box simple battery monitor. It's simple just voltage meter with three voltage meters. I bought the three meters on amazon they are round LED and were maybe $3 each. I have one meter for the chassis battery bank, one for the house battery bank and one for the solar voltage pre-controller voltage.
I ran a common ground to all three meters and switch the ground so the meters are not on all the time.
I keep where the meters are are the chart of voltage to % of charge. I try not to allow the batteries to drop below 70% SOW, which should not use any of the battery discharge cycle.
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Art & Joyce
Thornville, OH
Kia Soul pushing a 36' DP Endeavor
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03-23-2023, 06:06 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 458
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I got my cheap 350A and me with shunt off Amazon for around $35. It’s cheap but works very good! I’m happy with it.
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03-23-2023, 06:09 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,452
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Here is my advice after 24 yrs of RVing
Once your batteries hit 3 yrs old, replace them.
Cheap, $250 for two original Freightliner batteries
I just replaced mine this month. Even if they load test ok, get rid of them.
The day you have a dead battery out in the middle of South Dakota would be a very bad day.
__________________
2020 Winnebago Horizon 42Q
2022 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
99 Storm 30H, 04 Southwind 32 VS, 07 Ellipse 40FD
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03-23-2023, 07:20 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,812
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I've got one of these, 15 bucks on Amazon. It's plugged into a 12 volt receptacle I can see from the cab and in the coach.
Not exactly high tech but it does the job.
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03-24-2023, 06:30 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 2,118
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If (big if) you're OK with just having a voltage indication (which is very indicative if you understand context during operation) then your options are both simple and inexpensive. To buy, install and mess around with apps and bluetooth is a lot of layers just to get a quick status. A couple of inexpensive panel meters or gauges checks the box. Since it's just voltage, you can likely pick up a monitoring point somewhere close to where you'd place them. The chassis battery is already being used in the dash, and house battery may be there too in the form of a switch to turn something on. In my case there's a dash control for the entertainment system and a ceiling light both powered by the house battery. I have a "real" battery monitor for the house by the entrance door but I have a couple inexpensive "gauges" on the dash just for the purposes you describe. Didn't even need to drill holes, they're small and light enough to attach with double side foam tape. The empty-full reading is of questionable value but just reading actual voltage is all I need to see. A two-pack of these is about ten bucks on amazon.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
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