which battery monitor

[PabloPicasso]

what is the best battery monitor to get for a 2 x 12v battery system (one start one domestic)

By best I mean economic as well Is that NASA BM thingy any good?

 

[GrahamM376]

Do a search on previous threads, this one had been done to death several times already.

 

[WoodyP]

How helpful. Why bother to answer. Oh blow it, I have just risen to the bait.

 

[VicS]

BM1 the most commonly mentioned on these forums

Mastervolt one mentioned recently


Different principle of operation with no shunt: Smartgauge

 

[joha]

what is the best battery monitor to get for a 2 x 12v battery system (one start one domestic)

By best I mean economic as well Is that NASA BM thingy any good?

Fitted a Merlin Smart Gauge. Easy to fit no shunts to wire in. I think it is a wee bit more expensive than the NASA BM. It is basically fit and forget as you dont need to calibrate it every so often. Though it only gives state of charge (volts) and percentage of charge on the domestic battery and volt only on the start battery. J

 

[WoodyP]

Thank you, I was looking for an answer to the question as well.

 

[Tranona]

The BM1 only does one bank and is easy to wire in. Seems to work OK with two modes. Not sure of the value of monitoring the engine start battery as this does little work and I can parallel the house bank if necessary for an emergency start.

 

[VicS]

The BM1 only does one bank and is easy to wire in. Seems to work OK with two modes. Not sure of the value of monitoring the engine start battery as this does little work and I can parallel the house bank if necessary for an emergency start.

New ones also measure volts on the starter battery.

 

[pvb]

what is the best battery monitor to get for a 2 x 12v battery system (one start one domestic)

By best I mean economic as well Is that NASA BM thingy any good?

If you want cheap, the Nasa BM-1 monitor at about £90 is the cheapest. Next is probably the SmartGauge at about £150. They're all basically as easy as each other to wire in, just ensure that you follow the instructions to the letter - many posts on this forum about monitors not working properly end up as installation errors.

Frankly, if you only have one domestic battery, I think the money would be better spent on more battery capacity!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Victron also makes a good, easy to install one. They have two models, one measures reserve bank voltage.

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=125606

Agree that monitoring a reserve bank is usually unnecessary.

 

[Cardo]

I'll add a +1 to the Smartgauge. Not the cheapest option, but very easy to install and has some nice features such as an alarm for when the batteries drop below a specific % capacity. I understand this can also be linked to automatically start a generator, although that's probably a bit beyond most of us!

 

[Tintin]

+1 for the NASA - great bit of kit for the price and from a UK company too. Great phone back up too.

 

[jordanbasset]

+1 for the NASA - great bit of kit for the price and from a UK company too. Great phone back up too.

Plus 2, good piece of kit

 

[VicS]

If you opt for the Nasa BM1 ( or any other type with a shunt) be sure to wire it exactly as described in the instructions ...... to the letter ... to the very last punctuation mark!

 

[Talulah]

We have the BEP Marina battery monitor DCM600.
It is significantly more expensive than the NASA.

 

[GrahamM376]

How helpful. Why bother to answer. Oh blow it, I have just risen to the bait.

If you had followed my post and put "battery monitor" in the search box, you would have found over 11 pages of different threads on the subject, which answer virtually all questions regarding all makes.

 

[King Penguin]

I've got two Nasa BMs, one for each battery bank.........a bit OTT some might say but they are bloomin marvelous......and if I was refitting again I'd do the same.

ps, my boat has two battery banks and they can both be used for domestic or engine., they are not dedicated to either.

 

[Tintin]

If you had followed my post and put "battery monitor" in the search box, you would have found over 11 pages of different threads on the subject, which answer virtually all questions regarding all makes.

Most subjects have been answered previously and the "why don't you bother to do a search" is accurate, but most of us don't have a problem re-answering similar questions.

If your only contribution is a spot of pedantry why bother posting? What does it add? Are you just bored? In fact do you have anything of any help to add to this thread or the OP's request for some help?

On the other hand, you may have just been trying to be helpful and have tried to point the OP to the previous threads, in which case I retract my stampy foot comments above

Chill bro'

 

[Vara]

+1 for the NASA offering, really good bit of kit and has allowed me to get a grip of my charging regime.
Can't be that difficult to install as I managed.
Useful to put a switch close to head unit to make calibrating easier. (I couldn't reach fuse and depress button at the same time, all made clear in manual).

Didn't bother with dedicated engine start battery.

Having a decent monitor does lead to extra expense by way of LED bulbs when you see how much filament bulbs eat, it also helps with diagnostics of things like heaters as you can instantly see what's going on.

 

[pvb]

We have the BEP Marina battery monitor DCM600.
It is significantly more expensive than the NASA.

Couldn't help imagining Harry Enfield's Brummie accent there.