BATTERIES

[bushmill]

I HAVE REPLACED BATTERY ON 2005 3670RL TWICE IN FOUR YEARS. I OBVIOUSLY DO NOT CHECK WATER LEVEL OFTEN ENOUGH. WE ARE FULLTIMERS AND ARE ALWAYS ON SHORE POWER EXCEPT WHEN TRAVELING.
HAVE HAD SOME FOLKS TELL ME THEY REMOVE BATTERY WHEN PLUGGED IN FOR LONG PERIODS. ANYONE OUT THERE DO THIS? WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

[Trailer Trash 2]

My thoughts on this are, the batteries are a storage of power when the converter cant handle the demand then they get recharged when the call has ended, as fo disconecting them this was discused a while back and cant remember the answer to that

[Art-n-Marge]

The converter charging is not the best in my rig's case. I would have to change my converter and/or add the battery conditioner to recharge the batteries properly.

I must mention that I park my Monty at home and connect it to AC power. I use a quick disconnect (http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ty-switch/1461) to isolate my dual batteries and then I use a Battery Minder (http://www.pacificbattery.com/batteryminder.html) connected to an RV outlet which then connects to the posts on the isolated batteries to keep them recharged and conditioned properly. By using the disconnect I can leave the battery minder permanently connected. Then about every 2-3 weeks I use one of these automatic pump systems to keep the batteries topped off: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...l-systems/4592

I will try and post a picture tomorrow.

When I am get ready for a trip, I check the battery's water level, unplug the Battery minder from the outlet, disconnect it from the battery posts and reconnect the batteries to the RV. This has been working fine for me for over 18 months - no more run down batteries, no more problems because they are dry and best of all, no failures.

If you cannot use a Battery minder running off a 110v outlet, there are ways to set up solar panels on your RV roof and along with the battery charger/conditioners use this type of system to keep your batteries at their best, but you must still find a way to check the water levels to ensure they are not getting dried out.

I am sure other members will come up with easier or fancier ways to keep your batteries at their best.

On edit: The risk of leaving the battery in the RV while connected to shore power is that the battery can get overcharged, causing damage to the plates (destroying your battery), especially if the charging system is not "intelligent" enough to detect when to stop charging. The charging process can also cause the water level to drop over time, hence the need to check the battery levels periodically (at least once a month, I think).

[8.1al]

As TrailerTrash2 stated the battery is are a storage of power. It is important to check the water but generally speaking most converters don't put out enough voltage to fry a battery unless water is neglected. I would start out by first checking the voltage at the battery. It will probably be 13.2-13.4 volts, it high 13's, low 14's you may have a converter problem. As Art suggested I would start out checking water once a month. After a while you will get a feel of how often it needs to be checked

[TLightning]

You could have a problem of over charging your batteries. A 'smart charger' which cuts off the charge from the converter when fully charged, or an IQ Smart Controller (that plugs into your converter) will solve the problem.

http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index....ROD&ProdID=413

[tbhd2]

I was not very faithful about checking my water levels also. We went with the AGM batteries. They are maintenance free and don't have to be vented. Last longer and charge faster. Downside is they are expensive.

[RRman]

When I was Fulltiming (aka parked for months while volunteering post Katrina in LA), I found that I had to add DISTILLED water to the battery EVERY MONTH, so I just added that to my "monthly" to do's (like cycle the slideouts, thoroughly clean the carpets vs just dustbusting, wash at least one side of the RV, Clean AC Filter, etc).

Upgrading the OEM onboard converter with the available inexpensive OEM smart/trickle chip was always a temptation, but removing the Electrical panels to get to the converter was just onerous enough to motivate me to pop the battery covers and add water every month instead...

I've found that after even a few short term (3-4 night) RV outings, at least one or two cells need a little water. I remove my battery after every trip/when I park the Fiver in the storage lot and put it on a "BatteryTender" at home.

I just replaced the original 04 battery this summer as I forgot to disconnect it while at the RV Repair shop for over a month...and it drained to death.