How do you keep your battery fresh when the trailer's in storage?

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

I'd remove the battery, take it home, and put it on a battery tender in the garage. That way it'll be ready to go, and when you go to leave on your next trip you'll just have to take it with you and install it before you go.

In addition to, you can get a physically battery disconnect switch so you don't have to remove it nor charge it. This will prevent any parasitic drain on the battery.

You can always put a solar panel if there is any sun shining through.

Good luck.

[LBOskiBear]

I was/am in the same boat. My batteries would die after about a month of non-use so I rigged up a good solar panel with a desulfating charger. That worked until I moved into a covered spot. Then I would have a dead battery each time I took the trailer out - would have to connect the cord to the truck to get the jack to work.

As my batteries had gone through a couple years' worth of being fully discharged multiple times, I ended up replacing them and having a full disconnect switch installed. So far, so good.

Now, I need to figure out what to do with that solar panel! :-)

[Daquenzer]

I have a pole barn to put AS in. I plug in the trickle charger and just leave them in the AS. I don't disconnect. No problem. They stay charged.

If you don't have electricity you might do 2 things:
1) Disconnect batteries. Charge them every month.
2) Disconnect batteries and take them home and put on trickle charger.

Hassle to do 1 and 2.

[banderabob]

"Storage" for me is anytime it's not being used, which usually doesn't exceed 2 months throughout the year, and I store on our property. Already said, but I simply disconnect the black battery cable. Yeah, I know there is still some ghost drainage I think from the inverter, but I've never had the batteries go dead.

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by banderabob

"Storage" for me is anytime it's not being used, which usually doesn't exceed 2 months throughout the year, and I store on our property. Already said, but I simply disconnect the black battery cable. Yeah, I know there is still some ghost drainage I think from the inverter, but I've never had the batteries go dead.

Yep. I always put the trickle charger on the battery when I'm not using the camper.

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

.........

There are a number of "parasitic loads" on your trailer that will drain even a good battery dead in under a month. You either need to supply power to the trailer or fully disconnect the battery(s). If you are in covered storage with no power, disconnect is the only answer. If you store outside, solar will do the trick.
................

Bob

UB's right. Radio propane detector, possibly sub-woofer and if applicable Inverter (huge draw) are all parasitic loads that will drain a connected batter in a very short period of time.

I too have no SP at storage so battery management depends on my next use. Disc the neg for a good set of batt's translates to no problem for a month or two. My time line is 3 weeks but I'm a battery neurotic. I'm working on my second set of batts since my OEM's (Interstates) came with a slight case of lot rot....and the dealer finished them off during a 3 month repairs stint. He replaced the I's with 2 new Deka's and I love them....Otherwise I bring them home and they live on a corner of my workbench where I can keep an eye on them.

Just as example. After a recent trip they measured 12.78VDC, then down a normal 12.72VDC for the next two weeks.They slowly dropped to 12.68 VDC over the next tree weeks or about 95% after 5 weeks. This was Spring. Results will likely be incrementally less in the winter.

Some have suggested other than wet cell. For us they're fine. We don't do much book docking other than an occasional WM site. I'll save the $'s. Plus they're lighter then the 2 6vDC gold cart batts as well as the other options and I need to watch my tongue weight.

b


dingo girl...230 this morning 4.6...you're kidding right ???? 4.6VDC I presume? Attached is from C-Tek who mf'd by at home batt charger. Batteries turn terminal quickly when these reading happen. Damage has occurred.


p.s. there are a lot of versions of this chart on line and have seen 12.75 referred to as 100% charged.

[Gleverett]

Disconnect the main negative battery terminal when storing the AS or install a disconnect switch. Prior to using this method my batteries would be dead with in a month. Used this method for 4 years storing the AS for as long as 4 months without any problems.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Pulling big heavy batteries out of a trailer on a regular basis is quite bitterly a pain in the back . There also is a finite risk of having a problem while doing so. I would use that as the last resort solution to a problem like this.

If you have shore power in storage, get a 7 day timer and power up the trailer for an hour or three each week. As long as you trailer is wired to charge in the "store" mode (some are / some are not) that will keep you battery up and going for very little money or hassle.

No matter what you do, batteries are not a "forever" sort of thing. If you expect to use them in any real way, they need to be in pretty good shape. Running them flat regularly just about guarantees they will let you down if you need them for something ( like running the furnace overnight in a Walmart parking lot).

Bob

[Garfish]

Had to check where you live as in LA a 4.6 at 2:30 means an earthquake

[StanA]

I’ve been using a a smart tender, which works great. But took the airstream in for service and when I picked it up two weeks later, I had a charge of 11.6. Grrr. So I’ll Be installing a disconnect when we get home.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The gotcha with any device that plugs into the wall in storage is that you really generally can't check on how it's doing. Was there a power surge that nuked a bunch of stuff? Did a breaker trip a month ago? Did Bob unplug your gizmo to plug in his keg cooler? There's no way to know ....

