Digital Volt Meter vs Balmar Smart Gauge

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
@Ward H I’ve got both digital voltage gauges and a Balmar 200. Lets see what you like on the cruise.

Les
Sounds real good Les.
I'm also looking forward to seeing how you set up your i70S.
And I need a lesson on a fox and hound. I bought one but couldn't get it to work like I think it should.
 
Last edited:
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
If you got the Xantrex LinkPro, you could show me how to properly calibrate it! (always thinking of my own self-interest) :cool:
@Scott T-Bird,

Links to MS's site have already been posted, but you might be interested in my Gotcha topic, there's a long discussion about just your issue.

For everyone installing a battery monitor: The "Gotcha Algorithm" thread, a "MUST READ"

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4922.0.html

DEFAULTS are factory settings that are made to be modified to suit your setup.

Also read this one:

Programming a Battery Monitor (by Maine Sail)
https://marinehowto.com/programming-a-battery-monitor/
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Ward, I agree with Les, let's chat when you're here. IMHO the importance of the monitors is to avoid chronically undercharging battery banks, regardless of the arrangement you have in your wiring and switching.
 
  • Like
Likes: Ward H
May 20, 2016
3,014
Catalina 36 MK1 94 Everett, WA
Ward, I agree with Les, let's chat when you're here. IMHO the importance of the monitors is to avoid chronically undercharging battery banks, regardless of the arrangement you have in your wiring and switching.
It’s also nice to know how long I need to run the motor or generator to top off the batteries.
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Very Nice Stu. Two valuable and helpful battery monitoring links in a single message. You rock.
 
Jul 8, 2012
126
Catalina 28 North East
I installed the Balmar a couple season ago when I did an electrical upgrade. Not sure I'd buy one again if I had to do it all over.
My boat is on a mooring so charging is either from the alternator or from 200 watts of solar panels. The system has been working fine for several seasons allowing me to run the chartplotter, radios, autopilot, fridge and other small loads just about all the time while cruising. The engine runs every day for at least a bit (sometimes for hours).
The Balmar sees the solar charging voltage so the SOC is not accurate while the sun is up. Mainesail suggested checking it consistently either late evening or early morning to get a sense of where the SOC rests.
I like to see it around 70% when making coffee early, sometime it dips lower but as soon as the sun comes up it begins to tick upward.
The digital volt meter would work just fine the way I'm using it (but the red SOC display does look pretty cool in the panel).
 
Jan 7, 2017
92
beneteau 36 new london
Didn't read past OP, so forgive if already stated.

Voltage does not give any accuracy in telling you SoC nor SoH.

If the House bank is lead, even if lightly discharged, many hours of charging are required to get it back to 100% Full for good longevity.

The last few hours will be at low amps, so don't burn dino juice just for that purpose, but know a "three hour tour" won't cut it on its own.

If grid power is not available at the dock overnight, then a small solar install will do.

Or, just replace the bank much more frequently than needed if cared for properly,

which of course is what 99% of owners do,

and a perfectly rational choice indeed, if it's an informed one.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
perfectly rational choice indeed, if it's an informed one.
If I make a choice and I am uninformed, then I am making an unconsciously incompetent choice. It is therefore irrational?
And here I thought all this time it was just the choice of a dunderhead..
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I recently installed a Blue Sea digital voltmeter with a momentary battery selector toggle switch. My plan is to check the battery voltage when arriving at the boat, prior to turning on any loads, to check battery voltage/SOC. I'll keep in mind the elapsed time since the battery charger was last on or motor last run, to account for surface charge.
(I don't leave the shore power plugged in when not at the boat)
If this voltage is not 12.72V or slightly higher, after two or three days with no loads, the batteries are suffering from incomplete charging.

I believe this will give me an idea if I'm slowly discharging the batteries or if the 3/4 to 1 hour of run time the engine gets when I day sail keeps up with my amp draw while sailing.
3/4 to 1 hour is nowhere near sufficient time to fully recharge a flooded battery. Shallow discharges suffer from upper end Coulombic efficiency issues and despite perhaps only being at 90% SOC it still takes many, many hours to get back to 100% SOC regardless of the charge amperage available.

I've considered the Balmar Smart Gauge, which I believe does the same thing but much more accurately. I just question if I need to spend the money on it considering my use of the boat.
I mostly day sail for 4 to 7 hours, 1 to 3 days a week. Average motoring time per sail is 3/4 to 1 hour. When sailing I use AP, Chartplotter, Depth, Speed, Wind, i70S and usually an iDevice is charging.
Don't discharge below 12.2V "under an average house load" and charge as long as you reasonably can and then let the shore charger take care of it back at the dock.

I do plan to leave the shore power plugged in overnight once every 2 or 3 weeks to completely charge the batteries to 100%, especially if I spend a night or two on the hook.
If you don't want to plug into shore power then your best investment would be a 30W to 100W Solar array. 2-3 weeks between 100% SOC is a recipe for short battery life.

With the Balmar Smart Gauge costing about $50 more than my house bank of two GC2 batteries, I question the value added by installing one.
Based on your described use just plug her in and recharge after each use. Don't go below 12.2V, charge at the correct voltages temp compensated, equalize and maintain the bank and they can last 6-10+ years.

The Smartgauge and SG200 are excellent products, the SG200 actually adds state of health and other excellent features, and it is less money. Course if you have the opportunity to recharge after each use, & you don't dip below 12.2V very often, then there are other things you could spend money on.
 
  • Like
Likes: Gunni

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
Based on your described use just plug her in and recharge after each use. Don't go below 12.2V, charge at the correct voltages temp compensated, equalize and maintain the bank and they can last 6-10+ years.
This sounds like a plan I can live with. Thanks
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
And more project creep.
One of the reasons I never leave the boat on shore power was trusting the 26 year old electrical panel with it's 26 year old breakers and concern over galvanic electrolysis issues.
I'm moving up next winter's project to this winter. I'll be installing a new AC panel (Blue Sea #8101) with ELCI main breaker, new shore power feed cable from shore panel to AC panel, inserting a fail safe galvanic isolator and a Smart Plug.
I'll save the money from not going with a battery monitor and put it towards this project.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes: TomY
Jul 8, 2012
126
Catalina 28 North East
If your needs are just autopilot, radio, fridge and the usual lighting, bilge pump and iphone chargers solar is a good option (after changing everything to LED lighting). I eliminated several pounds of old wiring and outlets and have not suffered any real inconvenience.
Some folks like to have air-conditioning, microwave ovens or electric heaters available so AC power becomes a necessity.
A couple hundred watts of solar power probably would cost about the same as new AC panels, breakers, wires and dock cables. Being energy independent of dock and slip electrical connections (and problems) is nice too.
 
Last edited: