Need some suggestions about battery?

[Montana_70]

Hi,

I know I could do my own research but today is my last "move out day" and there's so little time and plenty of rain.

Anyway, I called Keystone and asked if they would keep my battery charged while my unit is there. They said they would prefer I keep the battery here as they had no way to keep it charged.

So I'm looking for a simple, inexpensive solution to this new little challenge.


Would a small electric charger, like I would use for a car battery, do the job? I'm not sure if a marine battery is treated the same.

I will be going off line about 10 am and hopefully Brighthouse will be able to get me up and running again in my rental by late today. The ground is so saturated here you practically need hip wadders to get around. I moved stuff in the rain last night and it looks like I'll be moving the rest in the rain today.

It's a soggy state of affairs!

[rlwhit]

Yes, a small charger will keep a marine battery up. Just use it overnight every couple of weeks.

[steves]

Yes a charger would work but unless the battery is going to be out of the unit for months I would not worry about it...the battery
will/should hold the charge.

I would not tow the unit without the battery because the break away emergency brake switch will not work. Also, as they tow the unit back to you the battery will get recharged should it have gone down.

[Montana_70]

Thanks for replies. I thought if a battery ran completely down it was a bad thing. I know each time Keystone or a dealer has had my unit they have let the battery go dead. I know it will charge on the tow back. I have always had battery problems after Miss Montana gets back from these trips and I thought it was because they let the battery go dead.

Your saying no harm done if it runs completely down?

I would not want to put the driver at risk because I took the battery out even if that is what Keystone is saying to do. The plan is to have her back in two weeks. But that's just the plan.

[stiles watson]

The reason the dealers let the battery go down is because the battery remains connected. If you disconnect the battery, I doesn't drain significantly over the period of a month or so. If you leave it connected without being connected to a shoreline, there are power drains in your Montana that will pull it down.

I all ways check my battery with an ameter before I start a trip. I always disconnect the battery if the rig is not in use, connected to a shore line or the TV.

No. It is not good for the battery to be discharged completely. It decreases the life of the battery. It needs to be kept above 12-volts.

Given the scenario you discribe, I would pull the unit to Keystone then disconnect and remove the battery, put it in your truck and haul it home. I don't think they were indicating that you pull the unit without the battery, but rather they don't want to be responsible for it being left there.

[sreigle]

B.J., I would do as Stiles suggested and just disconnect the battery. It won't go dead in the time they'll have the unit at the factory.

Also, if you ask them to keep the rig plugged in they will do that for you. We asked them to do that since we had a fridge and freezer full of food. They did and no problems. They had the rig for over a week.