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Old 11-11-2022, 07:38 AM   #1
RamMike
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Battery removal or not for winterizing

This is the first year I'm trying to do things myself due to the nightmare of taking it to a "supposed" reputable dealer in my area. Do you pull the batteries and put them on a trickle charge, or leave them in and check water monthly? I plan to use a cover for my rig this year and wasn't sure how easy/difficult it would be to access the battery storage in the front storage section? Also; if you disconnect both batteries, do you just need to ensure the disconnect is off?
Appreciate any thoughts on my questions above, Thanks!
 
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Old 11-11-2022, 07:50 AM   #2
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16th winter on my rig stored in Kansas City, except the winters we travel to warmer climates. We have cold days in the low 20's and a few days close to zero. Always make sure the battery is fully charged going into storage. I disconnect the negative cable from the battery and don't do a thing until I take it out in the spring. Never had a dead battery in the spring.
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Old 11-11-2022, 08:27 AM   #3
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Prior to solar and building an RV pad with shore power I would top off the battery fluid, charge and disconnect. It's not going to hurt to put them in a warm environment with a trickle charge but I've never had to.
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Old 11-11-2022, 08:52 AM   #4
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Mike,

Charge them fully and disconnect at the battery. No need to do anything else.
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Old 11-12-2022, 07:16 AM   #5
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Old 11-13-2022, 07:25 AM   #6
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When we store our 5er for any period, we always use the battery disconnect switch you can buy at any auto parts store. Been using this for years and no problems. If you use only the battery disconnect on your rig, there is always a trickle drain for the gas/carbon monoxide detector still connected to battery.
The top disconnect seems to work best for our battery location.
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Old 11-13-2022, 08:20 AM   #7
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Since we have two Monty's, one is stored for the winter and the other for the summer. When we leave we disconnect the ground from each and haven't had an issue in 14 years.
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Old 11-20-2022, 01:14 PM   #8
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The battery disconnect on the battery is ample to stop any battery loss. The Montana disconnect will leave battery energizing CO detector 24/7 and battery drain will occur.
The manual lever disconnect is 100% disconnect and easily accessible.
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Old 11-20-2022, 01:26 PM   #9
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Great advice above. If you want to spend the money, a true disconnect on the battery works well. If you want to save the money, disconnect does the same thing for a little effort.
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Old 11-20-2022, 01:38 PM   #10
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so I read a ditty about winterizing the RV, and one of the items was about battery acid freezing.....you can tell if a battery froze, they say when the sides of the battery budge and deform the battery......so I looked up what it takes to freezer battery acid....how about minus 88 degrees F..........charge it full, disconnect the negative cable and come back in the spring!!
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Old 11-20-2022, 03:16 PM   #11
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I am in WI and can assure you they will freeze and bulge even with a full/trickle charge on. We get some Cold weather and they froze solid last winter. I run 2 6v by the way.
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Old 11-20-2022, 03:31 PM   #12
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I leave the rig plugged in and the battery hooked up. I installed a smart converter / charger a couple of years ago and theoretically it should take care of itself, but I put a smart timer in line where it plugs in and I have it turned on for 3 hours, twice a week. My goal is to keep it fully charged, but keep it from over charging.

So far, so good.

Prior to doing this, I put a Battery Minder (brand) on it for the winter and never had any trouble with that either. A fully charged, properly maintained battery has never frozen on me, and we get a lot of sub-zero weather in ND.
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Old 11-20-2022, 04:57 PM   #13
Rich Lazz
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and what is the average low there?....a question asked by a california boy what wants to move....'cuase of culture and taxes
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Old 11-20-2022, 05:18 PM   #14
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I just leave the rv plugged in to keep the batteries charged..
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Old 11-21-2022, 12:31 PM   #15
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I run a private off-grid campground in northern Arizona at 7500 feet so it gets cold in the winter. When we close for the season the AGM batteries used for lighting in the bathhouse are left hooked to the solar and controller. We have not had problems for multiple years. However, the batteries in my Montana 295RL, which I bring south and continue to uses, are 6 volt flooded and they need regular distilled water top ups if left on charge for extended periods.
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Old 11-21-2022, 02:39 PM   #16
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Mine are on Battery Tenders in my garage. Take no chances!
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Old 01-27-2023, 11:54 AM   #17
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I condition the batteries...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Foldbak View Post
Prior to solar and building an RV pad with shore power I would top off the battery fluid, charge and disconnect. It's not going to hurt to put them in a warm environment with a trickle charge but I've never had to.
I have a parrallel circuit of 6 deep cycle batteries. I like to go hunting a lot and the wife stays at base camp making dinner and such. when power gets low, we have 600W solar array to keep us going for long excursions. When its just parked, I'll go and run the batteries out until there is darn there nothing left and then trickle charge to full capacity.
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Old 01-27-2023, 04:53 PM   #18
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Take the battery cables off are use the trickle charger on them
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