ditchcrawler Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 . I completely agree with the packaging observations. I suspect it's a case of "If it ain't broke..." but a posher case, display and buttons certainly wouldn't hurt. And would cost pennies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBiscuits Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Smartgauge is an over priced voltmeter end of. I'll give you £40 for it if you don't want it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmr Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Ya musnt worry most if not all peeps mean no harm but are as subtle as a flying hammer when it comes to responding. You have been getting good advice and some of the posters realy know their stuff re batteries and in some cases are realy anal about them but its good advice. It will depend on your take on batteries, to me they are precisely to be used as diesel and when they are knackered you bin them and fifteen minutes later have the new ones fitted. I will give you as aliveabord of long standing the BASIC battery facts and these are that wether you spend a million pounds or ten pounds on a battery they will last longer if you never take them to a low state of charge idealy above 12.3 is good and if you charge them every time they drop to such levels and do them at least daily if you are a liveaboard then they will survive well. I never try to go two days so if they have only dropped to say 12.4 by the morning I still will charge them that day, you should also fully charge them but then that alone is another can of worms and so is smartgauge etc etc etc keep on posting and give them some crap back Fifteen minutes to fit a set of batteries, next time mine need changing im gonna get you to do it for me. If you charge £50 per hour then that 15 minuets will earn you 4 pints of beer (or possibly only three in Oxford-shire). Just getting emotionally prepared to lift a Trojan takes me almost an hour. ...............Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon 12 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 it is only an update not for an ah judgement yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmr Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Agreed, the Smartgauge is clever because of the algorithms it uses to calculate SoC on dischsrge. Must have taken Gibbo years of research to make those reasonably accurate, and someone had to pay for his time. My main complaint with the Smartgauge is that it looks cheap for its price. It needs a makeover so thst the display and buttons match the asking price. I generally like the look of the Smartguage, especially those lovely red 7 segment LEDS, though I accept the buttons are a bit naff. A lot of boat electronics looks far too space age for my liking, it would be at home on the star ship Enterprise but does not look appropriate in a narrowboat engine room. As soon as the guarantee wears out on the new inverter its going to get a coat of matt black. .................Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 How do you use your cheap voltmeter to assess SoC while the fridge is running for example? I turn my fridge off when measuring voltage. Simples! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Fifteen minutes to fit a set of batteries, next time mine need changing im gonna get you to do it for me. If you charge £50 per hour then that 15 minuets will earn you 4 pints of beer (or possibly only three in Oxford-shire). Just getting emotionally prepared to lift a Trojan takes me almost an hour. ...............Dave Fifteen minutes seems quite a while to swap over batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I turn my fridge off when measuring voltage. Simples! Common sense seems to be remarkably 'uncommon' these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Fifteen minutes seems quite a while to swap over batteries. Well I have to have a rest after lifting each one out and repeat after lifting the new ones in, I then get cramp in my leg before I have remade all the connections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Fifteen minutes seems quite a while to swap over batteries. Well my last swap took about a day. A three hour round trip to Surbiton from Kintbury to buy them, An hour to move each of the four batteries 500yds from the van to the boat, another two hours to make the new interconnects, and the the trip to the scrappy to get rid of the old batts took a further 90 minutes. I too would like to employ Mrsmelly to change mine next time around but I'm happy to pay him £500 an hour for his time... Given his quotation of 15 minutes for the job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Well my last swap took about a day. A three hour round trip to Surbiton from Kintbury to buy them, An hour to move each of the four batteries 500yds from the van to the boat, another two hours to make the new interconnects, and the the trip to the scrappy to get rid of the old batts took a further 90 minutes. I too would like to employ Mrsmelly to change mine next time around but I'm happy to pay him £500 an hour for his time... Given his quotation of 15 minutes for the job He will probably add the minimum 2 hour call out charge like what boiler fixers do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 He will probably add the minimum 2 hour call out charge like what boiler fixers do. Yes while he is doing it in his 15 minutes which will be best part of a day in Real Time, I should be able to fix about four boilers which should just about pay the £125 I'll expect to be billed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I turn my fridge off when measuring voltage. Simples! And wait for the requisite hour or so for the voltage to stabilize? I'd rather glance at a meter; that's far more sensible to my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtB Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 And wait for the requisite hour or so for the voltage to stabilize? I'd rather glance at a meter; that's far more sensible to my mind. Yes. Then forget to turn it on again probably! All seem a lot of pishing about to save a one-off cost of £120. (Less of course, the price of whatever other voltmeter Dave has installed.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Yes. Then forget to turn it on again probably! All seem a lot of pishing about to save a one-off cost of £120. (Less of course, the price of whatever other voltmeter Dave has installed.) Plus of course it might not be just the fridge. There's the TV, the DVD player, the phone charger, the laptop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Plus of course it might not be just the fridge. There's the TV, the DVD player, the phone charger, the laptop... Isn't that why you have that 'big red key-switch' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Isn't that why you have that 'big red key-switch' ? So if a boater wants to know the accurate SoC of their batteries you would advocate that the best way to do this is to shut down the central heating, lift the boards on a cruiser stern boat, switch off the isolator, sit in the cold and dark for an hour, read a voltmeter with a torch and then switch it all back on again? Common sense tells me that a superior method would be to take a glance at a digital readout. But you carry on doing it your way, it's your boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 But you carry on doing it your way, it's your boat. I don't do it that way - I have 1300Ah of disposable batteries, rarely drop below 80% SoC, have solar, and when out 'cruising' have the engine running for 6 hours + most days (twin 70A alternators) Have not run the battery charger in the last 12 months. I have previously worked on the principal that when the lights regularly go dim, its time to renew the batteries. Three boats ago, I noticed that the electrics were only working when the engine was running - on investigating I noted the date on the two batteries was 9 years previously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon 12 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Just don't trust the smartgauge it lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 So if a boater wants to know the accurate SoC of their batteries you would advocate that the best way to do this is to shut down the central heating, lift the boards on a cruiser stern boat, switch off the isolator, sit in the cold and dark for an hour, read a voltmeter with a torch and then switch it all back on again? Common sense tells me that a superior method would be to take a glance at a digital readout. But you carry on doing it your way, it's your boat. No get down there with a hydrometer and measure the SG of the cells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WotEver Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 No get down there with a hydrometer and measure the SG of the cells But strip naked first so's not to end up with holey clothes Just don't trust the smartgauge it lies. Rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 But strip naked first so's not to end up with holey clothes . Only on a Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmr Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Why else would Elecsol (possibly the world's largest battery manufacturer) select Smartgauge as its ONLY recommended battery monitor? I believe that Elecsol are (or were) one man in a shed just outside Liverpool. The web site showing a huge manufacturing and research centre was just part of a huge confidence trick. Do a search on the www, its quite entertaining. ........................Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 I believe that Elecsol are (or were) one man in a shed just outside Liverpool. The web site showing a huge manufacturing and research centre was just part of a huge confidence trick. Do a search on the www, its quite entertaining. ........................Dave They made some interesting claims about the performance of their batteries and also warranty claims Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon 12 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 What did you all do before smartgauge mmmmmmmm , voltmeter, hydrometer. I think you were all sucked in by clever marketing. its a volt meter, just a very expensive one. ... Sorry if that grates a bit folks. Invented for his wife..... lightbulb moment.. Oh people will buy this. I do understand the inventer is a very intelligent man. but its flawed in too many ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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