Amp draw - DC amp meter installation?

[GypsyCan]

Has anyone installed a meter to show amp draw while on DC only?


We had one on our sailboat but the power was all at the Nav Station so easy to accomplish. If you turned on a light or fan you could see exactly what you were drawing out of the batteries. From that you had predictability.



I can read the draw on the labels and manuals but that only tells part of the story.



Btw: I have an induction clamp for my VOM but the margin of error is too great to be of much help.


Thanks - Jim

[GMFL]

Lots of people do it.
Victron makes a very easy to use and nice one.
Here is my blog post on my install.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/blog...-install-2987/

https://www.victronenergy.com/batter.../bmv-712-smart

[TheGreatleys]

Yes, shunt style battery monitors are really the way to go if you want to really know what's going on with your battery. I use the Magnum BMS that talks to my inverter charger. As @GMFL mentioned, Victron makes a nice one. There's also a standalone model from Bogart Engineering called the Trimetric that's very popular.