Wiring & Installing A Battery Monitor

Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
MS, thanks for the suggestion of the Victron battery monitor. It has been easy to install. The directions call for a 52/53 mm panel hole, which equates to 2 1/16 inches. They were not to be found close by, so I used a 2 1/8 which is probably better- to allow for the wood panel expansion/contraction.

One thought is that I printed out this thread with pictures for me and any future owner. I have no idea of what it would take, but it would be nice if the captions printed out on the same page as the related photos.

I have the Victron installed and reading okay, but want to clean up the wiring a bit. I have a neg buss bar for the 3 batteries on the Batt side of the shunt. I have a buss bar for all the load side of the shunt. In the present arrangement I have ANL fuses spanning as a connector between each buss and the shunt. I have been looking for something around the size of the ANL fuse to connect the 2 busses to the shunt. (The shunt is parallel to the busses.) Just a flat metal bar that would handle the load. I thought the Blue Sea catalog would have such a piece, but doesn't. I have SS tangs, but I know they are not good conductors. In effect, I need some 3-inch battery cables. I am prepared to make them, but I think there must be a source for the proper copper bars. Thoughts?
 
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DanM

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Mar 28, 2011
155
Catalina 30 Galveston Bay
I've been working with my newly installed Victron BMV-600s and I would confirm that it is easy to install and the basic monitoring features work great. I got the Peukert Exponent from Interstate (the manufacturer of my Sam's Club 6v Golf Car Batteries) and was able to change that setting to 1.07 versus the default of 1.25 and that has made the state of charge percentage very, very accurate. If you have not sought out that number from your battery manufacturer I would make an effort to do so. Interstate was very quick to respond to my query, I think it's a very easy number for them to provide to you.

I am having a problem with the history menus though. It is not telling me the depth of average discharge or number of charge cycles and it also resets the depth of last discharge field to zero as soon as the monitor detects 100% state of charge. That seems odd to me?

With much effort and many emails to Victron someone from the Netherlands finally responded and told me that it was likely that the Monitor was not sensing a full charged condition and to check tail current, charged voltage and charge detection time. I have checked those settings and am awaiting more info back from Victron.

I appoligize for starting a thread about this monitor in a different area, I didn't find this thread on my first search.

Thanks, DanM.
 
Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
I am prepared to make them, but I think there must be a source for the proper copper bars. Thoughts?
This is a question foremost on my mind. I want to put my shunt right next to my ground buss and a shore piece of flat bar with two holes drilled in it would be much neater than a cable loop.

I can't see any reason not to use brass. Most hardware stores have a box of flat bar stock with the right sizes. I'm going to wait till we hear from Maine Sail first though.

BTW, don't miss my thread on my electrical upgrade and this morning's sobering discovery.

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=128672
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
This is a question foremost on my mind. I want to put my shunt right next to my ground buss and a shore piece of flat bar with two holes drilled in it would be much neater than a cable loop.

I can't see any reason not to use brass. Most hardware stores have a box of flat bar stock with the right sizes. I'm going to wait till we hear from Maine Sail first though.

BTW, don't miss my thread on my electrical upgrade and this morning's sobering discovery.

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=128672
Roger,

For yor use brass would suffice but Mcmaster has copper flat stock so why not use the best electrically..
 
Nov 26, 2008
1,966
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
I finally got everything wired correctly. Thanks all.

But I still get an anomaly that I hope can be easily explained.

When I totally power down everything DC & AC I still get an I reading of around -0.11 to -0.16. But after a short while it drops to 0.00 and stays there.

Whazup wid dat?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I finally got everything wired correctly. Thanks all.

But I still get an anomaly that I hope can be easily explained.

When I totally power down everything DC & AC I still get an I reading of around -0.11 to -0.16. But after a short while it drops to 0.00 and stays there.

Whazup wid dat?
Do you have an Echo Charger or ACR..?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I have a yandina combiner; but no to the other two
Disconnect the ground then see if you still have the load. My guess it it remains combined until the voltage drops enough to disconnect it. Blue Sea ACR's do the same..
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
It is a little known fact (good observation BTW) that wires actually have a capacitive value that is not zero. so after you turn off everything the "hoses" (wires) still have some "water" (electrons at greater than 0 volts) in them and that leaks out at low current. You could also have a device with a capacitor in it's power filtering curcuit that is just discharging.
Pretty mormal stuff and if it goes to 0.00 in short order I'd not worry about it.
 
Jul 12, 2004
26
Hunter 33 Seaside Park, NJ
What gauge cable should I use from the battery to the shunt? I bought an 18" cable - Ancor tinned copper 2 AWG, but I just noticed that my boat came with an 18" 2/0 AWG cable connecting the batteries. Is 2/0 AWG necessary? Thanks.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
What gauge cable should I use from the battery to the shunt? I bought an 18" cable - Ancor tinned copper 2 AWG, but I just noticed that my boat came with an 18" 2/0 AWG cable connecting the batteries. Is 2/0 AWG necessary? Thanks.
You are always best to stick with the same gauge wire as your battery system is wired with. Will it work with 2GA, probably, but if your system is 2/0 you're better off matching it. There is a big difference between 2GA and 2/0..
 
