Winter Battery Question

[RKassl]

What is the best thing to do with the battery in the Month now that it is pretty cool outside? Can I take it inside, like the basement and put that trickle charger that CW has that automatically keeps it charged?

Thanks

[ken]

Take the battery out and store it somewhere on a table or a block of wood. Don't leave it on the concrete floor. Check the water level and occasionally put it on a battery charger to keep the battery fully charged. Trickle charging it all winter is not necessary. We have two batteries and both are on my bench in the garage. I checked the water level and had to add water to the original battery as it is the one I use most of the time. My battery charger is automatic and will go to trickle when the battery is fully charged. I do this once a month in the winter while they are stored. It only takes a couple of hours and they are fully charged.

[Emmel]

RKassl, you have a couple of choices. You can bring it in the house and put the charger on it or leave it plugged in to at least 20amps and that will also keep it charged up. If you put it in the basement remember to put it on a piece of wood and not directly on the cement floor or a steel shelf, not good on the battery or steel shelf. If you leave it in the coach, make sure it is full of water, use distilled water. I live in se Ohio and leave mine in the coach and leave it plugged in to 30amps, haven't had any problem in the last 7 years.

[CRUZIN 2]

I agree with Ken and follow his instructions you will be fine.

[Illini Trekker]

I also follow Kens advice but I do bring mine in for the winter. I have seen a poor battery crack with the winter cold.

[Mac]

I do the same with mine, but I have it in my unheated but insulated garage. The one thing that I've always done that Emmel said is use distilled water but a friend of mine who is a mechanic said that's not necessary these days. Have any of you heard that??

mac

[Bob Pasternak]

Mac; Ordinary tap water can be used in regular car or truck batteries. The batteries in RVs are deep cycle and do last longer on distilled water.

[Montana Sky]

I top off the water level in mine, put the battery on the charger to make sure it is full. Once full I put it back into coach and leave it there all winter. I keep my coach in the garage even though not heated still warmer than outside. I do not connect the battery to anything and have found in the spring it is still fully charged and ready for another years use. Remember that smoke alarms will drain battery. Best to leave disconnected to make sure nothing is drawing a charge to drain battery.

[kdeiss]

I do what Ken does I have RV batterys last 7-8 years keeping in the garage and maintain adding water and charging

[CountryGuy]

We make sure battery fully charged, if we cannot leave the unit plugged into shore power we disconnect battery (one of those disconnect switches). We have stopped taking batteries out of unit, boat, mowers, etc. Have yet to have one freeze, and if it is dead in the spring, it was weak and needed replacing anyway, so we replace. So far, this has worked well for us, don't want to be dealing with weak batteries, cold winter weather will tell ya if you got one!

[skyguy]

I can guarantee you (from experience last winter) that perfectly good batteries, if allowed to completely discharge,will freeze and crack open, rendering them useless.

I forgot to turn off the furnace, altho I had turned off the propane. The batteries ran down, then froze and broke, spilling battery acid. And of course, I got battery acid on my jeans as I removed the dead batteries - ruined the jeans too.

Makes one of those knife edge battery disconnects a real good deal

Al

[Glenn and Lorraine]

A good fully charged battery WILL NOT freeze. It is impossible. The proof to that statement comes from anyone living through the winter in sub-zero temperatures. Spent many a winter night at minus 35 to minus 40° and days at a time where the daytime high never got above 0°F. Never had a boat or garden tractor or any other type battery freeze. A battery left to get into a discharged state thru neglect or age WILL freeze.

Storing your Deep Cycle RV battery...
Clean battery case and terminals with baking soda and water, being careful to make sure the solution does not get into the battery. Always check to ensure the battery is fully charged before storing. Batteries stored in a discharged state are susceptible to freezing and an increased rate of further discharge. Store in a cool dry place (not next to a furnace or other heat source) and out of reach of children and pets. Check the state of charge every 45-60 days and add distilled water if needed. Although distilled water is recommended any good quality drinking water can also be used.
And to debunk an old wives tail... A battery will not lose its state-of-charge strictly from storing it on a concrete or metal surface, but a battery will discharge over a period of time, due simply to neglect.

DO NOT leave the battery on charge, not even a trickle charge, as it will overcharge the battery. Overcharging a battery occurs when the battery remains on charge after it has reached full charge. Overcharging causes excess heat that can cause the plates within the cells to buckle and shed their active material. Also, the battery will react to the overcharge by producing excess hydrogen and oxygen as the water within the electrolyte breaks down. The water that is lost due to overcharging can be replaced with distilled water. NEVER EVER add additional acid in place of water.

[richfaa]

We are able to keep the camper along side the house and plugged into house power all winter(northern Ohio winter)We did this with our TT for 10 years.We check to make sure the batteries are at the proper water level and thats it. The batteries were 8 years old when we sold the camper and in good working order. We also have two other regular auto batteries that we keep in the garage for emergencies. We check them for full charge from time to time and have stored them on the concrete floor, metal shelves, anywhere with no adverse effect.If you properly maintain the battery it will last for a very long time. If you allow the battery to become discharged IT WILL freeze and burst. Do NOT keep the battery on a charger or on trickle charge..it WILL overheat and burst.