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kevman · 08-16-2018, 05:12 PM

We're in the process of a complete rebuild on our van so I've now got a bit of experience on the subject.

1. Is your old charger a stand alone charger or a charger/distribution panel? I haven't gotten around to replacing our charger yet but we also don't have any AC loads so when I do, a simple 3 stage charger is all I need. Things get a little trickier when you still need to maintain your AC distribution.

2. Our unit didn't come with a battery monitor to begin with but I did install a Victron BMV-712 with the new electrical set up. Simply put, it's great. Expensive? Maybe. I don't actually remember what it cost nor do I care. The shunt is dead simple to install and knowing how much power you have left no matter the current load on the battery is clutch. Finally, the built in Bluetooth fills my inner nerd with joy. I can monitor my battery from bed, outside the van or even from the house. I also check on it sometimes while driving to see how many amps I'm getting from the alternator or how close the battery is to a full charge. Long story short, you said "I'm a geek" so just get the Victron one and enjoy!

3. Maybe. Depends on the set up. For example, if you use a Victron Inverter/Charger and Victron Solar controller their ve.bus can monitor battery life through these controllers and make the BMV redundant. However, that's assuming all your loads go in through the charger/solar only and out through the inverter. If you have DC loads directly off the battery or if you charge with an alternator at all you'll still need a shunt based system to monitor these. I'm assuming at least your water pump and lights are DC so unless you don't care to monitor the draw on these items you're going to still need a shunt based system.

I'm going to sound like a Victron rep here but their solar controller is also pretty amazing if for no other reason than the Bluetooth again. We use a DC fridge so our loads are fairly heavy compared to others. The Bluetooth gives me peace of mind to know exactly where the battery is at in it's charge cycle, how much current it's getting, how long we can go, etc.

08-16-2018, 05:12 PM	#99
kevman #1 Goaltender Join Date: Apr 2004 Exp:	We're in the process of a complete rebuild on our van so I've now got a bit of experience on the subject. 1. Is your old charger a stand alone charger or a charger/distribution panel? I haven't gotten around to replacing our charger yet but we also don't have any AC loads so when I do, a simple 3 stage charger is all I need. Things get a little trickier when you still need to maintain your AC distribution. 2. Our unit didn't come with a battery monitor to begin with but I did install a Victron BMV-712 with the new electrical set up. Simply put, it's great. Expensive? Maybe. I don't actually remember what it cost nor do I care. The shunt is dead simple to install and knowing how much power you have left no matter the current load on the battery is clutch. Finally, the built in Bluetooth fills my inner nerd with joy. I can monitor my battery from bed, outside the van or even from the house. I also check on it sometimes while driving to see how many amps I'm getting from the alternator or how close the battery is to a full charge. Long story short, you said "I'm a geek" so just get the Victron one and enjoy! 3. Maybe. Depends on the set up. For example, if you use a Victron Inverter/Charger and Victron Solar controller their ve.bus can monitor battery life through these controllers and make the BMV redundant. However, that's assuming all your loads go in through the charger/solar only and out through the inverter. If you have DC loads directly off the battery or if you charge with an alternator at all you'll still need a shunt based system to monitor these. I'm assuming at least your water pump and lights are DC so unless you don't care to monitor the draw on these items you're going to still need a shunt based system. I'm going to sound like a Victron rep here but their solar controller is also pretty amazing if for no other reason than the Bluetooth again. We use a DC fridge so our loads are fairly heavy compared to others. The Bluetooth gives me peace of mind to know exactly where the battery is at in it's charge cycle, how much current it's getting, how long we can go, etc.