Jul 12, 2004
26
Hunter 33 Seaside Park, NJ
I took your advice and got a 2/0 cable. genuinedealz.com seemed to be a good deal to me. You pay for the cable length you need, the lugs and heat shrink tubing. They add a $1 per end labor charge to crimp and heat shrink.
Thanks.
 
Nov 26, 2008
1,966
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
Just added a wind generator (air breeze). Will the power going into the battery bank from the wind gen have an effect on CE, consumed energy on my Victron? Yea, I know it says CONSUMED but perhaps it subtracts the power added by the gen?

Is there any way to tell what my wind gen is generating via the Victron?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Just added a wind generator (air breeze). Will the power going into the battery bank from the wind gen have an effect on CE, consumed energy on my Victron? Yea, I know it says CONSUMED but perhaps it subtracts the power added by the gen?

Is there any way to tell what my wind gen is generating via the Victron?
If wired properly, it must pass through the shunt to be measured, your wind gen is just the same as any other charging source and your CE screen will show Ah's returned to the bank...
 
Nov 26, 2008
1,966
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
Watching the "I" readout for current flow, I can see it bounce from neg to pos depending on what is drawing and what the wind condition is. So it appears to be wired properly. The only positive source at the time of my testing was the wind gen. Battery chargers were turned off.

But the CE is less clear. I interpret "consumed" to be just that, how much energy the boat is using. Are you saying that the CE number is lowered by the amount of power the wind gen produces? I think I'd rather only see what I'm consuming so I know what my real draw is, without any adjustment from the wind gen.

And, I see no way to extract what is the total production of the wind gen. Is there a way?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Watching the "I" readout for current flow, I can see it bounce from neg to pos depending on what is drawing and what the wind condition is. So it appears to be wired properly. The only positive source at the time of my testing was the wind gen. Battery chargers were turned off.

But the CE is less clear. I interpret "consumed" to be just that, how much energy the boat is using. Are you saying that the CE number is lowered by the amount of power the wind gen produces? I think I'd rather only see what I'm consuming so I know what my real draw is, without any adjustment from the wind gen.

And, I see no way to extract what is the total production of the wind gen. Is there a way?

You're CE screen is where the current level of Ah's removed or removed / returned are. If you use 50Ah overnight with no wind and then at 8:00 am the wind comes up and you put 10Ah's back in between 8:00 and 9:30 you show 40 Ah's CE. Your "I" screen is net current - or + to or from the bank.

If you want to monitor just the amp output of the wind gen you'll need a separate ammeter or to turn off all loads and monitor the "I" screen.

On our boat I have an ammeter for just the panel. This shows me what we're consuming, off the house panel, and the monitor shows the "net" of what is being removed or put back into the bank when on the amp screen.


The SOC screen is your most accurate screen for bank % of charge as it calculates for Peukert.. CE just tells you how many Ah's have been removed and it counts down and up until it gets back to full or zero Ah's "consumed"..

These monitors should be manually re-set when ever possible when you KNOW the banks are full..
 
Nov 26, 2008
1,966
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
So "consumed" energy is a bit of a misnomer. Thanks.

I watch SOC the most but do check the others.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
So "consumed" energy is a bit of a misnomer. Thanks.

I watch SOC the most but do check the others.
Not necessarily because anything less than full, or zero Ah's removed, is still "consumed". Whether or not the CE number is climbing because you are putting back energy that you used or falling because you are only using energy, it simply shows your level of "consumption" off that bank at that moment in time...

FWIW our monitor is on "I" or amps + or - most of the time. Each morning and evening I check Ah's consumed and % of charge and that's about it...
 
Feb 8, 2009
118
Sabre 34 MK-1 Annapolis, MD
Watching the "I" readout for current flow, I can see it bounce from neg to pos depending on what is drawing and what the wind condition is. So it appears to be wired properly. The only positive source at the time of my testing was the wind gen. Battery chargers were turned off.

But the CE is less clear. I interpret "consumed" to be just that, how much energy the boat is using. Are you saying that the CE number is lowered by the amount of power the wind gen produces? I think I'd rather only see what I'm consuming so I know what my real draw is, without any adjustment from the wind gen.

And, I see no way to extract what is the total production of the wind gen. Is there a way?
You raise an intersting dilemma for those with always-on generating sources like solar and wind. One useful data stream for a battery monitor is consumed power. On a boat with no power sources, you can begin to get an understanding of power useage, such that when you check the panel in the AM and see it is down 50AH since the night before, you know that it is "typical" or "uh oh, something is unusual." You can even get a feel for your daily consumption, so that you know how big a battery bank might be appropriate. Also, with a constant awareness of consumption, you can start trying to see what you can do to get that 50AH overnight consumption down to, say, 45AH.

With solar or wind, it absolutely has to go through the monitor, or you loose the primary benefit, which is tracking SOC. But, when you run it through the monitor, it makes a mess of such useful data as daily consumption and ROI from those expensive panels (if you can't see how many AH they've made this week, you can't get all smug about how good a purchase they were!).

Intersting dilemma. Perhaps it could be partly solved by buying a 2-channel unit, and setting up one channel to monitor the solar panel, not the battery. Then channel 1 would monitor SOC, and channel 2 would give cumulative power generated. The shunts would have to be in series, if that would work.

Harry