volt meter vs. battery monitor

[rob711]

the voltmeter died last year on my boat...i was just going to replace it with a similar style gauge...after looking around a bit i've come across a battery monitoring gauge...is this just a voltmeter that says good/bad versus numbers ie.10-14v...or would this be a gauge that i'd have to wire to a switch and check it then turn it off..any ideas thanks
rob

 

[DRIFTER_016]

Re: volt meter vs. battery monitor

I believe a battery monitor will tell you the condition of your battery(amount of charge ie. 50%, 75% etc.), but the volt meter will give you an indication of battery health at rest(voltage 12 volts good, 10 volts bad etc.) while letting you know that your charging system is working (14-16 volts running).

 

[JB]

Re: volt meter vs. battery monitor

Replace the VM with a VM.

 

[jtexas]

Re: volt meter vs. battery monitor

The "monitor" is a VM without numbers. They're about the same usefulness, IMHO. Good enough for a general idea of how you're doing, but it takes a more precise measurement than either of those to know the state of charge of a battery. 12.65 = 100%, 12.45 = 75%, 12.24 = 50%, etc.

 

[rob711]

Re: volt meter vs. battery monitor

thanks all... I'll go with jb's advice...