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Old 01-15-2018, 12:28 PM   #7
bushpilot
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tomball
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeepVee View Post
I've been wanting to add their system on our rig but I've always worried about the battery life in the valve stem cap units. Have you had good or bad experiences with battery life? Which cap sensors are you using, just the caps or pass through?
I have the 507 Caps (with user replaceable batteries), they did not offer flow thru sensors when i bought the system in 2011 (both sensors use the same CR1632 batteries).

ALL of TST's sensors are the same price - so there is no price DIS-advantage between the sensors - until you consider the units that are sealed (no user replaceable battery)....more on this later.

I buy the replacement batteries for 35-50 CENTS each when i buy 10 or 20 a time (amazon)....i have 10 sensors between the coach and our toad (jeep wrangler)....so bulk buying in groups of 10 or 20 at a team is not a stretch.

I find the batteries last at least 18 months, I've changed them as often as annually (co-insides w/ a trip to drop our son at college & family visit) - but now that the kids are out of college I've been changing the batteries about every 18 months for the last 2 or 3 years. I've HAD the system 7 years this May (2011).

With the TST system - when i want to check the Tire pressure i simply turn on the monitor and I'm DONE! No hose or gauges to drag out etc.

I find that i only need to add air to the tires ONCE a year (on average) when the temperatures turn cold.....because of this i see NO reason to go w/ flow thru sensors.

If i have to add air to the tires, i try to change the battery at the same time - sometimes I'm better about this than others....its really no trouble at all to remove the sensor and change the battery.

I was running the security caps the 1st year - they're a minor nuance and not worth the trouble. I leave the sensors on 24/7/365 - even on our Toad (Jeep Wrangler)...once in a while people will ask what they are, but I've never lost one or had one stolen (they're worthless w/out the monitor).

NOW about those SEALED sensors - their batteries are reported to last about 5 yrs (no guarantee)...when their battery is dead you return them to TST and buy NEW/replacements.

I can buy 10 years of batteries (replace them myself) for the cost of a SINGLE sensor - so i see ZERO advantage to the sealed units, in fact they'll be nearly 10x more costly over 5 years for me.

One other item - there are no tools necessary to change the batteries on the CAPS (just twist the cap off, push the battery out, insert the new battery & replace the cap).

the PASS thru caps have TINY (watch type) screws (picture link) that hold a cover in place...good luck finding those if you drop one!
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Don R.
'04 Haulmark (M42386) 42', 2 slide, 10kw - Pictures
'04 F350 CrewCab Longbed 4x4, 50g aux tank & gear vendors dbl over
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