Just finished installing a water tank gauge and battery monitor and thought i would post a few details on the install.
I didn't need anything too fancy for the battery meter so ended up getting one of these http://www.sidewinder.com.au/page76.html . It shows a single led to indicate the battery level from 10% to 100% (11v to 13v). The Jayco setec power unit will dis-connect the battery at around 10.5v so when the meter shows 10% you know you don't have long to go. This makes it easy for the whole family to quickly see how our battery level is. The meter only draws about 11ma so it can be left turned on with only a minor drain on the battery. I have fitted an on/off switch for turning the meter off while the van is not in use. got the switch here http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-Pcs-2-...Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item3f152adf2f .
Our van did not come with a gauge fitted to the water tank and as we only have a single tank I was keen to have some way to monitor the tank level. I ended up buying one from R V Electronics as they looked to be fairly easy to fit (bit lazy). Got it from here http://www.rvelectronics.com.au/page.asp?parentid=3&parent2id=73 They have meters to suit multiple tanks as well. I bought the sender with 5m lead as i thought that would be long enough but it turned out to be a few meters short. Fortunately the wire they use is just standard 6 core alarm wire (get from Jaycar or Dick Smiths) so it was an easy job to extend it.
We have the 150ltr fridge in our 14 so this gives us a great area above the fridge to install the gauges (and some other future additions) so the first thing i did was to take a peak into that area with an inspection camera to make sure jayco didn't have any surprises in there for me. Turns out to be a big empty cavity with just a heat shield from the fridge at the rear, so i was good to go.
The perfect place for fitting ............................................Inserting the camera for a look see
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The Gauge packing makes a good template..........................A Dremel makes the job easy
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File the hole for a good finish............................................Do the same for the water meter
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checking tank for internal obstructions................................Measure and mark where to drill
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There wasn't enough room to fit the drill so I used a right angle attachment(available for less than $20 at bunnings) rather than dropping the tank down to gain access. use a good hole saw (22mm for this sender) and drill on a very slow speed, the tank is quite thick and will take a little while to drill through. Don't be tempted to speed up the drill speed as this may deform the hole. be careful as the hole is completed not to drop the plastic cutout into the tank. once done clean away any burs around the hole.
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Insert the sender and tighten as per the instructions, you should not need to add any silicone etc to get a good seal. Be careful not to over tighten the nut as this will distort the rubber grommet. I marked the nut with a permanent marker so i could tell when i had turned it one turn passed finger tight. Next you can run the wiring back to the gauge. The plug is fairly large so to avoid drilling a big hole in the van floor i removed it while running the wiring. It is easy to do just use a paper clip to depress the retaining pins while pulling gently on the wire. you may need someone to hold the plug while you do this. Remember to observe the way the pins come out and which colour goes where so you can re insert them later.
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I followed original jayco wiring where i could and then ran the wires along the top back of the cupboard. A few P clips keep the wiring neat. I also made a large hole to access the area behind the panel i have mounted the gauges on, this makes it an easy job to mount and connect everything up. You could use an old coat-hanger to drag the wires forward if you don't want to have the big hole. Once connected you can cover the hole with a blank wall plate so it looks neat, you could even mount a flat light there for the cupboard instead.
......................
All finished and ready for our next off grid camp. This is a great area on the 14 for adding things so put some thought into what you might like to add in the future and run the extra wiring at the same time. Some items that come to mind would be a sound system or manual switch for a fridge cooler fan. I put an extra 12v outlet on top of the area and we use it to charge our ipads/phones etc. I have connected the battery gauge directly to the battery (through a fuse of course)
......................
I didn't need anything too fancy for the battery meter so ended up getting one of these http://www.sidewinder.com.au/page76.html . It shows a single led to indicate the battery level from 10% to 100% (11v to 13v). The Jayco setec power unit will dis-connect the battery at around 10.5v so when the meter shows 10% you know you don't have long to go. This makes it easy for the whole family to quickly see how our battery level is. The meter only draws about 11ma so it can be left turned on with only a minor drain on the battery. I have fitted an on/off switch for turning the meter off while the van is not in use. got the switch here http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-Pcs-2-...Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item3f152adf2f .
Our van did not come with a gauge fitted to the water tank and as we only have a single tank I was keen to have some way to monitor the tank level. I ended up buying one from R V Electronics as they looked to be fairly easy to fit (bit lazy). Got it from here http://www.rvelectronics.com.au/page.asp?parentid=3&parent2id=73 They have meters to suit multiple tanks as well. I bought the sender with 5m lead as i thought that would be long enough but it turned out to be a few meters short. Fortunately the wire they use is just standard 6 core alarm wire (get from Jaycar or Dick Smiths) so it was an easy job to extend it.
We have the 150ltr fridge in our 14 so this gives us a great area above the fridge to install the gauges (and some other future additions) so the first thing i did was to take a peak into that area with an inspection camera to make sure jayco didn't have any surprises in there for me. Turns out to be a big empty cavity with just a heat shield from the fridge at the rear, so i was good to go.
The perfect place for fitting ............................................Inserting the camera for a look see
.....................The Gauge packing makes a good template..........................A Dremel makes the job easy
.....................File the hole for a good finish............................................Do the same for the water meter
.....................checking tank for internal obstructions................................Measure and mark where to drill
.....................There wasn't enough room to fit the drill so I used a right angle attachment(available for less than $20 at bunnings) rather than dropping the tank down to gain access. use a good hole saw (22mm for this sender) and drill on a very slow speed, the tank is quite thick and will take a little while to drill through. Don't be tempted to speed up the drill speed as this may deform the hole. be careful as the hole is completed not to drop the plastic cutout into the tank. once done clean away any burs around the hole.
.....................Insert the sender and tighten as per the instructions, you should not need to add any silicone etc to get a good seal. Be careful not to over tighten the nut as this will distort the rubber grommet. I marked the nut with a permanent marker so i could tell when i had turned it one turn passed finger tight. Next you can run the wiring back to the gauge. The plug is fairly large so to avoid drilling a big hole in the van floor i removed it while running the wiring. It is easy to do just use a paper clip to depress the retaining pins while pulling gently on the wire. you may need someone to hold the plug while you do this. Remember to observe the way the pins come out and which colour goes where so you can re insert them later.
......................I followed original jayco wiring where i could and then ran the wires along the top back of the cupboard. A few P clips keep the wiring neat. I also made a large hole to access the area behind the panel i have mounted the gauges on, this makes it an easy job to mount and connect everything up. You could use an old coat-hanger to drag the wires forward if you don't want to have the big hole. Once connected you can cover the hole with a blank wall plate so it looks neat, you could even mount a flat light there for the cupboard instead.
......................All finished and ready for our next off grid camp. This is a great area on the 14 for adding things so put some thought into what you might like to add in the future and run the extra wiring at the same time. Some items that come to mind would be a sound system or manual switch for a fridge cooler fan. I put an extra 12v outlet on top of the area and we use it to charge our ipads/phones etc. I have connected the battery gauge directly to the battery (through a fuse of course)
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