Batteries what to do with over winter

[teamam]

Hey guys

Was wondering if I should remove my batteries while my unit is in storage for the winter will March?

Should I put on a trickle charge if so what are you guys using

Brett

 

[dchrist1733]

I bring mine in for the winter and put it in my basement, then I charge it once every two weeks for about 24 hours with a trickle charge from a battery charger. That seems to keep it in good shape for the next Spring.

 

[teamam]

Thx so much what trickle charger do you use?

 

[Cate&Rob]

One alternative is to fully charge the batteries and then completely disconnect them.
They will still be safely over 50% state of charge, up to 5 months later.

Rob

 

[dchrist1733]

I use a Sears Die Hard Battery Charger. I bought the better one because it is for auto and marine batteries which the batteries in an RV are Type 2. It works great. I have always removed mine during the cold months because I was told the cold weather effects the acid in the battery not sure if that is true or not was told that by a mechanic.

 

[Cate&Rob]

Attached is some information from Trojan on battery storage.
A lot of good info here, but key is that battery self-discharge rate reduces significantly at colder temperatures.
Per their Figure 1, at a temperature of 42F (the blue line) after 19 weeks (nearly 5 months) state of charge should still be over 75%. At colder temps, this remaining state of charge will be even higher.

Trickle charging is obviously not going to hurt, but is not necessary. The important thing is to make sure that there are absolutely no parasitic drains on the battery . . . i.e. disconnect at least the negative terminal.

Rob

 

[2825Matheny]

Winter Battery Maintenance

I have my batteries in the warm basement hooked up to a PulshTech desulfator/maintenance charger.
Does this type of charger really work?
I do not know for sure, but their literature makes them sound pretty good.
I can't wait until it warms up and we can install these batteries, flood the water system, and get some campfire nights in.

 

[teamam]

Rob just checked the batteries and is down to less than 25% left have not used in a about 2 months

 

[Cate&Rob]

Rob just checked the batteries and is down to less than 25% left have not used in a about 2 months

Teamam,

Are your batteries completely disconnected ? As in "cable removed from battery terminal" . . . not just "main switch turned off". Down to 25% sounds about right with parasitic loads like CO detector, entertainment memory, etc.

Rob

 

[teamam]

Just the main switch off at this time

 

[Racerx]

Just the main switch off at this time

You are still getting a draw on your battery with just the cut off switch off. I highly recommend you charge to full charge and as a minimum disconnect the ground cable while in storage. That low and with continual draw in freezing temperatures could allow the battery to freeze. NOT good.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[John612]

Very informative article about lithium ion batteries on technomadia.com, appears to be honest recitation of their experiences with them.

Have you looked at those batteries Rob?
Thx
John

 

[teamam]

How do I get to full charge again? It is in storage now ?

 

[Racerx]

How do I get to full charge again? It is in storage now ?

A local automotive store can charge them if you do not have a charger, or purchase a cheap charger. They are always good to have. Either way, if you leave the battery through Winter without disconnecting the battery, you will most likely be replacing the battery come Spring. If it were me, I would just go to storage, take out the battery, bring it home and put it on a charger. That would be cheaper than replacing a battery.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[teamam]

Thx so much guys

 

[Cate&Rob]

I agree with the info provided by Racerx, you need to bring shore power to the RV to charge the batteries using the converter, or remove the batteries and charge them elsewhere. At this low a charge, they are at risk of freezing which may split the cases . . . and then you will have a battery acid mess.

Rob

 

[zac808]

Thx so much what trickle charger do you use?

I put mine in the garage on a Battery Tender Plus trickle charger. Costco had them on sale for $32.

 

[EstelleD]

We took ours out of the camper and have it in our cellar. My husband puts a trickle charge on it every so often.