battery charging

[Eddy G]

Is there a way to keep my battery charged up while in storage? Maybe a solar powered weather proof charger?

[ependydad]

I think many of the portable solar powered chargers would work.

But, what I do instead is I installed a battery disconnect to remove any and all parasitic drains on the batteries. This lets me have a fully charged batter when I go back to storage without the need to keep topping it up.

Important! Just remember, before you tow the camper, to re-connect the battery or you don't have emergency breakaway brakes.

[Quasipato]

I remove my batteries and put them in my garage, hooked up to a battery tender.

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[bikendan]

just install a battery disconnect switch.
i have one and my two 12v batteries were barely down after 4 months of storage.

[camaraderie]

It is fine to simply disconnect the battery for several months...IF you fully charge it to 100% before doing so...especially if you live where it gets below zero.
Wet cell batteries discharge at roughly 10% a month...slower in cold weather. Faster in the heat!! So you actually have to pay more attention to them in FL & AZ than in Maine.
A 100% charged battery won't freeze unless it hits 90 below zero. A depleted battery will freeze at 27 above zero! 50% discharged turns solid around 0 degrees.

[WrongWayRandall]

A Battery Tender Jr. is like $35 from most sources - I'd go that route and just keep the battery in the garage. That way it's at %100 and ready to go when things thaw out outdoors and the battery lasts longer.

- Randy

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by WrongWayRandall

A Battery Tender Jr. is like $35 from most sources - I'd go that route and just keep the battery in the garage. That way it's at %100 and ready to go when things thaw out outdoors and the battery lasts longer.

- Randy

IMO, it depends on the camper and how much of a PITA it is to get to the battery. On my fifth wheel, I have to move stuff in the storage to get to the under-the-floor- battery compartment. Then I have to remove 2-3 screws. Before I got wing nuts for the battery terminals, I had to have tools to remove the battery. And then, since it's in a storage hatch, under the floor- lifting it up and out was an unpleasant experience. With the battery disconnect, it's reach in, turn key and remove.

Different strokes for different folks.