Battery care

[BoiseBill]

I have a 2021 GD Momentum 31G TT with solar. I have covered the unit for the season. I am going to remove the 6 volt batteries and trickle charge them while the unit is being stored. Should I turn the battery disconnect switch off prior to removing the batteries? Should I also turn the disconnect switch off in the front outside storage compartment next to the inverter panel? Advice would be appreciated.

[A.Texas.Yankee]

I have a 2021 GD Momentum 31G TT with solar. I have covered the unit for the season. I am going to remove the 6 volt batteries and trickle charge them while the unit is being stored. Should I turn the battery disconnect switch off prior to removing the batteries? Should I also turn the disconnect switch off in the front outside storage compartment next to the inverter panel? Advice would be appreciated.

Wouldn't worry about it. Once you pull the negative terminal, switch position won't matter as there won't be power to anything in the coach. Do whatever you feel comfortable doing.

Unless you are hooked up to shore power during storage, that might change things a bit.

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[BoiseBill]

Thanks! Will go ahead and turn them off just to follow a routine.

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[Bungy]

I have a 2021 GD Momentum 31G TT with solar. I have covered the unit for the season. I am going to remove the 6 volt batteries and trickle charge them while the unit is being stored. Should I turn the battery disconnect switch off prior to removing the batteries? Should I also turn the disconnect switch off in the front outside storage compartment next to the inverter panel? Advice would be appreciated.

A trickle charger may cook the batteries as it provides a constant charge, better to use a battery tender as it will only provide a charge when the batteries need it.

[BoiseBill]

Got it, bought a battery tender from Deltran.

[IBEW Sparky]

Got it, bought a battery tender from Deltran.

Just a friendly reminder for you or any "Newbies" out there when you're working with batteries to ALWAYS disconnect the Negative battery terminal first and then reconnect it last. Sometimes batteries are in tight spots and it's way to easy to slip with a wrench and come in contact with metal... disconnecting the Neg term first removes all reference to ground from the battery and is the only safe method.

[jjbbrewer]

Just a friendly reminder for you or any "Newbies" out there when you're working with batteries to ALWAYS disconnect the Negative battery terminal first and then reconnect it last.

Please explain why you say that.
To the best of my knowledge, whether you disconnect all positives first or all negatives first, it makes no difference.

[huntindog]

Please explain why you say that.
To the best of my knowledge, whether you disconnect all positives first or all negatives first, it makes no difference.

This is Auto mechanics 101,
Once the negative is off, then the positive cannot cause a spark, like from the wrench touching metal as it swings, reverse it for the install, positive goes on first.

[Hoopy Frood]

Yep, negative first, always.

It doesn't make any difference to the battery, but it is safer and less chance of an Oopsie.

[jjbbrewer]

Ok, I got the "oopsie" part.

A few things I work on (vintage cars, race motorcycles, dirt bikes) have the batteries tucked into corners where you have to take off the positive before you can get to the negative terminal (think of a battery tightly tucked into a horizontal box).

Also, if I remember right, my old girlfriend's '58 Morris Minor was positive ground, which would mean you need to reverse this "Auto Mechanics 101" rule-of-thumb.

I was just wondering if someone knew of any electrical reason for doing this. There really isn't any.

But I do get the newbie/klutz/shorting-with-a-wrench concept.