What to do with battery and propane tanks over the winter

[TTnewbie]

I was finally able to winterize my trailer yesterday. I closed everything up and then realized that I am not sure what to do with the battery or propane tanks. I have a Cherokee 26dbh that comes with a solar charging panel. I was not sure if I was supposed to leave the batter connected and charging or disconnect it and leaving in the trailer. I did the latter. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[AlaskaErik]

Propane stays with the trailer, battery goes into the garage and gets put on a 800mA battery maintainer. I use the one made by Battery Tender.

[Briorick]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

Propane stays with the trailer, battery goes into the garage and gets put on a 800mA battery maintainer. I use the one made by Battery Tender.

^^^ x2 on the propane. My battery goes in the basement, and also attached to a battery tender.

[Chuck_S]

Turn propane valves off.

If parked outdoors where the solar cell can see the sun just park the trailer and turn off all 12v appliances. Never remove the battery from the trailer unless you want to risk acid spills on your clothing (and inside your truck) and/or strain your back with 70# of battery. Ruined too many things unnecessarily pulling batteries from my boats and campers -- just charge it and leave the battery alone.

If totally disconnected a fully charged battery will be fine in the spring. My only experience, though, is from Halloween to Easter... 12.5v DC at Easter. Battery won't freeze unless the temperature gets below -75°F -- note the minus sign.

My portable solar charger is connected directly to the battery and my battery disconnect severs all power from the trailer itself. Factory wired solar and disconnects are anyone's guess. Since my charger is portable and subject to quick theft I don't leave it connected very long.

-- Chuck

[Briorick]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

My portable solar charger is connected directly to the battery and my battery disconnect ....... Since my charger is portable and subject to quick theft I don't leave it connected very long.

-- Chuck

Also not to mention, depending on where OP stores his TT, and how his battery is secured, he may be subjected to thievery. Just pointing that out. We live in a less than honest world these days. And our campers are easy targets to those looking to make a quick buck.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Never remove the battery from the trailer unless you want to risk acid spills on your clothing (and inside your truck) and/or strain your back with 70# of battery. Ruined too many things unnecessarily pulling batteries from my boats and campers -- just charge it and leave the battery alone.

I have never once had battery acid get on anything. It goes straight into the bed of my truck, where it's secured. Once home, it goes straight into the garage and hooked up to the battery tender. Leaving a battery unattended for the winter is never a good idea, even without any parasitic drain. And if I ever get to the point to where I can't lift a battery out of the compartment, then it's time to think about giving up on RVing.

[JimChow]

I remove battery and store in house basement. LP stays on TT. I have the tanks locked to avoid possible theft.

[61Tele]

Charge the battery/s and disconnect. If they're in good shape and charged they'll be fine. If potential theft is a problem or worry then thats a whole different discussion, the battery will still be fine left outside even if stolen.

[Mike134]

Disconnect the battery after fully charging it and let it be. 25 years of trolling motor batteries and camper batteries with no issues. Secret is to be sure the battery is fully charged. Not enough "self discharge" to worry about over 4 months.

[TTnewbie]

Originally Posted by Mike134

Disconnect the battery after fully charging it and let it be. 25 years of trolling motor batteries and camper batteries with no issues. Secret is to be sure the battery is fully charged. Not enough "self discharge" to worry about over 4 months.

I didn't use the camper since the end of Aug. I had the battery inside the trailer. When I did the winterization I hooked the batter up I noticed that battery meter showed 11.34. While using the camper the battery was always around 13.6. How do I go about charging the batter? Do I charge it with one of those batter tenders or am I supposed to hook the batter up to the battery tender when it is fully charged?

I have a Cherokee 26dbh that comes with a solar battery charger. Do any of you leave the battery fully hooked up when not using your rig? I pull out the disconnect key after every time I use the trailer.

[D W]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

I have never once had battery acid get on anything. It goes straight into the bed of my truck, where it's secured. Once home, it goes straight into the garage and hooked up to the battery tender. Leaving a battery unattended for the winter is never a good idea, even without any parasitic drain. And if I ever get to the point to where I can't lift a battery out of the compartment, then it's time to think about giving up on RVing.

X2.

