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Old 10-23-2016, 08:57 PM   #1
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Battery.. Remove or don't remove?

In a quandry. I keep my TC inside all winter, in a insulated and heated (not 70, more like above freezing) building, not outside.

Should I remove the battery and put it on a Battery Tender for the off season, keep the unit shore powered all winter and let the on board battery charger maintain the battery or do nothing and let the unit sit with no shore power but the main disconnect (in the camper) disconnected?

Not sure which way to go on this. In the past with my other TC, I pulled the battery but it was a Lance and the battery was in a side compartment. The Palomino has it's house battery inside, in the front, under the dinette seat with the FW tank and electricals. Not especially accessable.

First time I've been able to keep a camper inside, out of the elements. My lance was too tall to get in the building. The Palomino isn't.

I do have an external connection where I can clamp on a battery tender to maintain the battery without the unit shore powered but I'm not sure if a Battery Tender is appropriate for a deep cycle battery...

Opinions or experience please....
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Old 10-23-2016, 09:01 PM   #2
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Leave the battery where it is but unhook the ground with no draw on it or cold weather the battery should be fine.
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Old 10-23-2016, 10:33 PM   #3
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Make sure it is fully charged then disconnect the neg cable as Ford says and you should be good to go for the winter.
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Old 10-23-2016, 10:56 PM   #4
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Will do. I presume the on board controller will bring the battery to a fully charged state or should I externally charge it with my garage charger? I remember reading somewhere that a deep cycle battery requires a special charging regimen, but I could be mistaken, after all, I'm old....

Additionally, should I close the valves on the propane bottles? I already drained the HWH, pulled the anode (which I think needs replaced) and winterized the unit with RV antifreeze, though I really didn't have to. It will never be below 40 degrees in the building.

As an aside, I had a heck of a time getting the unit inside the building. It's way too tall on the truck so I built a dolly from square tubing and added an axle, tongue and coupler and backed it in with my 4 wheeler with my lovely wife guiding me because it was a totally blind back in. Got it inside,l ran the jacks down, removed the dolly and lowered the unit down as far as possible without contacting the black and gray water cleanouts. I have the headroom to raise the top but I'll leave it closed up. Thank goodness the floor and approach is all smooth concrete. If it was gravel, like my big barn, I would have had a real interesting time.
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Old 10-24-2016, 10:37 AM   #5
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I would disconnect the battery cable then use an external charger (if it is at least a 10 amp) to fully charge and also turn off the propane tanks.
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Old 10-24-2016, 10:52 AM   #6
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I can do that. My wheeled charger is rated for 10-20-50-100 ad 300 amp start.

I stopped and checked the unit this morning. It told me it was very happy being inside the building out of the cold and soon to be snow.....

I plan on doing some upgrades this winter like all LED outside bulbs, marker lights, tail lights and turn signals, adding a second muffin fan in the fridge cavity to enhance thermal transfer of the Dometic fridge and installing a knee wall access door ( the TC don't have one) so I can use the between the camper and truck bed wall area to store my chainsaw, portable winch, gas can (for the saw), shovel and the rest of the stuff I always take along.

For some reason unknown to me, Palomino quit installing knee wall access doors in their TC's. That is a lot of wasted storage space. Storage space is at a premium in any TC.
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Old 10-24-2016, 11:13 AM   #7
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1) Disconnect AND REMOVE unused batteries for storage: A minor phantom energy drain combined with the battery’s self-discharge rate will accelerate the battery’s discharge.
2) Keep your batteries in a garage or storage facility where the temperature never falls below freezing during the winter.
3) Keep your batteries clean and dry: Fend off corrosion with a little preventative maintenance. After removing the batteries from the MH, clean them down with a mixture of baking soda and water, rinse with clear water and wipe dry. The baking soda solution will neutralize any battery acid on the case and will help you remove any existing corrosion on the terminals.
4) Recharge stored batteries at least once a month: An unused battery can deteriorate. The chemicals inside it react, causing it to self-discharge. Depending on battery type and temperature, the rate of self-discharge varies. Top off the charge monthly to lengthen its service life. A fully discharged battery is more likely than a fully charged battery to freeze when the temperature drops below zero.
5) Make sure to use a charger specifically for your type of battery. Flooded and sealed batteries often require different chargers. Always monitor your batteries when charging, whether your charger is automatic or not. Never allow a battery to become overcharged or overheated. If the battery casing feels hot to the touch, disconnect the charger immediately and let the battery cool down before you finish the charge. When it’s finished, take it off the charger. Overcharging can evaporate the battery’s water and cause internal damage.
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Old 10-24-2016, 11:29 AM   #8
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^^ Overkill IMO

