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How to Install RV Battery Monitor?

How to Install RV Battery Monitor?

The battery monitor can measure the amount of voltage and amps entering and leaving your RV battery

How to Install RV Battery Monitor? In general, you can install an RV battery monitor by selecting a suitable location near the trailer’s battery bay and connecting the shunt with its display unit. Then, adjust the monitor according to your capacity and use the voltage according to it.

It will increase the life of your batteries and prevent them from irreversible damages.

How to Install RV Battery Monitor?

There are two forms of battery monitor, one that measures the electrical system’s voltage, also know as voltmeter, and the other that measures both amp and volts of the system.

Select a suitable location for the battery monitor

You need to find an accurate location in the battery bay for the installation purpose of the monitor and connect its display unit with the extension wire of 6 to 7 feet long. 

You can also remove the breaker panel and fuse panel to pass the extension wire towards the battery bay. 

You need to make a hole with a 2, and 1/8 hole saw and connect the display unit of the monitor with the wall. You can also add the bracket plate on the back side of its assembly to firmly fix it in the wall. 

Attaching shunt with the battery

You need to install the shunt near the battery’s negative terminal to make wiring connections with it easily.

Firstly, add one end of the red power wire on the green hole of the shunt to supply power to the monitor assembly and then connect its other end with the positive terminal. 

Now plug its extension wire with the shunt by simply plugging it in its assembly.

Connect the negative jumper cable with the battery end of the shunt and attach all your negative connections with the power side of the shunt i-e the inverter, the voltage meter, the solar panel, etc. 

After that, connect the negative cable of the chassis with the power side of the shunt and add flat wash, lock wash, and nut on it to make a secure connection.

Programming the display unit of the battery monitor

It is essential to program your monitor according to the size and capacity of your battery and perform this task when the batteries are 100% charged. 

Turn the screen of your monitor ON and set the accurate reading of your amp hours by holding its button for 3 seconds.

The reading change from its default setting into the 100 amp-hours. You can increase its units by pressing the up arrow and set it according to amp hours of your battery bank. 

After that, press the set button and recheck the amp hours; you can check the number of amperes coming in and moving out of the battery with the help of the +/- sign.

You can also check the charging percentage by pressing its button for 3 seconds. Then, it will depict the exact charging of your battery bank.

How does it work?

 It is a monitoring device that provides detailed information on the load and the charge usage of your battery. It can also analyze the history and number of cycles a battery goes. 

It can also prevent the excessive discharging of your battery that can lead to irreversible damages. 

This device can also examine the amount of input and output amps and check the flow of current flowing in and out of its positive and negative terminals. 

The shunt requires all the grounded wires to ground on its assembly and directly connects with the negative terminal through its negative jumper cable with no positive interception.  

Are RV battery monitors worth it?

The vital function of a battery monitor is to keep your RV batteries in a healthy condition and extend their life. 

Helps in measuring the voltage

You can also quickly estimate the battery capacity by reading its voltage level inside the monitor.

 It is necessary to check the voltage level of your camper so you can easily read and understand the voltage requirement of different electrical types of equipment.

Most of the lead-acid batteries have a capacity of 12.7V when fully charged and 12.0 to 12.1V when the charging level reaches 50%. 

The higher level of voltage from 12.7V can also indicate the accurate functioning and connectivity of your camper’s solar system. 

Reduce over-discharging of the battery

Tracking the voltage level of batteries can also prevent over-discharging.

When the monitor displays a reading of 11.7V, it indicates that your batteries are close to deterioration that require your immediate attention. 

For this purpose, you need to quickly disconnect your batteries from the electrical system and recharge them.

You can also recognize any issue in the camper electrical system by reading its voltage level on the screen.

If the voltage level of your battery does not change from 14.0 to 15.0V when the alternator of your camper is operating, it will indicate problems with the system that needs to repair quickly.

Estimate the amps of your battery

You can also estimate the number of amps running through your camper wiring in different locations.

It can also provide accurate information about your battery’s charging and usage capacity so you can easily depict how long your RV batteries are going to survive.

 If your electrical system gets 14A of current from the charge regulator and utilizes 18.2A through different electrical equipment, the monitor can show 4.2A on its display screen. 

You can also measure the power utilization of individual equipment of RV and the components present in different electrical combinations with the help of an ammeter attached to its positive fuse box. 

Power usage from the solar and the alternator

 You can efficiently estimate how much power your camper received from the solar panels and understand how energy gets in it through the sun. 

The charge controller present on your camper can also depict the number of watts solar panels provide in the electrical system. 

You can also depict the level of charges received in your camper’s batteries from the alternator while driving the trailer on the road.

As a result, you can easily understand how driving can increase the efficiency and longevity of your batteries. 

What is the limitation of RV battery monitors?

Battery monitors can display inaccurate figures of different variables due to the changed configuration of several batteries. 

With time, you can check the voltage and amp entering and leaving the battery starts to disturb due to loss of the battery capacity that is unable to count by the monitor. 

The efficiency of lead-acid batteries varies significantly from the slight change in the temperature, discharge rate, age, and size. 

Consequently, it is difficult to estimate the total number of amp utilize in the system when you do not know how effective they are being absorbed in the system.

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