Leisure Battery Monitoring

O

Orca

Member
VIP Member
Hello Peeps,
New member, first post ... and I'm asking for advice, already.:rolleyes:
Recent camper conversion LWB TSi :)
It's taken a while but got the last part of the jigsaw completed a few weeks ago (furniture and electrics). Used a few companies to get this far (Stealth roof and Reimo 3000 seats)
The last converters (furniture/electrics), originally, were going to install a voltmeter to monitor the leisure battery (which I had already provided, courtesy of Travel Volts, - LiFePO4 100AH, + CTEK D250SE) but reading about Lithium batteries, I didn't think this would be of much use.
I suggested a better option would be to monitor amps, rather than volts, (yes, I read all Dellmassive's posts) so they installed Votronics Battery Computer with SmartShunt.
My confusion is, under load (fridge and a few USB devices), the Votronics shows slow, daily drain until about 90% and then the battery suddenly dies completely.
Anyone with a similar set-up any ideas?
Thanks,
 
Got any pics of your setup.

And the battery monitor?

Have you got a BM2 or ctek voltage logger?

That may help show the drop in power over time.

Also apart from the ctek, how is the battery being charged?..... or if just the ctek. How long are you driving.... check is 25A max... so you need 4-5hrs to charhe that 100ah lifpo4.
 
Think every man and his Dog uses the BM2. Great piece of kit without the usual silly price tag. Even gets a thumbs up from me :thumbsup:
A tight arsed Yorkshire man.
 
Thanks for the response, Dellmassive
Most of the wiring is tucked away or hidden behind the furniture.
The Ctek is under passenger seat with the battery (see pic).
I have a solar panel which I guess they connected properly to the CTEK - the Solar LED on the CTEK is illuminated (albeit at night ?!?)
Also got a Victron BlueSmart 12/15 from Travelvolts which charges the LiFePO4 when on hook-up.
No, don't have a BM2 or voltage logger - not sure what they are/do! Just the Votronic Battery Computer.
Charged up fully, this afternoon, after it died this morning so currently showing 100% (100Ah) with 0.1Ah drain (still got the fridge on) and 13.3 V (see screenshot (in German!)



)ctek under passenger seat.jpgVotronic.jpg
 
Blitz said:
Think every man and his Dog uses the BM2. Great piece of kit without the usual silly price tag. Even gets a thumbs up from me :thumbsup:
A tight arsed Yorkshire man.
Click to expand...
I assumed the BM2 just reports battery condition via voltage?
I didn't think voltage, alone, would provide much info on state of charge of a LiFePO4 battery.
 
can you get a 7day and 30day readout from the battery monitor?

you say the ctek solar light is ON at night time?

theres a lot of stuff on that TN Lithium +ve pole, it might be worth looking at moving it all to a busbar or block.

looks like you got lots of extra circuits running down there too. . .
 
Orca said:
I assumed the BM2 just reports battery condition via voltage?
I didn't think voltage, alone, would provide much info on state of charge of a LiFePO4 battery.
Click to expand...
no it wont . . . in regards to SOC.

but it will show any charging voltage from solar/ctek or EHU. ie 13v >

and also voltage drops and low battery voltage conditions.
 
Blitz said:
Think every man and his Dog uses the BM2. Great piece of kit without the usual silly price tag. Even gets a thumbs up from me :thumbsup:
A tight arsed Yorkshire man.
Click to expand...
was up in Yorkshire last week . . .

and had to laugh at the local radio station . . . Viking FM i think.

at the plusnet radio advert . . . . saying that if you reuse xmas wrapping paper you were a bit Yorkshire . .
 
Dellmassive said:
can you get a 7day and 30day readout from the battery monitor?

you say the ctek solar light is ON at night time?

theres a lot of stuff on that TN Lithium +ve pole, it might be worth looking at moving it all to a busbar or block.

looks like you got lots of extra circuits running down there too. . .
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, when the battery died it lost the 7-day and 30-day records - but it had been showing steady drop in capacity a few amps/day until this morning when it showed 90% (90Ah) - it was dead a few hours later.

