Amperage for appliances

[Burnsy]

Hi all,
Since installing my BM-1 battery monitor I am able to easily see the amps drawn for various appliances and thought it might be usefull for members as a guide when off the grid. The results are as follows:

Jayco setek: 0.1 amp (doesn't sound like much but if you leave your battery switch on with no charge to battery it equates to 16.8 amps/week)

36 led panel: 0.3 amp
Jayco incandescent globe: 1.5 amps
2x 24 LED panel: 0.1 amp
Water pump: 5 amps
Annexe lights: 0.4 amp (factory fitted 2x 6 led)
Tv Antenna booster: 0.1 amp
22" Sphere LCD TV: 2 amps (0.3amp on standby)
Stereo/CD player: 0.5 amp
LED factory downlight: 0.1 amp (1 LED)
Handle light next to door (LED factory) No reading so in the milliamps
60L Waeco: 4 - 4.3 amps
60L Engel: 6.3 - 7.4 amps (older technology with no digital display)
(compressors running on both fridges)
Charging iPhone: 0.5 amp
Charging iPad: 0.8 amp

As you can see, besides the fridges the water pump is power thirsty!

 

[Holden_man]

that's good info burnsy, I wouldn't have thought the pump used that much. The other one that interesting is how much the 36 panel used in relation to the twin 24.

 

[Burnsy]

that's good info burnsy, I wouldn't have thought the pump used that much. The other one that interesting is how much the 36 panel used in relation to the twin 24.

Thank mate, yeah I was surprised about the 24 LEDs also.....strange! I use the 24's at our bed end.

 

[Xpandafan]

Thanks Burnsy. Nice to have "real" data, rather than guesstimates. Your solar set up will most certainly have you nicely self- sufficient as expected.

 

[Kenshi123]

Awesome list mate. I was surprised how much the pump drew. good job

 

[relgate]

Thanks for that Burnsy. You get my "Community service" award this week.

I'm not too surprised about the pump as they do work hard.

 

[cruza driver]

Love your work Burnsy, thanks for putting that together mate :thumb:

It also really shows the benefit of led's too when off the grid.

 

[boots33]

Jayco setek: 0.1 amp (doesn't sound like much but if you leave your battery switch on with no charge to battery it equates to 16.8 amps/week)

Hey Burnsy

Great info on power usage. I am a bit concerned with your setec readings though. I would have thought a 2012 expanda would have a setec 2 power unit fitted and they should draw way less than 100ma. The Setec manual says less than 2ma (0.002 amp) and I just measured mine and it draws 1.4ma. You may have a phantom drain you need to chase down.

The older series 1 setecs were quite heavy on standby current and if anyone has one of those fitted you should turn off the main battery switch when the van is stored without 240v connected.

 

[Kenshi123]

Hi Burnsy. Further to what boots33 has Said. When I installed my bm1 I noticed that I had the .1a draw, so I recalibrated the bm1 to zero current As per the manual.

 

[Burnsy]

Hey Burnsy

Great info on power usage. I am a bit concerned with your setec readings though. I would have thought a 2012 expanda would have a setec 2 power unit fitted and they should draw way less than 100ma. The Setec manual says less than 2ma (0.002 amp) and I just measured mine and it draws 1.4ma. You may have a phantom drain you need to chase down.

The older series 1 setecs were quite heavy on standby current and if anyone has one of those fitted you should turn off the main battery switch when the van is stored without 240v connected.

Thanks for pointing that out boots, it's interesting that Kenshi had the same reading with the BM-1. I could recalibrate like he did but with battery switch off it shows 0 amp draw which it should and I'd like to know about any draw from the batteries. Might need to do some investigating but if everything is off and solar is isolated and setec is the only thing switched on then it's got to have something to do with the setec right?

 

[boots33]

If you have or can borrow a digital meter then use that to double check the draw current. If it shows you are using 100ma at rest then remove the fuses in the setec one by one and see what circuit causes the draw to stop. If the draw remains with all the load fuses removed (don't remove the main batt fuse) then it may well be in the setec.