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

I didn't use the camper since the end of Aug. I had the battery inside the trailer. When I did the winterization I hooked the batter up I noticed that battery meter showed 11.34. While using the camper the battery was always around 13.6. How do I go about charging the batter? Do I charge it with one of those batter tenders or am I supposed to hook the batter up to the battery tender when it is fully charged?

I have a Cherokee 26dbh that comes with a solar battery charger. Do any of you leave the battery fully hooked up when not using your rig? I pull out the disconnect key after every time I use the trailer.

Good info. Now your battery is VERY discharged at 11.34 and the 13.6 you SAW was the CHARGE VOLTAGE GOING IN TO THE BATTERY...not the charge in the battery which will take at LEAST 10-12 hours to fully recharge from 11.34 on a battery charger or in with your campers converter plugged in. What you should do NOW:
1. since your battery is removed...you can bring it inside for a day and put a real charger on it. Your solar panel will NOT do the job. Alternatively put it back into the camper and plug the camper in to charge it through the converter (assuming you have one).

2. After charging for a day. Turn the charger off and WAIT 24 hours and measure the battery voltage at it's terminals with nothing hooked up to it. You should see 12.7V 100%full or higher if surface charge has not dissapated. That battery is now FULL and you can put it outside in a snow bank in NJ and it will be ready to go in March when you are without any need of charging.

In a normal year...just fully charge it while it it in the camper and then disconnect the NEGATIVE battery wire for the winter. You'll be good till spring where you live with no worries about freezinf. Fully charged batteries freeze at temperatures of more than -75 degrees as someone noted earlier.
If you don't have a converter in your camper.... suggest you get one from Progressive or Iots that is 20 amps or so PER BATTERY and they will take good care of your battery during the season and leave you fully charged before winteriaing. No need for a "tender" whatsoever.

[lacamastraveler]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

I was finally able to winterize my trailer yesterday. I closed everything up and then realized that I am not sure what to do with the battery or propane tanks. I have a Cherokee 26dbh that comes with a solar charging panel. I was not sure if I was supposed to leave the batter connected and charging or disconnect it and leaving in the trailer. I did the latter. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’m with those who who turn off the 12v system and let my solar panel keep my house and chassis batteries charged. Yeah, it snows sometimes in Bend, but then it melts. I check the battery charge levels occasionally during the winter and they have never been discharged.

[aircommuter]

If you want the best life out of your batteries they (or it) should be kept on a maintainer when not in use. I have at least a dozen different things around here that don’t get frequent use and they all have maintainers on them.

[boondocking]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

If you want the best life out of your batteries they (or it) should be kept on a maintainer when not in use. I have at least a dozen different things around here that don’t get frequent use and they all have maintainers on them.

I not sure if that makes a difference. My GC2 batteries sit outside disconnected through the winter (6 months). They are into their 9th season and still going strong.

[aircommuter]

Well I have been working in the automotive business for over 50 years and lots of collector cars, tractors, forklifts, RVs and more. There may be exceptions in anything. But overall it does make a difference.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

Well I have been working in the automotive business for over 50 years and lots of collector cars, tractors, forklifts, RVs and more. There may be exceptions in anything. But overall it does make a difference.

If it does make any difference, it isn't much of one. Definitely not enough to argue about......

[BarabooBob]

My batteries stay in the TT with the TT plugged in. My PD converter is also a battery maintainer so why reinvent the wheel. I sometimes go and turn the heat on in the TT as a quiet place to hang out. My wifi reaches the storage area so I can watch videos or movies on the computer.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

If it does make any difference, it isn't much of one. Definitely not enough to argue about......

It’s not about arguing, it is about giving the OP the information based on one’s personal experience. If that’s not what we are here for then no point in answering. In my experience it is more than just a little difference, otherwise I wouldn’t have offered it.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by BarabooBob

My batteries stay in the TT with the TT plugged in. My PD converter is also a battery maintainer so why reinvent the wheel. I sometimes go and turn the heat on in the TT as a quiet place to hang out. My wifi reaches the storage area so I can watch videos or movies on the computer.

Those convertors suck a lot of electricity. Enough to noticeably increase my electric bill. My 800mA battery tender uses very little electricity over the winter.