RV and trailer owners know that there is a battery indicator in their unit. What many do not know is the battery indicator provided by the factory is not accurate enough to ensure the battery bank is not discharged below 50% of full charge.
A deep-cycle battery that experiences deep discharge regularly will have a much shorter life span than a battery that is consistently recharged before going below 50%.
Another key factor for battery longevity is ensuring the battery is brought up to 100% charge every 7 days.
Your Bogart Trimetric battery monitor is programmed with battery capacity in amp-hours and keeps track of the current flowing in and out of the battery as well as the voltage of the battery. The Trimetric displays the remaining battery capacity as a percentage. It is comforting to look at the monitor and see that the battery has 80% of its capacity left, rather than looking at the "1/4, 1/2, 3/4 full lights" that are based on battery voltage only.
Understand your RV electrical system better
The Trimetric allows the user to see the amount of current flowing in or out in real time. You can turn on your lights for example, and learn that incandescent bulbs draw an astonishing amount of current! There is a very good reason why most boondockers remove the old lightbulbs and pay a bit more for LED lighting.
Whether your trailer is connected to shore power, your generator is running, or your solar panels are in full sunlight, most users need to know if the battery is charging and how well the charging system is working. The Bogart monitor will show if a problem exists with getting the battery charged before your appliances don't work!