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Topic ClosedBattery levels - Event Date: 03 Jan 2020
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Buffalohunter View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Oct 2019
Location: Bellingham, Wa
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: Battery levels
    Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 4:01pm
Ok I downloaded the owners manual...nice but never seems to have answers to my questions.  So explain the battery level codes found on the tank level panel...in my bathroom. Push the button and one of four lights will light up...under battery...C...G...F...L.  It is the KIB panel that has the tanks levels and the water heater switch plus the water pump.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6417 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 9:23pm
Okay. There are two scales. You are looking at the correct one. The letters are:
C - Charging
G - Good
F - Fair
L - Low

Better to install a small digital voltmeter next to the panel. It isn't that hard and will give you a much better idea of the battery's condition than the lights.
StephenH
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 8:11am
Thanks for the clarification...should have one for fully charged, but at least that’s another mystery solved. Enjoy the day StephenH
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Posts: 1014 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 8:14am
I did a test on those lights and found what I thought.. They don't come close but to show charging is happening.. Not even the tank capacity works well...

Please do get a simple meter to check your voltage with. I just bought this one as a in-house capacity checker, yet with it's built-in shunt would be an easy install in the trailer. 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T9KYPMG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have two of these mounted at the battery output and at the solar panel output. I like these due to the decent sized shunt for good readings. 
https://www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-100V-Display-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B013PKYILS/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?cv_ct_cx=12v+meter&keywords=12v+meter&pd_rd_i=B013PKYILS&pd_rd_r=3f78aa5a-d191-488f-acef-9b1150865d38&pd_rd_w=i9Qry&pd_rd_wg=5aWJR&pf_rd_p=a6d018ad-f20b-46c9-8920-433972c7d9b7&pf_rd_r=1FXSJT1GQNKGVG6AKYDQ&psc=1&qid=1578146966&s=hi

I found the lights do not activate accurately for SOC of your battery.
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Posts: 1221 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 10:22am
These lights can be deceiving at best. The battery lights on the type I have, show the battery at full power whenever you plug into shore power. It doesn't seem to matter what the charge level of the battery actually is, it says full because your plugged in. The opposite is true when you unplug.... the battery indicator goes right to 3/4 full. Not because it's 3/4 full, just because your unplugged. 
I find the holding tank indicators like this also. I believe, that as soon as the tank measures that the tank is past the one third level, it turns on the two thirds full light. From here on, it's a guessing game how full it really is.
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CharlieM View Drop Down
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Posts: 1797 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 12:44pm
The battery indicator is simple once you understand what's happening. my interpretation is:

Four lights - the battery is being charged; condition unknown.
Two or three lights - Battery is not being charged; condition totally unknown.
One light - you left the battery at home.

The tank lights are similar. The only tank light that sorta works is the fresh water once you get a rough idea by observing or measuring.

Best solutions are a digital voltmeter directly on the battery and a SeeLevel tank monitor system.
Charlie
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 5:00pm
They are just indicators, like the "idiot lights" in older vehicles. They are provided to give you an indication. In my 178 I added 12V receptacles, USB ports and a digital voltmeter, so I know what my battery status is. The indicators just give me a simple heads up.
Mike Carter
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JR View Drop Down
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Posts: 375 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 7:26am
CharlieM,

Don't know where you found the operational manual for the battery lights but I think that you are right on, keep up the good work in allowing all of us your understanding. Embarrassed
Jay

179/2019
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 10:00am
I am not a fan of guessing levels...especially if they have indicator lights. So the voltmeter will be a permanent part of the pod package.  Don’t know why they could not have put a clear “sight gauge” on the side of the tanks...but that is an unanswerable “why” question. Thanks for the heads up...new perspective on idiot lights and pods.
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Posts: 1221 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jan 2020 at 11:15am
The black tank is somewhat easy for me to guesstimate. I figure 5 gallons of waste per week per person. It's not scientific, it's just I recall was about how much we used when we used a porta potty back in the pop up. It was 5 gallons, and it was close to 2 empties in a week. I guess you could use 1 gallon a day per person also. It's all a guess so always guess you have more than less. You don't want a blacktank overflow. The grey tank is harder, depends on showers, dishes, how long you take for each. Really hard to guess. That would be a good tank to accurately monitor. 
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
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