My favorite - Just how did the guy who did the inspection on the trailer ( in PA your trailer gets a new inspection sticker every year ) manage to fully drain the batteries to zero while doing the inspection? This on a trailer with solar .... yikes .....

Bob

[Len n Jeanne]

Solution? Keep on camping! Don't come home! Drive every few days, and then camp in the sun.

(OK, just kidding, just kidding. We've had the same problem, sort-of-solved by disconnecting the batters, and sometimes taking them home for recharging.)

[drbrick]

During the travel season between trips our Solar System maintains the batteries in store mode. Winter we remove the batteries and they live in the garage on a battery tender.

[2MileHi]

A battery disconnect works for a couple months. For long term storage where power isn't available, removal is your best choice.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Our 2 BB Lithium's stayed in the trailer all last Winter, disconnected with a switch, 13.1v at Spring get-ready.

The Lifelines got stored in the basement for 7 Seasons...no charging necessary.
For the last 4 years they also were left disconnected in the AS,
both are still in emergency sump pump service, charge if needed.

Bob
🇺🇸

[rgwatkin]

I fought this problem for a long time where every time I would pick up my trailer at a remote storage site the battery had been run down to <40%. I knew about the propane detector running all the time but wasn't sure if something else had a resistive ground. So for $7.97 on Amazon I purchase this manual disconnect for the ground lead. It took me all of 10 min to install and to connect/disconnect is <30 sec. It works like a charm, my battery ever since stays >70% for storage times up to 2 months. I might add that on my 2012 FC the inverter is connected directly to the battery and has its own ground. I did not put a disconnect on it and it has shown it is not a problem. Since inverters are kind of an add on they didn't hook it up to the power bus inside the trailer.

[Atwebs]

We had dead batteries all the time in our old white box trailer, they were dead on the very first trip we ever took with in and it seems we replaced them almost every year. We learned that Costco usually sells the replacements at a fairly good price and does honor the dates on the top, sometimes someone will be happy to help you charge them and the best system is a trickle charger that reconditions the batteries, like BatteryMinder. https://www.batteryminders.com

We also learned to pull the batteries so we could check fluid levels and so that any corrosion was outside the trailer system. Eventually, we got it figured out.

Now, the Airstream? Stored outside and we decided to add solar and better batteries...we've not had one incident with either low power or dead batteries. Excellent choice for us! Visited it yesterday to do a little work and it was ready to go at full power... so much easier and better.

[Maxroadster]

Batteries are a headache. The old lead acid units were / are subject to failure at any time! And just like everything else (including humans) batteries wear out over time. First things first – check the expiration date of your battery. If your battery has an expired date it is a good idea to replace it. Just like your tow vehicle any time the starter doesn’t spin normally, you clean the battery posts and the wire connectors. Battery terminals corrode because electrical current, heat and moisture are present so keep those terminals clean.

So now you have determined your battery is within its use date, the terminals are clean and it accepts recharging sufficient it will stay charged for a reasonable length of time. How to keep it charged? Many have suggested disconnecting the battery entirely, good call. A battery cut-off switch is handy and can be designed to allow charging while disconnected from the TT system! Still, how do you know the battery is useable? A charger that keeps the battery fresh is the best and safest solution. Conversely, some trickle chargers charge constantly which is not good. The solution is a battery charger that not only keeps the battery fresh but allows remote monitoring, a system that can be turned on and off remotely too. Hope these suggestions alleviate your battery headaches. Good luck to you.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

Physically disconnect your battery terminals and your batteries should last months without over discharging. Alternatively you can install a battery disconnect switch.

Mike

But the temperature matters - a lot. At a temperature of 80 degrees F. a lead acid battery will self-discharge at a rate of approximately 4% a week. At lower temperatures, self-discharge happens more slowly.

If we consider a 4-month storage period in a warm (indoor) building, a fully charged battery would be down to about 40% SOC when you return in the following late Spring. If SLA (and not AGM), it would also be greatly sulfated - having experienced no "anti-sulfation" or "Boost" charge cycles while loosing charge.

Lead-Acid batteries like to be stored at 100% State-Of-Charge. Depending on the weight and difficulty of removing them from the Trailer, I be inclined to remove them completely and put them on a good "battery maintainer" in the basement of your house. (Maybe a CTEK, from Amazon.)

In Spring, bring the batteries with you and install them at the storage location. (Because a Trailer with no batteries is unsafe to tow, lacking power to operate the brakes in a breakaway.)

[pontzdav]

I disconnect the batteries, leave them in the battery box and connect a battery Tender. It’s a 20 minute job but my batteries are 4 years old and working fine. My battery tended can handle 2 batteries. Here is a link to a similar unit that can handle 4. https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende.../dp/B000CIPHUI