Renogy Battery Monitor Install

[NTL1991]

I'm in the process of installing a Renogy 500A Battery Monitor in my 2201TL. The monitor arrived today and I've planned out a spot to place it.

The monitor screen is about 4" x 2.5", and I'm planning on installing it near the existing Micro Monitor and Telephone/Cable plate on the side of the refrigerator cabinet. I will be able to fish the thin 25' shielded cable down and along the wiring along the floor into the front cabinet, then down through the floor and into the battery compartment where the shunt will live.

The meter displays the charge and discharge rate in amps, as well as remaining amp-hours, real-time wattage, and you can program a low and high-voltage cutoff as well.

After this install, I'm planning on adding a couple 100W solar panels to the roof, a charge controller, and hard-wiring a small inverter in.

I'll post some pictures here when I start on the work

-Nick

 

[JackandJanet]

Sounds a good plan, Nick! Looking forward to seeing your setup.

- Jack

 

[NTL1991]

Thanks Jack. Finished it all up today. I ran out and grabbed new battery cables as well. It looks like the wiring from the house side of the battery disconnect that's mounted to the side of the battery box (not sure if this is aftermarket or original) was 2AWG, but the battery cable from the disconnect to the positive terminal was 4AWG wiring.

I replaced the negative cable as well and soldered on a lug to on the chassis side of the negative to connect the shunt into the line. There is a small positive power wire to the shunt that also feeds power through the shielded cable to the monitor display inside.

I haven't gotten new batteries for the camper yet but I'm planning on getting either 2 group 24 or 27 deep cycle batteries within the next few weeks. Currently I have an old Die Hard AGM H8 battery from 2015 in there.

I checked the monitor while raising the roof - The amperage topped out at 96.1A at 11.7V for 1125W. Good info to have, for sure.

I scuffed the veneer up a little bit making the cutout but I think it looks okay otherwise.

Here's the shunt mounted along with the new batteries

I ran the wire behind the circuit breaker box and into the front floor cabinet. I passed through the floor where another wire did, and ran it into the battery box.

Overall, I'm very happy with the unit. I dry camp almost exclusively, so knowing the state of the battery is very important.

-Nick

 

[JackandJanet]

That's a very nice setup, Nick. I agree, knowing the state of the battery(s) is crucial if you dry camp (like we both do). My solar controller connects to a cell phone app that gives me the battery and charging states. It works fine and also tells me how the DC-DC converter is doing that I installed to regulate charging current from the truck to the LiFePO4 batteries I installed when I'm underway. I'd prefer a wall mounted gauge like you have while camping, but I'm happy with the phone app, since it lets me monitor the batteries while driving.

- Jack