Charging Batteries Once a Month in Winter

[breezyway]

Being a newbie, after the battery switch is off, and the electrical panel is all switched off, what do I have to do to charge the batteries once a month?
I think I will go this route but I want to make sure I am doing it right.

[perryg114]

If you have a converter that won't overcharge your batteries, you can leave it on 100% of the time. I have an old Univolt and it stays on 100% of the time and the battery has never cooked in 2 yrs. My trailer also has a switch to turn off the Univolt (converter). You can turn on the converter once a month and it will charge the batteries. You can also remove the battery and leave it connected to a battery tender in the garage or something like that. If something goes wrong and the battery discharges, it will freeze so it is best to keep it charged.

Perry

[GeocamperAS]

I have 2 trailers and 2 boats. A total of 6 batteries. I bring them into my attached garage. A little warmer than outside. I have them all lined up. I check the fluid level in the ones i can open. If needed I top off. Then on the 1st of every month I attach my charger, set on trickle, to the 1st battery. On the 2nd I move it to battery 2. On the 3rd battery 3....etc.
In spring when I put them back in the toys, I check the fluid level again.
A couple of them are at least 5 years old and still work well.

[Joe Palmieri]

I used to remove all the batteries and move them to the basement where it's warmer and keep them trickle charged all winter. It became a major project. The last five years I haven't removed any batteries from anything. I just keep a maintenance charger on the A$ batteries. I got a 45W set of solar panels that I installed on the garage roof. The controller is mounted to the inside wall and a long cord reaches all the batteries in the garage. I rotate the cord once a week so all the batteries stay topped off throughout the winter. It is important to keep an eye on the electrolyte level. If you add distilled water to any battery, make sure that battery gets charged right away. I have eleven batteries in my garage and have not had any problems.

[Lily&Me]

Ours is in storage 2 1/2 to 3 months, during which time we do not remove, store or charge batteries.

A day or two before we aree due to head south in January, we bring it home and plug it in.

Never had a problem starting it (our car also sits, unused, for several months at a time) or with adequate coach battery to run things as we move south.


Maggie

[Lumatic]

The why is a battery will loose about 15% of it's charge per month just sitting there. If the battery voltage drops too low below 12v the battery's life is compromised.

[Crusty]

I had a pair of Trojan T105 golf cart batteries that lasted 10 years because they were always kept topped up with water and connected to a smart charger.

[ROBERT CROSS]

GWN...Ontario=pretty cold Winters.

5-6mos storage...I would bring indoors, inspect & maintain them in comfort. Yours and the batteries. The Deltran Battery Tender or a smart charger works very well.

Bob

[helmsman]

[helmsman]

Sorry! -- Don't know why this voltage chart doesn't make it into this reply!

Trlr Battery voltage chart.docx

[AirEgger]

We keep our unit in an enclosed un-heated building on our property during the winter months we aren't on the road. We plug into 30 amps the first day of the month for 8 - 12 hours. No problems so far and used this approach many years on previous 5th wheel. I check the battery water levels regularly and top off as required. So far so good.