Do AGM batteries Freeze? And an ALDE question

[kgottleib]

Rodents? Seriously? if rodents can get in the trailer in the winter that means they can get in in the summer when they are out full force and not bunkered in their hibernation burrows... if you're telling me rodents have a way in than I'm buying the wrong trailer... wtf? come on here... are these trailers you are referring to ancient rehaps, or brand new? Airstream can give me my deposit back if rodents are getting into these..

[UnklJoe]

rmkrum,

I like your battery disconnect switch location...

I'm curious about the white covering on your battery box. Is it foam insulation, or ???

I have purchased the materials for installing a battery disconnect switch, and intended to put it on the negative lead. But, then I have been thinking about it, and I'm concerned about the breakaway switch not having power when the battery disconnect switch is completely off.... And, the tongue jack, too, but that's a simple remedy if I'm standing next to the disconnect switch and need to operate the tongue jack.

Any insights on the breakway switch if I put the battery disconnect switch on the negative lead? (Though in writing about this, it probably is disconnected if I put the disconnect switch on the positive lead, too.... )

Thanks!

[rmkrum]

Battery box is aftermarket made of very heavy polyethylene (I think) plastic. It holds two GC-2 6 volt golf cart batteries.

My breakaway switch is wired directly to the battery positive post. No fuse, nothing. That way it cannot be disconnected. It is a safety circuit and that’s the safe way to do it. If it shorts out, the wiring will melt. So be it! It’s run in split loom tubing for some protection against chafing.

The manual disconnect switch input is wired to an 80 amp MRBF fuse bolted on the positive post. The tongue Jack and powered WD jacks are connected to another 30 amp MRBF fuse on the positive post. Blue Sea Systems makes a nice dual MRBF terminal for this purpose.

The output of the disconnect switch goes inside to the use/store relay and from there to the positive buss bar under the front bed. Solar controller is on the output of the switch before the use/store relay so it always can charge the batteries. The disconnect switch is the only way to shut down the solar charge line to the batteries.

My negative battery lead is directly connected to the Trimetic battery shunt located inside the Airstream in the electrical area under the front bed. The rest of the negative side and the chassis ground wire is on the negative buss bar in that area.

I have a habit of covering all external exposed wires with black split loom tubing to keep the sun off. It’s a lot easier to replace split loom than the wires it protects. (Rubber propane hoses are also covered the same way.) All the battery cable are marine grade 4 gauge color-coded wire with adhesive heat shrink on the swaged-on plated copper lugs. At the battery end the connections are sprayed with the red terminal paint to protect them from battery acid. I have a watering system to maintain my flooded batteries.

[SailorSam205]

A couple of pieces of info.
1. As noted already, a fully charged lead/acid battery won't freeze until somewhere near -90F.
2, A 50% discharged battery won't freeze until somewhere between -30F and -40F.
3. Battery self discharge rates decrease as the temperature falls.
4. According to the US Army Corp of Engineers, a fully charged battery can be stored indefinitely without deterioration if stored below 30F. They recommend storing at 5F (-15C).
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a239115.pdf

[Hermes]

If batteries froze in the winter, not many Canadians would be driving around between November and May! The key is keeping them charged as others have posted. This is what car alternators do when you drive them and it is what you need to do with a maintenance charger or a solar MPPT controller.

[thewarden]

Originally Posted by Call me Al

I was thinking that heating it would help with controlling moisture and mold. I was going to get a space heater but then thought that the ALDE doesn't use much power and maybe I could use that instead. But DJB75 notes below, it would attract rodents. So changed my mind about heating the inside.

Thanks,

Call Me Al

If you are worried about moisture, consider this. http://www.drizair.com/ I have been using this in my boats and trailers for decades and have never had an issue related to too much moisture.

[Call me Al]

I do appreciate the comments, suggestions and the passion of this community.

I once posted an oil question on a BMW motorcycle forum. It went on for years with 100+ pages of comments. You learn so much from these forums like $23/quart oil is "cheap." But all of it is time well spent.

I really like that master battery switch.

I will be posting some "what's this?" questions soon. Thanks to everyone.

Call me Al.

[ROBERT CROSS]

When I installed the 'isolation' switch I made sure the batt's were still connected to the monitor.
That way I can monitor from the living room every Saturday with zero parasitic draw.

Bob
🇺🇸

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

When I installed the 'isolation' switch I made sure the batt's were still connected to the monitor.
That way I can monitor from the living room every Saturday with zero parasitic draw.

Bob
🇺🇸

Hi

Not quite zero parasitic ....

Bob

[Backfortyjoe]

I have disconnected my AGM batteries from the AS and put the battery minder on them for 5 months without a visit because we leave for Florida for the winter. Our. 20 FC is in a shed in northern Wisconsin. It will reach -35 there. I have not experienced any problems to date.

[terrythomts]

Originally Posted by Call me Al

Getting ready to Winterize our 2018 Classic 30. Was watching some Youtube videos to get brushed up on the procedures and noticed that some people remove the batteries. Do you need to remove the AGM batteries if you have solar and a 110 trickle charger on them?

Also, can the ALDE system run all winter on 110V? I was thinking of setting it to about 54 degrees for storage if that was possible.

Thanks,

Call me Al

I have left my AGMs in my trailer overwinter for the past five years with the batteries disconnected. AGM batteries do not do self discharge nearly as much as flooded lead acid batteries. I check my voltage when I put the trailer to bed in the fall, again on April 1 and then when I take a lot of storage in mid-May. There is virtually no drop in voltage at the end of seven months in storage with no trickle charge. The temperatures here in southern Ontario rarely drop below -20°C or -4° F.
Terry

[Tony Lee]

Murphy's Law dictates that they will freeze. I won't bore you with it here but I have a photo of $3000 worth of GEL batteries that froze and burst the cases when a solar system failed and the batteries eventually flattened enough to freeze