Remove the battery? - Montana Owners Club

sambam · 11-12-2013, 03:19 PM

I'm wondering what the consensus is on removing the battery for the winter. I always took mine in with my Cougar, but have been reading that maybe it should be left out. Of course, on the Montana, it's out of the weather, but I like to keep it inside with a trickle charge thru the winter. What about you guys?

bncinwv · 11-12-2013, 03:22 PM

I make sure they (have two) are fully charged, unhooked (I have a switch to turn them off) and leave them in for the winter. They sit idle for over four months and I have never had a problem. Not a recommendation, just telling what I do,
Bingo

Rainer · 11-12-2013, 03:24 PM

Living on the coast in Southern California sure makes a difference. I've never had to take my battery out, since I go camping all year 'round. We're heading to the Anza Borrego State Park on Thursday so we can get a great view of the upcoming meteor shower.

Okay, okay, I know this ain't fair, but we all have to make our sacrifices!

sambam · 11-12-2013, 04:23 PM

Yeah, thanks Rainer, I'll be hibernating for the next 4 months...
I'm leaning toward leaving the battery in also, just disconnecting the leads and shut off the switch.

8.1al · 11-12-2013, 04:32 PM

To get back to your question, as Bingo stated, if your battery is fully charged and disconnected it should do OK. I have done this in Michigan with no problem.

**DQDick** · 11-12-2013, 06:31 PM

I always left mine in the rig, but I always had the rig plugged in.

MIMF · 11-13-2013, 12:18 AM

I take mine out and store them on a work bench where there is a charger available. When I set them there, I check the water level and set-up for a trickle charge but, usually it shuts off after a few minutes. Use the VOM to check voltage and leave 'em set until I'm ready to use them next spring. Every once in a while when I'm messing around in the garage, I'll check voltage with the VOM to see if they are still at the 13.7 volts they were at when I disconnected the charger. So far, over the last couple years I've had these batteries, all has been good.

gjetzen · 11-13-2013, 01:04 AM

Living in northeast Ohio I started about 6 years ago taking the battery out. Had a brand new fully charged battery freeze and crack the case leaving me with a real mess to clean up in the spring, Battery acid everywhere. JMO if you live in the north and have cold winters, do yourself a favor and take it out, make sure it's charged and store in your garage on a 2x6 or work bench somewhere off the ground!

Tom S. · 11-13-2013, 01:12 AM

I do the same thing Dick does - leave the battery in and leave the rig plugged in.

Captain Joe · 11-13-2013, 03:58 AM

7 RVs over past 20 years, all in coach and plugged in being charged.

mhs4771 · 11-13-2013, 04:35 AM

We're sort of with Rainer, we just take our batteries to a warmer climate for the winter. Then we stay with them to keep them company. But with the newer Converter/Chargers they can be left in with the rig plugged in as the converter will act as a trickle charger.

Art-n-Marge · 11-13-2013, 07:28 AM

I think gjetzen brings up a good point. I think if you have batteries with water, then you should remove them to prolong their life and lessen the chance of a problem. I think allowing the batteries to freeze and thaw will eventually weaken the battery or crack the casing. I would prefer to remove the battery from the rig and find a warmer place to store it hopefully connected to a battery conditioner/recharger. I'm not sure I would worry about it as much if I had maintenance free AGM batteries but why not.

Irlpguy · 11-13-2013, 09:14 AM

Fully charged lead acid batteries will "not" freeze, they have been using them in -40 degree temperatures as long as I can remember. I have spent winters in parts of Canada that consistently are at and below those temperatures and have never had a battery freeze. If it froze and broke it was not fully charged.

Prior to the advent of the newer type batteries, lead acid ones were used on mountain top communications locations where temperatures were well below zero all winter, they did not freeze, I know because I have serviced them in these locations accessible only by helicopter.

Some method of upkeep on the batteries is needed over extended periods like a battery tender or having your unit plugged in with the newer converters will maintain the battery if they are working properly.

Do not store batteries on a concrete floor if you do take them out.

Denfinger · 11-13-2013, 09:30 AM

We leaves ours in year round in Nashville and plugged in at the house. No issues so far.

cargary2 · 11-13-2013, 10:49 AM

We leave ours in and plugged in all year round and never had any problems to date. Good luck in your choice.
Cargary

jlb27537 · 11-13-2013, 12:42 PM

Just a note. On a '14 with a battery disconnect switch. With the switch off the converter/charger is un-hooked from the battery.

I have had the ability to go south since 2000 and I take my batteries south for the winter. BUT, if I had to stay in cold temps, I'd take them out and charge then on a monthly schedule. A previous poster mentioned 13.7dc as charged voltage. A wet cell battery will be 12.7vdc as a resting voltage @ 100% charged. Just bring it up to 14.2vdc for a bit, when the amps drop to about 1-2 amps it is done. Re-check in a month.

If the OP has a late Montana with the 3 stage charger, leaving it plugged in will float it at 13.2vdc and you will be fine. With the battery switch on. Note...open the door and look at the green light. It will tell you what mode the converter/charger is in. Read the owners manual.

Jim

RichR · 11-13-2013, 01:18 PM

Batteries in and power cable plugged in.Check water once in a while!

gjetzen · 11-13-2013, 02:53 PM

Tripguy, sorry to break the news to you but a wet lead/acid battery will freeze if left unattended. It will slowly discharge as temps drop below 30 degrees F and will take about a month of being idle to lose it's charge. The electrolyte of a fully charged "wet" battery will have a specific gravity (meaning it is denser than water) above 1.1300. Once the specific gravity goes below 1.1000 it is essentially water and will freeze if left unattended even though you may still have a 12 volt no load voltage reading across the terminals. Pure water has a specific gravity of 1.000. Never trust a no load voltage to tell you a batteries condition. It will screw every time.

bncinwv · 11-13-2013, 03:40 PM

gjetzen,
If that was true, I would freeze my batteries every year since I leave them in the rig, isolated by a battery switch, fully charged, for four months with temperatures that range to below zero. A fully charged battery will not freeze until temperatures reach 60 below. They should not discharge if they are disconnected. Heck my dually sits unused for the same period of time, and I have never had to charge the batteries in it either. I have never had a problem with leaving batteries over the winter months unattended.
Bingo

WaltandLynne · 11-13-2013, 03:57 PM

I have a small solar battery charger that I put in the sky light in the shower and run the wires down through the clothes chute and to the battery. I had it like that all winter last year (we live in the Detroit area)and it was in good shape in the spring. I've had batteries on things in northern Michigan all winter with no charger and never had a cracked battery. That's not to say it's impossible but it's not likely for the battery to have a problem except be dead in the spring.

Good luck.

Walt

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