My batteries (2 GC-2 6volt) are going on 6 years old and sit in the battery box (disconnected) all winter long (outside) after being fully charged to start with in the fall. They get a full charge again in the spring. They are still going strong.
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Old 10-24-2016, 01:16 PM   #9
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^^^^^
Ditto the overkill. There is absolutely no reason to remove a disconnected and FULLY charged battery. A 100% charged battery freezes at MINUS 90 degrees!! Self discharge will be LESS than 10% per month while in storage as you describe. Suggest if storage will be more than 90 days...you put a voltmeter on it every 3 months to insure it is above 12.3V....Then fully charge up again and you're good to go for another 90 days AT LEAST. The cooler the temperature the LESS self discharge there is so you may go the whole winter without needing to recharge as long as you remove the negative wire after fully charging.
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Old 10-24-2016, 01:48 PM   #10
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I follow Philos3 procedure for the last 11 years and my 3 battery`s groupe 27 are still going.
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Old 10-24-2016, 02:35 PM   #11
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I'm amazed at the folks who hang on to what battery technology was 20-30-40-50 years ago.
I bet these folks won't store their batteries on a 'concrete floor' once they remove them either.
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Old 10-24-2016, 03:43 PM   #12
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My camper is stored with the tongue facing the alleyway behind my house. I had the battery stolen 2 years ago. So now I remove it every winter and put it in the garage on a battery minder.
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Old 10-24-2016, 07:43 PM   #13
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My thoughts too... IMO, it won't bother the battery either way if it was left attached or elevated off the floor in my garage. At least I can inspect it at that time and take any corrective action that may be due!
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Old 10-24-2016, 09:17 PM   #14
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I store my trailer indoors in an unheated barn with a concrete floor. I just pull the disconnect switch, take the top off the battery box and connect an automatic charger that goes into "float" charge when the battery is charged. It is a "smart" charger, so it knows what type of battery is on it. I just leave it on all winter. I flip the breakers on the main panel to disconnect anything I'm not using on the trailer itself. I have another charger for the truck (which also hibernates) and, so far, this system has worked great. Batteries usually last about 7 years or so. Only problem I've had is with the alarm (propane/CO) going off for about a minute or so when I turn the trailer back on. It is mounted in the breaker panel and needs to be replaced in 5 years. How they can time it, I'm not sure, especially when it is turned off unless there is another battery in it somewhere.
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Old 10-24-2016, 09:46 PM   #15
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All very interesting and like Chuck, my truck 'hibernates' most of the winter in the barn, this year, next to the camper. I've never removed it's (truck batteries) ever. I do put a battery tender on them. I imagine there is some parasitic loss from the truck ECM.

My big issue is the diesel fuel in the truck. I had the very unfortunate experience of growing algae in the fuel one year. That was a very expensive fix and I did all the work myself.

Besides dropping both fuel tanks, cleaning them out, replacing both fuel level senders, I had to replace the lift pump and remove and clean the fuel bowl and replace the sensors and of course the fuel filter.

Algae is nasty. I learned my lesson. I dose my fuel before I park it with Biocide now. Been using PowerService BioKleen. Seems to do the job. No algae issues for the last 2 winters. I do the same to both my farm tractors too.

I'm going to insure the battery is fully charged, pull off the negative lead and turn out the garage lights.
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Old 10-24-2016, 10:01 PM   #16
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OMG I used to have nightmares about the algae - and the waxing when I had diesel cars. We have an overhead farm tank and kept the diesel always winterized and with the algaecide in it all the time. Now I only use it for my tractors which these days get very little use but, still are running. At the TV station where I used to work, they had a huge generator that ran on diesel and every year they had to take the whole tank of fuel and run it through a filter process to keep the algae out and the fuel ready. It was pretty expensive. So far, just dumping in the fuel conditioners/anti-wax(gel)/algaecide has worked. This was one reason I got a gas truck this time around. Oil changes are cheaper and most stations have gasoline. I am using a product called MotorKote in the oil and after 20 years this same truck still doesn't burn any oil. But, all it does is pull the trailer for vacations.
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Old 10-24-2016, 10:13 PM   #17
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Never had gelling issues but the truck really don't run in the winter. One farm tractor does, it' has a rear mount blower on it and a front end loader. I use it to feed the steers and clear the drive and it gets Powerservice all winter. I dose my bulk tank with biocide and Powerservice.

I think I put about a grand in parts and a week of labor repairing the truck and yes, my next one will be a gasser, if I buy another one. The present one is a 1997 F350 with 88K miles, 4wheel drive, crew cab. No rust (never gets driven in snow), I think it will outlast me, I'm 67. The 7.3 turbo was the best diesel engine Ford ever had. It's a 250,000 miles engine and at 88,000 since 1997 when I bought it new, I don't believe I'll see 250K.
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