Remove the battery?

[Irlpguy]

quote:Originally posted by gjetzen

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.

A fully charged battery will "NOT" freeze at any temperatures we will ever encounter. I do not know at what temperature it might freeze but vehicles operating in Northern Canada, Alaska and the Artic are constantly subjected to temperatures below -40 and as low as -50 without freezing. Over time all batteries will lose charge and can reach a point they will indeed freeze, that we can agree on.

Not many carry a hydrometer with them, I do, it is in my battery compartment in my Monty and that is how I determine the condition of my batteries and do this for many others that do not carry a hydrometer.

Most if not all of the newer converters utilize a battery upkeep system, where the charge rate will be normal at 13.2V, upped to 13.8 in charge mode and 14.2 or so for short periods of time every so often. So if you can leave your RV plugged in you will likely not have much worry about your batteries. Check the water a couple of times a year.

I do recommend a hydrometer to check each cell, it is the "only" way you can determine if the cells are all good. They are inexpensive to buy as well.

[Nelsen55]

I agree with pulling the battery out, especially if you are in a climate where the battery could freeze. Cold weather is hard on batteries.

[kdeiss]

I have always taken them out every month or so put on the charger.My origanal Montana Batterys gave 7 years of service.5 min's out and 5 to instal.No ? in my mind

[gjetzen]

The point I was trying to make is this, a fully charged battery "should" not freeze but a battery will discharge on it own accord without any interaction. As the temps fall below 30 the discharge process accelerates. Under the right conditions if the battery is not attended to (electrolyte level checked and charged) there is the possibility that the electrolyte in the battery could freeze. It happened to me and it wasn't even a harsh winter! Battery was fully charged when I winterized the trailer in late fall only to find on a warmer day in late January "water" dripping from the battery box drain and stained concrete. Upon inspection I found the case of the battery swollen and cracked. I am not saying everyone's battery is going to discharge and freeze I was just trying to relay a personal experience and what I now do to prevent it.

[richfaa]

Must be very lucky. When in Northern Ohio for the winter months we never removed the Rv batteries and we are talking well below zero temps. We did have the Rv plugged in. We do remove the batteries from our garden tractors, etc because we have no way to maintain a charge on them during the winter.

[mach111]

OK, I have been following this topic with interest. All mentioned toys are stored inside a closed in building We have 09 2980RL Monty which is plugged to shore power at home has a Xantrex(I think) which charges the battery and then puts in float stage(experts can correct me if I am wrong). I always monitor the maintenance of all the batteries I have since we do have several pieces of small equipment with the small tractor type batteries.I use battery tenders when the battery is going to be idle even the TV. Living in the South is a pro for me but we still do on occasion experience very cold temps for us. I am comfortable with the procedure I use for it works for me. I figure when I can get 6 to 7 years on the small tractor type batteries the time spent is well worth the effort. The Monty battery installed at purchase(Nov'12)is 1 year old and performs well. Hopefully I cam endure another cold winter with the same procedure.

I will say if I was in the climates some of you are I would remove and bring inside.

[mach111]

On second thought why not just enjoy the benefits of becoming a "Snowbird."

[sambam]

Good arguments both ways. Considering these responses, and the fact that I don't leave my camper plugged in over the winter, I think I'll continue to do what I've always done. That is, remove the battery, keep it down in the "mancave" on a block of wood and monitor it over the winter, attaching the charger when necessary. That said, I have never removed the battery from my lawn tractor, which sits in the shed covered up all winter. I am still using the original battery, which was new in 1999. I guess it's true: Nothing runs like a Deere!

[Irlpguy]

Although I leave my batteries in my RV with the RV plugged in, I do have other batteries that I want to maintain when I and my RV batteries have gone to warmer places.

I use an old 12V power supply, a solar panel voltage regulator and an old analog VOM to maintain my 2 Quad batteries and my lawn mower as well as my daughters 2 batteries for her horse trailer. I was given all of the above items but if I did not have them I would use an automatic battery tender. The voltage regulator will handle up to 48V input and the output is adjustable and I have it set at 13.2V.

Picture taken today, lawn mower and one quad battery not yet on line so only 3 batteries currently connected.