trimster Posted November 27, 2022 Report Share Posted November 27, 2022 Need suggestions on which (if there are options) system to get where I can monitor more accurately, the tank levels, battery condition, etc. All those things that are on the older, awful, panels. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydrvr Posted November 27, 2022 Report Share Posted November 27, 2022 https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Garnett-Technologies-Model-709P3-SeeLeveL-II-p/709-P3.htm These for the tanks, get a compatible state of charge monitor for your batteries. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted November 27, 2022 Report Share Posted November 27, 2022 I would agree with the SeeLevel for your tanks and I believe that it can be connected to your current monitor panel if you wish. For your batteries there are quite a few choices on Amazon, with pretty much all of them better than what you have now, as it is just a cheap volt meter. If you don't plan to add solar then you probably should go with one of the more moderately priced units but I would go with either Renogy or Victron because of their reputations. There are numerous others out there which cost less and most would probably be an improvement over what you have now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 Sea Level makes the best tank monitor in my opinion. For battery monitoring, you want a Shunt based battery monitor. My preference is Victron. Their BMV 712 has a small remote display you can mount somewhere convenient or you can use the VictronConnect app with it via Bluetooth. The SmartShunt just uses the app via Bluetooth with no physical display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimster Posted November 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 1 hour ago, Chad Heiser said: Sea Level makes the best tank monitor in my opinion. For battery monitoring, you want a Shunt based battery monitor. My preference is Victron. Their BMV 712 has a small remote display you can mount somewhere convenient or you can use the VictronConnect app with it via Bluetooth. The SmartShunt just uses the app via Bluetooth with no physical display. Thanks Chad. I will be adding solar, so that influences what I get i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danfreda1 Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 Another vote for SeaLevel I think it monitors in 3 % increments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisvr Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 3 hours ago, trimster said: Thanks Chad. I will be adding solar, so that influences what I get i think. I agree with Chad on the BMV 712. Chad installed my solar with the Victron controller and I added the shunt and display later. I use the app to monitor my batteries and my solar. I'm able to see the history of how much solar I have harvested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 6 hours ago, trimster said: I will be adding solar, so that influences what I get i think. There are a lot of solar users on this and other forums, but of them all I have found Chad to be the most reliable source and and very generous with his help. I do have an extensive electrical background. If you plan to add solar you won't go wrong with his advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Schneider Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 (edited) SeeLevel for tank monitoring. For battery monitoring there are several shunt based options, ranging from the $25 Aili Voltage and Amp-hour meter to the $90 Renogy battery monitor with a graphical "fuel gauge" indication of the battery condition to $300 units by Victron, etc. The thing I don't like about Victron's wireless Smart Shunt is it requires the phone to stay within Bluetooth range with the app running to use any of the advanced features beyond basic voltage and amp-hour readings. Edited November 28, 2022 by Lou Schneider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 (edited) Hey there trimster, good questions welcome aboard. I have a Renogy 500 Amp Shunt type Battery Monitor which has performed PERFECT and cost under 100 Bucks !!!!!!!!! The price of solar panels has decreased drastically since I began as well as the many options, brands and prices of LiFePo4 batteries, charge controllers and Inverter/Chargers, do your homework, shop around and check out DIY Solar by Will Prowse over on You Tube for some expert tests and reviews plus all the fine solar and electrical minded gents on here. John T BSEE,JD Electrical Engineer and 50 year RV owner Edited November 28, 2022 by oldjohnt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimster Posted November 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2022 Thanks all. Chad & i have chatted. Great resource. He's the best. I've watched Prouse for a while now. Agree, he's got it figured out and is a grin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimster Posted December 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 How do your folks suggest working with an enclosed underbelly on the trailer? Getting to the tanks to mount the sensors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappir Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 You have to remove the underbelly. The worst part is finding something to put back up, depending on the age of your rig. My 2007 trailer had a plastic cardboard type of material. It was pretty tough, but some of the places where it was "Glued" in place didn't come apart well. Never know what you will find under there too. Rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted December 3, 2022 Report Share Posted December 3, 2022 Access to the waste tanks is usually the biggest challenge of working on or replacing tank level sensors. That was the #1 reason that I never replaced any of ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted December 4, 2022 Report Share Posted December 4, 2022 We installed the See Level II tank monitors on our tanks, but somewhat lucky in that they were exposed from underneath but we did have to coat the sensors, once installed with undercoating per the instructions. We were able to use our existing wiring that went to our original monitor system. Our water pump switch was on our old system so when I used the See Level panel with a switch for the water pump, I had to use a relay as their switch could not handle the amps our pump needed. This is also covered in their instructions. Can you get to the side of the tanks thru any of your storage bays? If so you only need access to the side of the tanks to install the sensors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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