How do I take care of my batteries in the winter?

[Summer2Go]

When I winterize and shut everything off for the winter, do I have to take the battery out and put it in the basement, out of the freezing temperatures?


Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

[MarcS]

Yes. You should also put a battery tender on it!

[BKBuilds]

Agree with MarcS, I had to replace my battery this spring due to freeze.

Put in the basement of our home with a battery tender Jr. on it.

[rockfordroo]

If you put the battery tender on it, you don't HAVE to put it in the basement. A charged battery won't freeze. (Look at the one in your car, for example). I put mine in my garage with the battery tender. When it goes to -20F outside, the garage is usually about 0F against the house wall. No problems.

[BKBuilds]

I don't agree Rockfordroo... My camper is plugged into shore power year round, my battery still froze, had the tell tale signs (bloated side walls). Not to mention wouldn't take a charge.

This year I'll be pulling my batteries and putting them on tenders in my basement.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by BKBuilds

I don't agree Rockfordroo... My camper is plugged into shore power year round, my battery still froze, had the tell tale signs (bloated side walls). Not to mention wouldn't take a charge.

This year I'll be pulling my batteries and putting them on tenders in my basement.

The "charger" in your camper isn't a battery tender. That was your big mistake. It's really a "converter" that's designed to power the stuff in your camper, and "oh, by the way, let's hook up the battery to even out the voltage, and maybe, JUST MAYBE, we'll do some battery charging." So it's not good for anything but maybe bringing up a not-fully-charged battery. It's a piece of crap for maintaining a full charge on a battery, dealing with sulfation, etc..

Note that I'm assuming you've got the standard POS converter that is standard issue in campers. You can buy a good one that WILL appropriately keep you battery up to snuff, but most of us don't do that.

Go to the Library tab under Electrical and you'll find a lot of good info.

[BKBuilds]

True, that was my mistake to think that it was. But my garage doesn't have room for the batteries due to other hobbies, so they'll end up in the basement anyways =)

Save Travels!

[Flybob]

If you put a Battery Tender ( brand name) on it you can leave it connected to the TT as long as it is secure. If the battery is charged it will not freeze. I do not remove mine.

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0156 Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger True Gel Cell Model: Automotive

[Cookies & Chips]

Well it gets pretty cold here in Canada and for years we have done nothing more than ensure the battery fluid levels are correct, that it is fully charged (a discharged battery freezes), and then disconnect all cables from the battery. We leave the battery right on the trailer/camper/boat year in and year out and generally see 7+ years of life on them.

There is really no need to store the battery indoors unless it is not holding a full charge, or had been discharged and not recharged.

Anything more is overkill and unnecessary ...

[DaveSchwartz]

I used to keep an FLA battery on a tender in the basement but the tiny bit of hydrogen it gave off kept setting off the propane detector in the next room. Now I know why they say not to charge a battery in any way in an enclosed space.

[Dave Lyon]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

If you put the battery tender on it, you don't HAVE to put it in the basement. A charged battery won't freeze. (Look at the one in your car, for example). I put mine in my garage with the battery tender. When it goes to -20F outside, the garage is usually about 0F against the house wall. No problems.

I agree that a charged battery won't freeze, but, for all the effort, I pull mine out of the trailer and put in the basement for the winter. Every month or so I put a battery tender on it for a few days.

[biker2]

I keep our TT plugged into shore power during the winter. It keeps the batteries charged and runs the dehumidifier which runs off a timer so that it is not running continuously. But here on the Sunshine Coast of BC we rarely get more than a few degrees of frost.
2013 Grey Wolf Select 28 BH with modified undercarriage--5200 lb axles with cross bracing; extra spring leafs; 16 inch wheels with Maxxis 10 ply radial tires; modified skid plates with 4" wheels and cross bracing.
2012 Ford F250 Lariet Super Duty 4X4
Nights camped in 2015 = 36

[j free]

If you store it on the floor make sure to place a wood board underneath it.

[wpgman19]

Originally Posted by Dave Lyon

I agree that a charged battery won't freeze, but, for all the effort, I pull mine out of the trailer and put in the basement for the winter. Every month or so I put a battery tender on it for a few days.

How critical is it to attach a battery tender if stored in the basement (from now till end April)? And what size tender should I get - for a 12v RV battery? Is CDN Tire the best place to get one in CDA?

[Flybob]

Response to several above comments;

You do not have to be concerned about storing lead acid batteries on concrete floors. The new case materials prevent any discharge resulting from being stored on concrete.

You should leave the battery connected to a converter that is on all the time unless you check water monthly or upgrade to a newer 4 stage converter. The converter supplied as OEM in most RV will boil out the electrolyte. You can install a disconnect switch or a separate 110V line to run the dehumidifier. I ran mine through enclosed undercarriage then thru shower base to a separate outlet for the dehumidifier.

If you use a Battery Tender ( brand name) continually plugged in and connected to the battery, you do not need to remove the battery. It will not freeze. The freeze point of a lead acid battery that is 85% charged is -62F.

[Harkerr]

Fully charge and disconnect battery minus cable. Good till spring. If using tender or minder make sure holding voltage does not exceed 13.0

[Herk7769]

A fully charged battery will not freeze to a pretty low level.

There had to be an underlying problem with the battery for it to freeze while hooked up to a functioning converter.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by j free

If you store it on the floor make sure to place a wood board underneath it.

was true 50 years ago but not anymore.

[DaveSchwartz]

Originally Posted by wpgman19

How critical is it to attach a battery tender if stored in the basement (from now till end April)? And what size tender should I get - for a 12v RV battery? Is CDN Tire the best place to get one in CDA?

If fully charged with nothing connected, you don't need a battery maintainer. Give the exterior a good cleaning with a bit of baking soda to neutralize any acid contaminants and a clean water rinse and the self-discharge rate will be very low.

If you'd rather remove and use a maintainer, I'm partial to the Noco Genius series of chargers and Canadian Tire puts them on sale every few months. I use an 1100 on both my Mazda Miata and motorcycle (which don't leave the garage in the winter but have things like clocks that kill the batteries) and a 3500 on my TV (with big dual batteries which can also go a month or more between uses in the winter now that I'm retired).

I used to remove the RV battery and put on a maintainer in the garage but now I'm leaving the battery in the RV and keeping it plugged in over the winter (I installed a 30A outlet on the side of the garage this summer). My poor little WFCO is only 3-stage but one of those is a 13.2V float mode and I verified that voltage when this topic came up before and no water was needed in the spring.

[Pursell]

I live in Montana, it gets a little chilly here. a fully charged battery will not freeze. I just shut of the battery switch and go inside and sit by the fire. never had a problem