Yes, I am confused with the solar LED on, at night time. Was the same when I was testing today, and covered the panel - was still on ... until I switched on ignition - then it went out (!?!)
I vaguely remember reading, somewhere, that both solar panel wires should be connected directly to the Ctek. There seems to be only one wire on the -ve terminal of the Ctek so I'm wondering if they've wired the -ve from the panel to earth and just connected earth to the -ve. Was also getting 11.5v between solar in and -ve on the Ctek - when no sun. When sun shining it was fluctuating between 12 and 21v

Yes, quite a lot of connections to the +ve of TN - that's how it came back from converters - wouldn't have a clue about moving to a busbar/block.
 
yes that the BM2 units . . . defo worth getting , . .

i show them over here >

www.t6forum.com

Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --

Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It -- Part #1 Battery monitoring is a very important part of your 12v system . . . . whether its just the vans starter battery or your leisure setup keeping an eye on the power in your battery bank will keep you from breaking down and make sure your weekends...
www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com


something is not right with that solar . . . . a back feed maybe?

something is draining that battery to...?

maybe disconnect the solar +ve (tape it up so its insulated) for a day and see what changes . . .

you shown have no voltage if the panel is covered up during the day - or night.

The PV solar ground can be connected to a ground else where - it will still work.




your pic above shows a 0.1A drain, so 100mA . . . . .

thats very small and not enough to drain a 100Ah Lifepo4 -

im wondering if the battery has been fully charged? - what charger have you used?


more pics will help.
 
I agree lots of wires on the Ctek. I think people have noted the solar taking a while to go off at night but if you check later at night it defo should be off. Have they earthed the little short tail wire coming out of the Ctek, this allows for a charging voltage increase for smart alternators?
 
I have a solar panel on the roof of my van and if in the garage at night my redarc DCBC Controller shows a solar input when the flouro lights are on, but if I check my battery monitor there is nothing much going into the battery, it is just a false reading not to be concerned about. Are you under lights at night.
 
Blitz said:
I agree lots of wires on the Ctek. I think people have noted the solar taking a while to go off at night but if you check later at night it defo should be off. Have they earthed the little short tail wire coming out of the Ctek, this allows for a charging voltage increase for smart alternators?
Click to expand...
Only 4 cables on the Ctek - quite a lot on the battery +ve, though.
Solar light was on at night but I was near a streetlight. I did cover the panels, during the day, but the light was still on.
I assume they've connected the smart alternator cable - not sure how to check, though, without removing the seats and floor and tracing back the wire.
I'm also not sure about battery select cable, which should be +12v for Lithium battery.
 
There are two wires out of the actual Ctek controller next to each other. One is the thermometer probe that site on the battery and the other is the little tail earth that can be put onto the Ctek earth terminal.
 
Blitz said:
There are two wires out of the actual Ctek controller next to each other. One is the thermometer probe that site on the battery and the other is the little tail earth that can be put onto the Ctek earth terminal.
Click to expand...
I have the temperature probe cable and two wires the other side - red one for Smart Alternator and black one for Lithium. There is a label on the wires which shows the options so I have to assume they were connected correctly.

Smart alternator + LiFePo4 leads.jpgCtek manual snip.JPG
 
That's the one. I'm using AGM so its Earth, yours should be 12v then I assume and not earth.
 
something is not right here:

1596629831941.png

if you have a current shunt style battery monitor (for lithium battery)

you should only have ONE conection to the battery-ve post.

ALL other ground connections need to be a body ground.

it looks like you have 2x beefy ground cables and a small black cable on the -ve battery post.


if that is the case your battery monitor may be giving you false readings?



1596630019720.png




any idea what ur energy monitor app is conected to?

what of these below have you got?


1596630073371.png

1596630092148.png

1596630153772.png
 
some more close up pics would help
 
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