What you are experiencing may be a limitation of the bm-1 unit. Is the unit able to display draws of less than 100ma ? If it can't it may just show any draw less than 100ma as being 100ma. That may be why they have the ability to zero the reading.

 

[Burnsy]

If you have or can borrow a digital meter then use that to double check the draw current. If it shows you are using 100ma at rest then remove the fuses in the setec one by one and see what circuit causes the draw to stop. If the draw remains with all the load fuses removed (don't remove the main batt fuse) then it may well be in the setec.

What you are experiencing may be a limitation of the bm-1 unit. Is the unit able to display draws of less than 100ma ? If it can't it may just show any draw less than 100ma as being 100ma. That may be why they have the ability to zero the reading.

Thanks boots i'll try that with my meter, as far as I know the BM-1 can't measure below 100ma so you could be right. When I measured the amps for handle light (next to door) there was no reading, so it may round it up to 100ma if its over .05amp and 0 if its under. To measure ma with meter do you use the negative line or doesn't it matter?

 

[boots33]

To measure current your test meter can go in series with either negative or positive lines. Use whichever one is easiest to get at.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Hey Kenshi123 or Burnsy do either of you guys have two batteries hooked up to your BM-1 if so did you connect the negatives of both batteries together or both to the same side of the Shunt

 

[Burnsy]

Hi Capt. Gadget, both my batteries are connected together in parallel and then I used terminal strips or "links" so one for positive and one for negative, all that wiring was done in 6 b&s. You can then run everything from these links, mine has seven connection points on each so this means you don't have so many wires going to your batteries and makes it easy to connect other items, battery negative to shunt, other side of shunt to link! Hope this makes sense.

Cheers.

 

[Kenshi123]

Hi mate. I have the negatives of the terminals connected with 6b&s then the negative of one battery is connected to the shunt. If that makes sense? I do like @Burnsy's wiring idea though.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Hi mate. I have the negatives of the terminals connected with 6b&s then the negative of one battery is connected to the shunt. If that makes sense? I do like @Burnsy's wiring idea though.

Cheers that makes sense, the instructions that came with it says you can use a bank of batteries but doesn't give a diagram on how to do it I was going to connect both negatives from the batteries to one side of the shunt and all other negatives to the other side, but I suppose that by doing that you are in effect joining both terminals together anyway, when I get a minute or 90 I'll re-do my wiring diagram and post it
Burnsy I like that Idea of the Terminal strips might try that too cheers

 

[Burnsy]

Hey Capt. Gadget, you can have up to 600amps of battery connected to the BM-1 compact, eg 6 x 100amp batteries connected in parallel, all you need to do then is go into menu and change the battery nominal capacity, so whatever your batteries add up to then that's the value you input. I will get a pic of the links and wiring if you like.

Cheers.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Hey Capt. Gadget, you can have up to 600amps of battery connected to the BM-1 compact, eg 6 x 100amp batteries connected in parallel, all you need to do then is go into menu and change the battery nominal capacity, so whatever your batteries add up to then that's the value you input. I will get a pic of the links and wiring if you like.

Cheers.

Thanks Burnsy a pic would be great

 

[Burnsy]

Hi Capt. Gadget, here's a few pics for you, I can't steal someone else's thunder, the links were suggested by another member?


The negative from both batteries are connected together, then from one of the negative terminals it goes to the side of the shunt that has the black and white wires, and the other side that has the yellow wire goes to the link, that link then supplies all negative current but it's measured through the shunt. Same with the positive, both connected together at batteries with fuse, then from one positive terminal to the other link with another inline fuse, this link then supplies all positive current. Also connected to the links is the setec, redarc, solar and positive for the bm-1. The heavy cables are 6b&s for battery connections and the links also come with plastic covers as shown. You can buy the links from electrical wholesalers or maybe even Bunnings?