A dual battery system is an excellent way to give you more power for the fridge, lighting and other electronic gadgets when you’re away in your 4WD or camper trailer. But, to avoid a flat battery, you need to manage and control your power.

There is a range of ways to do this, from simple manual systems, where you do more of the work to more sophisticated systems that you can ‘set and forget’.

To command your power take a look at:

Battery meters

A good place to start, battery meters provide a basic solution to monitor your power use. The Baintech Volt Meter will show the status of your battery, but you’ll need to manage your power system manually. However, it’s an affordable and easy DIY solution that may save you from battery woes.

Fuse blocks

A fuse block will help protect your appliances and keep all of your cords organised. Bainbridge Technologies have a range of fuse blocks (6 or 12) that will keep you in control.

Low voltage cut outs

A low voltage cut out such as the Baintech LVC will protect your batteries by isolating them from the system when your voltage drops below a certain level. An LVC can extend your batter life and means you can enjoy more good times.

Battery monitors

If you want more information at your fingertips, then the next step up from the battery meter is a monitor. A battery monitor makes it easy to asses (and control) the load on your system because it gives you more information; and some automation. This can prevent harmful battery discharge or failure. For example, the Victron BMV 700 with super-accurate shunt technology will calculate volts, amps, state of charge and time to go. A monitor like this allows you to program a visual and audible warning alarm for its battery voltage and battery charge/discharge display and features a battery power “fuel gauge” status bar.

Power distribution units

An all-in-one power distribution unit can give you ultimate control. It delivers clean filtered power, protects against overload and will optimise the performance of your 12v battery system. Bainbridge Technologies recently launched The Nautech Power Control Unit, with super-accurate shunt technology, it’s a complete power management unit. The Nautech PCU comes with a sophisticated monitoring system, intelligent fusing; configurable stated output shut down based on battery state of charge, low state of charge cut out plus more.

The PCU protects against overload and monitors the current draw of each output while intelligent automatic resetting digital fuses reduce maintenance and improve reliability. User configurable programming allows for staged shutdown of individual outputs at both timed intervals and varying levels of battery discharge.

Take control of your power and ensure flat batteries don’t run your next holiday. To learn more about 12v power management solutions watch Bainbridge Technologies’ video below