All:
My 2010 Coachmen Clipper 126 ST has a Carefree of Colorado Powerwinch lift system. I have already had an issue with the battery, so I am trying to avoid that drama again. (I grossly underestimated parasitic draw and found my battery dead the day of a trip
...I purchased a new battery from Pep Boys, but who knows how long it had been sitting and it, too wouldn't raise the roof. I returned it, went to Home Depot and bought a drill and raised the roof with it when we got to camp -- because there was NO WAY I was hand-cranking it.) Anyway, by the end of the weekend the shore power had charged the battery and we were good to go.
The battery has been sitting on my freezing balcony since November. I put it on the trickle charger for a few days each month, but I am afraid I may have done it wrong first by letting it deplete, and now by leaving it out in the really cold weather. But I live in an apartment and people on other forums scared the daylights out of me about bringing it indoors.
So, here's the question: I am going boondock camping un May and I don't want to find myself having to use the drill the day we pack up for home! So, I am thinking about a 12v deep cycle group 24 AGM battery for raising and powering the roof, and then swap it out for the old battery once I am in camp. We'll use that for the few minutes of light each night that we'll use, and to run the Fantastic Fan for a bit if it's hot (we'll use D-cell battery fans if we need to leave something on all night).
My questions are:
1. I know AGM may be overkill, but I can charge that indoors safely, correct?
2. What is the best, reasonably affordable 12v deep cycle AGM group 24 battery? (By "reasonably priced" I mean in the $150 - $200 range.)
3. If I use the battery to raise the roof and then take it off the camper and use the old battery, it will essentially hold it's charge, right? I'm talking about from Friday night to Monday afternoon.
Sorry for the questions - I am fairly new to this type of camping and my first pop-up had neither a battery nor a power lift. And after one battery failure (that was my fault, but still...) I am a little paranoid!
Thanks in advance!
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