Battery Maint. Do I need to add water?

[PSUFan1]

Hello, I am about to install my battery in my travel trailer so I thought I should check the water level and see if I need to add any distilled water but the top of this battery doesn’t seem to want to come off. The top is also different from other batteries I’ve had. The front does say maint free, but I don’t think it’s is an AGM battery. Should I be adding water?

[formerFR]

maintenance free MEANS that you don't have to do anything, no water needed.

[PSUFan1]

Thanks for confirming, I wasn’t sure.

[Lins]

If you remove the sticker, the 6 caps might be removable, but like mentioned maintenance free batteries don’t NEED it.

[PSU Turf]

I see the sticker, on the battery, says "starting / cycle". Are you usually on shore power when camping? If yes then that is a good battery for your needs. If you often camp for 1 or 2 days without shore power you would get a better return on your investment with a dedicated deep cycle battery. The thicker plates in a deep cycle battery are designed to withstand repeated deep discharge and recharging.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by formerFR

maintenance free MEANS that you don't have to do anything, no water needed.

Until they do.

I have found that they don't need water very often but adding distilled to bring level up to bottom of "wells" prolongs their life. Check only after you're sure the battery is fully charged.

These batteries should more appropriately named "Lower Maintenance".

[PSUFan1]

We only do full hookup camping. Nice to know it is a good battery. It was provided by the dealer.

Thank you.

[PSUFan1]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Until they do.



I have found that they don't need water very often but adding distilled to bring level up to bottom of "wells" prolongs their life. Check only after you're sure the battery is fully charged.



These batteries should more appropriately named "Lower Maintenance".

It appears the wells are under the sticker which would require me to rip the sticker off. That seems odd.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by PSUFan1

It appears the wells are under the sticker which would require me to rip the sticker off. That seems odd.

Nope, not odd.
As mentioned they are to be maintenance free.
Those that maintain, maintenance free batteries are simply trying to get every bit of life out of them they can. Sticker or no sticker.

[tomkatb]

Batteries except for a very few are pretty much the same. The no maintenance ones are a little more expensive than wet ones. Better in off road vehicles.

That battery is a boat/offroad battery.

Not designed for deep discharges. Good for starting the motor though. Would not be good for a Residential fridge.

When it dies look into two 6 volt batteries. They are a little taller but, provide more amperage for the footprint. And, they are more tolerant to your mistakes in overuse.

[PSUFan1]

Thanks for all the info. The battery should be fully charged as I took it off the trickle charge last night. I’ll top off the wells tonight.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

Batteries except for a very few are pretty much the same. The no maintenance ones are a little more expensive than wet ones. Better in off road vehicles.

That battery is a boat/offroad battery.

Not designed for deep discharges. Good for starting the motor though. Would not be good for a Residential fridge.

When it dies look into two 6 volt batteries. They are a little taller but, provide more amperage for the footprint. And, they are more tolerant to your mistakes in overuse.

The OP admitted in post #7 they only do full hook-up campgrounds.
No need for a larger 6v battery bank for that.
Any battery will do for full hook-ups and the one they have is perfectly fine.

Why... because... wait for it... less maintenance!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

Batteries except for a very few are pretty much the same. The no maintenance ones are a little more expensive than wet ones. Better in off road vehicles.

That battery is a boat/offroad battery.

Not designed for deep discharges. Good for starting the motor though. Would not be good for a Residential fridge.

When it dies look into two 6 volt batteries. They are a little taller but, provide more amperage for the footprint. And, they are more tolerant to your mistakes in overuse.

And be prepared to add water as necessary. Golf Cart batteries don't "recycle" the gases and vapor back into the battery as is done in maintenance free.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by PSUFan1

Thanks for all the info. The battery should be fully charged as I took it off the trickle charge last night. I’ll top off the wells tonight.

Don't fill to the top, just to the bottom where the "well" starts to contact the electrolyte. If you fill the battery all the way up you'll have battery acid all over the top of the battery every time you charge.

You should see a "cylinder" extending into the battery with slits in a couple sides and at the bottom there is a small lip. As the electrolyte touches this lip it forms a meniscus where the liquid starts to curl up at the sides. This is where you stop filling, no further.

FWIW, before I ripped off the label I'd make sure that the large cap isn't removable. Use a screwdriver and carefully start lifting a little at several different points around the cap. Some batteries have caps that are easier to remove than others but patience and care can usually get them to lift out of the cells openings.

Since this cap appears to be one-piece it will be twice as hard to remove than those that have two piece caps.

[PSUFan1]

Got it. Thanks

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by formerFR

maintenance free MEANS that you don't have to do anything, no water needed.

If that is true, then why have I always had to add water to all of the maintenance free batteries I've owned over the years?

I've often wondered why they call them that when it is not a true statement...

[jimmoore13]

Since you don't intend to boondock, your battery should perform as designed and be essentially maintenance free. Your use will more closely resemble that of a "starting" battery on a tow vehicle...short periods of discharge to operate the tongue jack and slides followed by a full recharge while hooked up. If you hookup first, that won't change much, because these draws are typically 12 volt draws, and the charger may or may not supply amps equivalent to the load. No matter. The battery will top off quickly while connected to shore power. And the amp-hours consumed will be relatively modest. A 50 amp draw for 10 minutes is less than 9 amp-hours out of the 35 to 40 USABLE amp hours this battery can deliver.

Boondocking, on the other hand, works the hell out of a battery, and all the deep-discharge/recharge cycles will tax the battery and may lead to electrolyte loss. An "off the grid" battery needs more TLC.

The label is a "betrayal" label, and removing it may well void the battery warranty...a telltale that you "tampered" with the battery. Tampering includes the introduction of a foreign substance such as water, which from the battery manufacturer's perspective is from an unknown source.

If you aren't boondocking, I'd recommend that you wait until the battery is beyond its warranty period (for initial failure - not the essentially worthless pro-rated warranty that might extend for several years) and then keep tabs on it now and again as a matter of due diligence.

If you ever change your mind about boondocking, you'll need to seriously upgrade your battery bank, as others have said. But for now, this one should do nicely.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Until they do.

I have found that they don't need water very often but adding distilled to bring level up to bottom of "wells" prolongs their life. Check only after you're sure the battery is fully charged.

These batteries should more appropriately named "Lower Maintenance".

Originally Posted by JohnD10

If that is true, then why have I always had to add water to all of the maintenance free batteries I've owned over the years?

I've often wondered why they call them that when it is not a true statement...

I believe TitanMike eloquently answered this question in the post above.
(post #6 of this current thread)

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

FWIW, before I ripped off the label I'd make sure that the large cap isn't removable. Use a screwdriver and carefully start lifting a little at several different points around the cap. Some batteries have caps that are easier to remove than others but patience and care can usually get them to lift out of the cells openings.

Since this cap appears to be one-piece it will be twice as hard to remove than those that have two piece caps.

I have a small pry bar with a small forked end on one side and a screwdriver handle on the other...

It is the perfect device for lifting those caps off of the batteries.

I always found when using a screwdriver I would slightly damage the cap since the pry area was small compared to the pry bar.

[JPin AZ]

It has six small round caps. You can see part of one to the left of the red part of the sticker. You also can see an outline of another just right of the red.