T&T: DC Voltage Measuring

[Richard Tomkinson]

> Lots of dc questions here, so if anyone can direct me to one place to 
> learn
> more about battery monitioring, I'd be appreciative!  Guess you can tell 
> from
> the slant of the question that I have to be a previous sailer  :)
>
If you are going to be overnight cruising, I strongly suggest you learn 
about living with 12V systems.

There are a number of small books on the subject available at your library 
and at RV and Marine stores.
In my opinion, don't leave on a serious cruise without a permanent installed 
ammeter and voltmeter (or an e-meter) properly connected to source. Inspect 
your battery levels every day underway at least until you have a good feel 
for what 'normal' is, and then inspect regularly and write down what you 
find in your log. In your size boat you are looking at a resource of $1000 
to $2000 worth of batteries, and another $1000 of assorted other electrical 
fittings and that is without an inverter or gen set.
The investment and the risk tell you it is worth while getting an 
understanding of how it works and what to watch for.

Many of the vendors (Balmar, Xantrex, etc. have great web sites on the 
subject).

That said, there are many subtleties to installation and use, as well as 
various opinions.