Battery monitor

Alan
Alan Member Posts: 120
in Battery/Electrical & Solar
we are in campground near Sedona, AZ. It is 100+ during the. We are shaded but leave the ac on, low, to keep things moderately cool. The battery meter/ monitor stayed green. This evening, turning on the galley light or outside light, still with the ac sent the meter to red! Lights off, back to yellow. Now in bed, with only the fantastic fan on, the meter is hoping between red and green?! Is this bad meter or just the way things work..
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  • Alan
    Alan Member Posts: 120
    We are on shore power
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  • Nomad
    Nomad Member Posts: 7,209
    edited June 2016
    With shore power, the meter should stay green no matter what you have running - within reason of course. Have you checked your curcuit breakers and fuses? Have you tried shutting everything off including the power at the pedistal and starting over?
    How about plulling the meter out and plugging it back in?

    By the way, if on battery, the Fantastic Fan draws a lot of juice. I never run it at night if on battery.

    Oh, and since you're on shore power (and before Jenn can ask) :-) ... do you have a surge protector?
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    The campground could be having a problem with their electricity. It could be the camper's are using a higher amount of electric than the electrical wiring can provide. Those are very hot temps that do produce a strain on the electric grid.,
    Verna, Columbus, IN
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  • ScottG
    ScottG Administrator Posts: 5,655
    From your description I assume you are using an inexpensive meter plugged into the socket above the sink. Does it also show voltages, or just lights?

    Plugged into shore power, I get a reading of ~13.7V. This is the case even with the battery disconnected. Running 120V appliances (like the AC) has little effect on that reading. However, if I start turning on 12V devices (like the lights, fan, and water pump) I can drive that reading down toward 13V. This can even cause the lights to go from green to yellow, even though the measured voltage is still high.

    (If I'm running strictly on battery power, those indicator lights will swap back and forth like a discotheque as I turn things on and off, as even a good battery will show a lower voltage when under load.)

    The moral of the story is that the lights themselves may not be telling you very much. Mine definitely don't behave exactly as described on the package, leading me to think there's some circuitry in there beyond my understanding. I'd pay closer attention to the actual voltages--after a while you will get a sense of what is normal and what is not.
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  • jkjenn
    jkjenn Member Posts: 6,417
    Verna said:
    The campground could be having a problem with their electricity. It could be the camper's are using a higher amount of electric than the electrical wiring can provide. Those are very hot temps that do produce a strain on the electric grid.,
    This might be true or the pedestal may have wiring issues. Did you test it or do you use a surge protector? 

    Also, I bear in mind a couple of things. The fan uses a fair amount of power. However, it shouldn't be an issue if you are plugged into shore power and if you have a healthy battery. If your battery is not healthy, and it could be that the rate at which your battery is being charged cannot keep up with the power draw on the battery. You might also have aa loose connection with your battery life meter, and causing the issues. I would also be curious as to the health of the battery, and which can be determined by reading the specific gravity of the battery. 

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  • Alan
    Alan Member Posts: 120
    I get good numbers (. 13 --13.7) even a the red light comes on. I do have surge protector 
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  • ScottG
    ScottG Administrator Posts: 5,655
    Sounds good, Alan. Note that if you have a weak battery, that could be causing the converter/charger to be cycling on a lot. This could be another drain on your 12V system that might contribute to the twinkling lights. That's really just a guess on my part. If your voltage is staying above 13V, I'm thinking your shore power/converter are keeping up with the demand.
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