remoandiris
Florida
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I don't boondock. Whenever I stop I have E&W hookups. Before this current trip, I topped off the battery, but I haven't checked it since. There is nothng specific in the 5er owners manual about how often to check the water level. It is a bit of a PITA to pull the battery.
How often do you check the water level in the batteries when you're traveling?
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RaenMark
USA
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If you're using the unit full time, I'd recommend at least monthly (more in the hot summer months). This varies depending on the batteries you have. Sealed units, never. AGM's I've heard never but check your documents. Wet Cell monthly. Some recommend the watering systems and they work OK. I use a 1.50 turkey baster and a gallon of distilled water.
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othertonka
Stockton, CA
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The answer depends a lot on what type of convertor you have. When hooked up to shore power the convertor chargess the battery, and if you have a 3 stage convertor it will reduce the charge to a "Float" so it does not charge on high and possibly boil the water out of the battery. If you don't have a 3 stage convevrtor, then this can happen and you would need to check the water more often, probaly 2 or 3 weeks. A multimeter can come in handy to check on the level of charge output of the convertor. when plugged in to shore power the meter reading will possibly be around 13.6 volts and taper off as the battery gets fully charged. But at a minumum I check my battery water at least once a month.
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remoandiris
Florida
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Thanks guys. I'll put it on my calendar to do every month.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi,
If they are fine after the first month, then do your next check at 5 weeks, If they are good at five--stretch it to six, and so on.
Regards, Don
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Mile High
Denver, CO
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pianotuna wrote:Hi,
If they are fine after the first month, then do your next check at 5 weeks, If they are good at five--stretch it to six, and so on. X2 - no different than checking the dipstick or tire pressure - you'll start to get a feel for how often you need to check them after you learn their behavior a little.
I added that little Iota smart module (Q-something) to my converter (because it was too cheap to have it built in) and 5 years running I've only added a tadd bit of water before parking it for the winter - less than 2 dixie cups.
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Hi,
If you found very little water is needed after 6 weeks of camping, then you can easily extend this to about 3 months. Once you find you need a lot of water, cut the time in between checks by a couple of weeks. Be sure to only add distilled water.
I did know someone who never checked the water in her battery, and it was a couple of years since she bought the RV. Next RV trip she took, we showed her how to fill it, and it was only about 1/2" down from the top. So I guess she did not use a lot of battery water.
Leaving the RV plugged in more will boil away a little more water though, and warmer weather can also have a effect. If the battery is really low each month, then check to see if the float voltage is over 13.7 volts, this can cause the battery to boil away to much water and damage the battery at some point.
Fred.
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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I"d keep track of how often you NEED to add water to your batteries so you'll know how good your converter is doing. Base your frequency of battery checking based on your findings. I check mine about ever three months whether traveling or not and usually have to add water about every second time.
Good luck / Skip
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bluck
Silver City, NM 88061 USA
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I have one of the automatic waterers so its easy to squeeze the bulb once a month. Most of the time it'll only take half a squeeze to keep them topped off.
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laknox
Arizona
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remoandiris wrote:I don't boondock. Whenever I stop I have E&W hookups. Before this current trip, I topped off the battery, but I haven't checked it since. There is nothng specific in the 5er owners manual about how often to check the water level. It is a bit of a PITA to pull the battery.
How often do you check the water level in the batteries when you're traveling?
Both my sets of batteries have been "maintenance free", so never. Need a new set and am looking at Interstate 6v Golf Cart batteries. Not sure if they're "maintenance free" or not.
Lyle
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