[VAC] Re: Batteries and battery venting

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert,
 The one additional item that you need is an "eMeter". They're sold
under several names, by a number of vendors. The cost is between $200.00
and $250.00, including the shunt, wiring is pretty straightforward. This
thing will tell you exactly what is going on with your 12-volt
electrical system.

The main reason that electricity is F.M. (F** Magic) to most folks is
because you can't SEE what's going on. Yet, if you understand the basic
principles and have some meters, you CAN see what's happening and it's
really pretty understandable. Without metering, you're shooting in the
dark and can only guess. At the very minumum, you need a good, accurate,
permanently-mounted digital voltmeter. Remember that a "12-volt" battery
is fully charged at 12.6 volts, but is over 50% discharged at 12 volts,
a difference of just over a half-volt. You don't want to run your
battery below 50% charge on a routine basis, so it's pretty important to
have accurate metering.

                                          <<Jim>>