LiFePO4 charging question

JPS350 said:
Better for monitoring your system in use. You need a multimeter anyway. That's what you pull out when things don't work.
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I use mine even when things are working to find out what’s drawing current and how much as well as actual output of the converter while charging. When boondocking it’s good to know where you can cut corners to maximize battery life.
 
coglesby said:
Different but not so sure it’s better. It’s nice to be able to monitor constantly but you only get total current. I want to know what each component is drawing.
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I use smart shunt to measure current on individual components most of the time. With Bluetooth display in view on phone, I turn on and off component and see what the change is.

I use the multi meter a lot but not normally for current (for me it is a bit messy to connect meter inline and have to disconnect one end of circuit) and when smart shut is not the best tool, I mostly use a clamp meter that measures DC current (when it fits in the space)--whatever is convenient.

None are better but each serve a purpose.

I'm sure there are better ways and it sounds like coglesby has a lot of experience.
 
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TimtheToolMan said:
I use smart shunt to measure current on individual components most of the time. With Bluetooth display in view on phone, I turn on and off component and see what the change is.

I use the multi meter a lot but not normally for current (for me it is a bit messy to connect meter inline and have to disconnect one end of circuit) and when smart shut is not the best tool, I mostly use a clamp meter that measures DC current--whatever is convenient.

None are better but each serve a purpose.

I'm sure there are better ways and it sounds like coglesby has a lot of experience.
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Now you’re making me want one. LOL
 
Scott'n'Wendy said:
If I was buying a DC clamp-on just for the trailer, I'd get this.
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Although Fluke is almost always more expensive that other meter brands, I can vouch for their high quality and being well built. I've been using Fluke equipment since the mid 1980s and you almost never here of a failure with anything that they produce. I spent most of my adult life as an Electrician and working in an Industrial environment......a fully integrated Steel Mill and then a National Security Complex that is definitely an industrial environment. Fluke equipment just keeps on working.
 
My antique Simpson 260 is cooler. LOL

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triplethreat said:
Although Fluke is almost always more expensive that other meter brands, I can vouch for their high quality and being well built. I've been using Fluke equipment since the mid 1980s and you almost never here of a failure with anything that they produce. I spent most of my adult life as an Electrician and working in an Industrial environment......a fully integrated Steel Mill and then a National Security Complex that is definitely an industrial environment. Fluke equipment just keeps on working.
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Yup. I carry a Fluke374FC with me camping.
 
coglesby said:
My antique Simpson 260 is cooler. LOL

View attachment 191160
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I've used those many, many times in my early career days as an Electrician....back in the late 70s and even into the 80s for a while. I had the roll up case for it also, the one that the front of it rolls up like an old roll up desk...LOL.

We had a new apprentice one time and we sent him back to our shop to get "the Simpson." Without telling us he didn't know what it was, off he went. After about a 15 minute wait for him to come back, the boss walked down to the shop and found him wondering around and ask him what he was doing. His reply was epic........"I'm looking for Mr. Simpson, but I don't know who he is." We all had a good belly laugh about that one and from there on out, the meter was referred to as.....yep.....Mr. Simpson.
 
No doubt Fluke makes excellent equipment, but you don't really need a Snap-On torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts on your trailer. Kind of the same thing with a clamp-on amp meter. I bought a Uni-T clamp-on meter several years back for around $30 and it works fine for what I use it.
 
Hoopy Frood said:
No doubt Fluke makes excellent equipment, but you don't really need a Snap-On torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts on your trailer. Kind of the same thing with a clamp-on amp meter. I bought a Uni-T clamp-on meter several years back for around $30 and it works fine for what I use it.
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I was lucky in that regard. When I retired from the Steel Mill in 2003, the company would allow you to take all of your hand tools that you had acquired over the years. Get a Property passed signed by the Plant manager, the head of security, and the Electrical manager in your Dept, then drive in on your last day there and load up into your vehicle....all legal and a complete freebie for the employee. I got three different Fluke meters and a whole host of other electrical tools. I felt like a bandit.....but it was all by the book.
 
triplethreat said:
I was lucky in that regard. When I retired from the Steel Mill in 2003, the company would allow you to take all of your hand tools that you had acquired over the years. Get a Property passed signed by the Plant manager, the head of security, and the Electrical manager in your Dept, then drive in on your last day there and load up into your vehicle....all legal and a complete freebie for the employee. I got three different Fluke meters and a whole host of other electrical tools. I felt like a bandit.....but it was all by the book.
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All our electricians used Fluke meters as their personal meters, so they have an enviable reputation.
 
@reubenray I took a couple of pics a little while ago of the heater setup that I have for draining the battery down for winter storage. I mentioned previously that I wired in a little plug for the heater to plug into, then I put a small 120V fan blowing on it to dissipate the heat. Here are two pics....you can see the heater hanging from a chain in the front compartment, and the fan clamped onto the edge of the compartment bay. It's sitting there "running" and pulling a steady 15/16 amps and by my calculation I've got about 4+ hours until the battery is down to 50% SOC, and that's on a 302AH battery. The second pic will show you the relative size of the heater with a quarter held up in front of it.
 

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My residential fridge pulls quite a bit through the inverter so I can just leave the door open so it runs constantly
 
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Unplug from shore power. Wait a minute. Reconnect and use DC current mode on your meter and clamp it around the positive cable at the battery and report the current reading. Make sure everything in the unit is turned off.

Is the 13.3V with the unit on shore power and the battery connected?

What is the location of the battery and converter in your unit?
 
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coglesby said:
Unplug from shore power. Wait a minute. Reconnect and use DC current mode on your meter and clamp it around the positive cable at the battery and report the current reading. Make sure everything in the unit is turned off.

Is the 13.3V with the unit on shore power and the battery connected?

What is the location of the battery and converter in your unit?
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My battery is sitting on my workbench in my garage.
 
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