gdeal
Southern California
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Joined: 05/31/2007
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Check the water? Aw man, I knew I should have got maintenance free. What kind of water? Distilled water? Those caps really seem to be on there. I guess I use a screw driver or something to pry them off? Do Deep Cycle Batteries that are NOT maintenance free have to be filled up with water more often than a regular car battery?
2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
2007 Palomino Pony 280
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stacaz822
Phoenix, Arizona
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Joined: 10/21/2005
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mike4947 wrote:Close but no cigar. Battery self discharge ranges depending on the make/type from 1% to apx 4% a month. If a battery self discharges more than this it's time to desulfate/equalize the battery or replace it if that fails.
Depends a lot on the storage temperature. I live in Phx, where battery temp in the summer can exceed 115 degrees in the shade. My self-charge rates are typically higher than normal in this condition, thus I'm more careful about letting them sit disconnected.
I'm assuming lead-acid types here.
Stacaz
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Cousin_Eddy
Peoria, AZ
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Joined: 01/23/2006
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STACAZ:
You should check the charging fuse in your tow vechicle. You need to charge on the way back from your camping spot otherwise you will be storing your camper with a partially discharged battery. This can greatly shorten battery life. Consult the owners manual of your vehicle for the location of the charging fuse. It is common to blow this fuse when you plug in the trailer cable with a low battery. It is usually 20 amp.
Another Tip: be sure to use a turkey baster when filling your battery to avoid foriegn object debris contaminiation. Only use distilled water. Check the battery manual to be sure you are using the correct distilled water type. Also, make sure your battery caps are replaced before picking your nose. Otherwise, you could end up with a condition called mucal-sulfation.  I learned this the hard way. Good thing I got 3 year warranty batteries.
Happy Camping!
1995 33' Southwind Fleetwood Model LW
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fairfaxjim
Fairfax, CA
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Joined: 07/18/2005
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I installed quick disconnect connectors on my PUP and on both of my battery boxes. I also mounted a 30A toggle switch with a weather proof boot on the battery box cover. I can disconnect the battery from the PUP with a flick of the switch.
BATTERY CONNECTORS
These are Anderson Power products SB50 style connectors. They are non-gender (no male or female to deal with, they will all plug into each other.) Each battery box has one, with a switch and an inline fuse (mounted in the vent opening so you can pull and replace it without removing the lid.)
EXTRA BATTERY CONNECTOR ON CORNER OF CARGO DECK
This is where I can plug in a second battery, using the same connectors. I only carry the second one for longer trips without hookups.
BATTERY BOX SWITCH
A flip of the switch will disconnect the battery when it is left on the PUP. I usually pull the battery after parking the PUP and put it (them sometimes) on the charger as soon as I get home.
Jim & JoAnne
2007 Toyota Tundra Double Cab
2004 Starcraft 11RT
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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mike4947 wrote:Close but no cigar. Battery self discharge ranges depending on the make/type from 1% to apx 4% a month.
13.2. So How Do I Store (Or Winterize) My Battery?
Batteries naturally self-discharge 1% to 60% per month (depending on the battery type and temperature) while not in use.
http://www.batteryfaq.org/
To get close to 1% it will need to be an AGM battery. Typical wet cell I believe is 10% to 25% per month.
Trojan says 13% for flooded, 1 to 3% for GEL & AGM.
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MrPressure
Texas
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Joined: 11/13/2006
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Folks with them fancy trimenic (or whatever) meters report 70% SoC after 3-4 months of cold storage. Giving the battery a charge once a month during storage keeps it above the dreeded 80% SoC level that can cause permanent damage!!!!!
Why would disconnecting one lead versus the other matter?
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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MrPressure wrote:Why would disconnecting one lead versus the other matter?
Electrically it is the same as it opens the circuit and stops the flow of electricity.
If removing a cable it is better to remove the negative. This is beacause if the cable touches the frame it will not cause trouble. The power from the battery might be isolated but if the RV gets plugged in with the positive cable sitting down on the frame you can have trouble. Read any auto service manual and it will always start with removing the negative cable.
If you have a switch it is the proper convention to have it on the positive. All the switches in the RV control the positive side and a master switch should do the same. A switch on the negative would still break the circuit.
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MrPressure
Texas
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smkettner wrote:MrPressure wrote:Why would disconnecting one lead versus the other matter?
Electrically it is the same as it opens the circuit and stops the flow of electricity. That was certainly my thinking. I understand step ONE of most auto repairs is to disconnect the neg. I thought someone had another reason !
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stacaz822
Phoenix, Arizona
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Joined: 10/21/2005
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gdeal wrote:When my camper is in the garage which lead do I take off the battery and let hang to the side, the positive one?
I think the main question as to whether you should leave it plugged in to 120v in the garage or not is how hot is it where you live? If the avergage temperature is under 80 degree, then charge it up to 100%, and disconnect (doesn't matter which terminal). This will be ok for a couple months at most before needing to top off the charge.
If it's over 80 degree on average, you should leave it plugged into a charger and check the water level periodically.
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Cousin_Eddy
Peoria, AZ
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Joined: 01/23/2006
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Why don't you just plug it in once a month for a couple of days?
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