posted by katlupe on Aug 25
Your off-the-grid home depends on batteries for your electrical power and that is why you definitely need a battery system monitor. It is a major component needed for your alternative energy system. I know we did not have our meter in the beginning but as soon as were able to add it to our system it made maintaining it so much easier. The one we bought is called The TriMetric Model 2020. We purchased it in 2004 and it ran about $190. at that time at Backwoods Solar. I believe that included all the hardware with it.
You can use it to teach your family how much energy different electrical appliances use. You can plug in a mixer for instance, and then watch your TriMetric meter to see how much power is being used when it is turned on. That way you will be able to judge if it is worth keeping that mixer or buy a more efficient one or add another solar panel.
It will also help you in checking that all your power loads are really off. Sometimes you might have something still on and not know it. Of course, in my own home we have everything off if our inverter is off. Eventually, that will change and our inverter will be on all the time. Right now the only thing we have on all the time is a string of lights like Christmas type ones that are hooked directly to our batteries.
A meter also helps you locate the “phantom loads”. I think everyone knows now what that is……small loads that come from your computers, televisions, radios, stereos, telephones, anything that has a clock or anything that is lit up when it is not being used. You do not want them saping your power! I have none of those items in my house. My printer comes on when we turn our inverter on in the morning and we quickly turn it off before even turning our laptops on. I only turn the printer on when I am using it and off as soon as I am finished.
How do you know how much energy is left in your system? We have to watch this very closely as NY does not get a fair amount of sun. For us it means we have to run our generator to charge our batteries. You do not want to let your batteries get depleted. It also helps when you are running the generator to know when to turn it off because the batteries are approaching full charge. Don’t want to let them get undercharged and don’t want to overcharge them either!
Batteries need critical care. So your meter will help you maintain and care for them by knowing when to turn on your generator to avoid damage from letting them completely discharge. It will also allow you to check that your charging systems are definitely charging to the correct voltage for the longest battery life. Not to mention that it reminds you to not let your batteries go too many days between a full charge.
As you can see this little meter becomes a very essential tool in putting together your alternative energy system. Any system problems usually will show up on your meter. You will be able to monitor the solar arrays, inverter and charge controller to make sure they are correctly charging at proper rates and voltages. If your batteries are not holding the energy properly you will know that immediately.
Our TriMetric meter is right on our wall in our living room. We can see it from our desks. If anything is not right my husband knows immediately as he checks it constantly. It is best to stay on top of all things involving your system as your equipment is not cheap and can be damaged easily by not monitoring it. Hope this helps and gives you an idea of why you need this little meter for your alternative energy system.
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