Battery maintenance

[padlin]

Battery Terminal spray helps.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Bill and Earline

My two original ETI 6volt batteries are still seemingly doing fine. The trailer is plugged in full time while at home.

I check and fill the water several times a year and write the date on the plywood to keep track of it. Those months will get away from you if you just guess.

I did have corrosion at the point where the cables are held into the clamps on the batteries and after tightening a few times, eventually bought new and heavier cables.
In 2014 ETI was "making" their own cables and apparently didn't have as good a connection as a factory supplied cable with a finished end. Reace went right to it when I presented the problem at Osoyoos a few years ago.

Bill

those clamp-on-the-cable battery terminals have caused me issues on multiple vehicles, I only use the factory crimped and molded ones now when I have to replace OEM battery cables on anything (most recently my 1948 Ford 8N tractor, which I converted to 12V)

[SMabey]

Again, new to the RV world, so another noob question... When parking my trailer for the winter, should I take the battery off the trailer and keep in my garage on a charger, or leave it on the trailer while it is plugged in? We are located in the Vancouver, BC area, so will get some freezing temps, just not for long, and only to about -4C. I will have a cover on the trailer. My trailer is parked 15 minutes away from my home, but I will check on it once a month. This is assuming that plugging it in will charge the battery... we only got the trailer this summer and never camped where there were services. Only boondocks or dry camped.

[gbaglo]

I've never removed my battery. Just have the trailer plugged in to maintain charge. I doubt it will ever reach -67 C here, which it what it would take to freeze a charged battery.
Look up Trojan battery myths for battery maintenance pointers.

[KirkB]

A charged RV battery will not freeze in our moderate BC lower mainland climate. If you are plugged in, absolutely no problem. You could likely be OK by plugging in once every month or two. If you have the battery disconnect set to storage (battery isolated from converter), then it should stay charged even if not plugged in.

I leave my batteries in, and have my trailer covered (so no solar) and unplugged for part of the winter season, until I head south. This might be the first year I don't head south some time in January or early February, though.

I see that Baglo types faster than me. He quoted the freezing temp, all I knew was it was way colder than it ever gets here.

[gbaglo]

A favourite battery FAQ:
https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/

[SMabey]

Thanks @KirkB and gbaglo! Sounds like I'm good to go battery-wise. I'm also planning to run a Stor-Dry heater/fan along with DampRid to deal with humidity through the monsoon season. Are you both doing something similar?

[John in Santa Cruz]

if I lived where it was really cold, and the trailer had to be winterized, I'd probably bring the batteries into my garage, and leave them connected to a battery tender or ctek/noco smart charger. you'll need to bring the 'bridge' cable that connects the two batts in series in too, and reconnect it before you can connect the tender.... check the cells when you put it in storage, and every month or two, and again when you put them back in service.

dual 6V systems, you need a 'golf cart battery strap' to readily move the batteries, these are pretty cheap and very handy. those GC batteries especially are quite heavy, a standard Trojan T-105 225AH (at 20 hour rate) GC-2 golf cart batteries are around 62 lbs each.


but I live in coastal california, where we never get hard freezes. I leave my trailer on an extension cord in my driveway. anyways, it has solar too, that will also keep it charged if its not covered.

[padlin]

Where are you storing the trailer? Any chance of someone stealing the batteries or gas bottles?

[h2owmn]

john, is there any difference in battery longevity for 2 6 volt "always plugged in" during the winter or "battery disconnect switch off"?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

you'll need to bring the 'bridge' cable that connects the two batts in series in too, and reconnect it before you can connect the tender...

As an alternative, you can use two separate 6-volt maintenance chargers. A bonus of this approach is that if they have become slightly out of balance in use, they'll be equalized in charge during storage. One charger is simpler, of course.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by h2owmn

john, is there any difference in battery longevity for 2 6 volt "always plugged in" during the winter or "battery disconnect switch off"?

disconnected lead acid batteries lose like 10% or 20% of their charge every month. the battery tender, or a smart charger including the Escape's built in Wfco converter, will keep the batteries at full capacity which for lead acid is their 'happy place'.

[h2owmn]

Got it, thanks!