Batteries

[reckfield]

What do you do with the batteries in your 5er during winter? I live in Central OR and it can get pretty darn cold here at times. Do you leave them in the 5er and keep electricity to the converter or do you remove them and store inside? Thanks.

[StirCrazy]

some one dug up a old post, after 11 years, I am sure he figured out what to do 😂

[opnspaces]

Yeah apparently I need to do a better job of checking the OP date. It's not the first one I answered that was old.

[opnspaces]

I'm not in a cold area but  I would Fully charge the battery. Disconnect the negative cable and ignore it until spring. Cold will affect thins like increasing charging times

From the Interstate Batteries website FAQ.
What causes my car battery to freeze:

NOTES: Batteries stored in a discharged state are susceptible to freezing in cold weather and sulfation. A fully charged battery will not freeze unless the temperature reaches approximately 75° F (24° C) below zero. But if discharged, it can freeze at 15° F (-9° C).

[ford_truck_guy]

I disconnect my fiver from shore power, plug in my https://no.co/products/charging/genius  turn off my disconnect switch, hook up to BOTH batteries and wait till spring...

[RAS43]

When I had to store the 5th wheel off site I removed the batteries and stored them in the garage. That was a hassle so the last 2 winters I left them in the trailer after they were fully charged. I checked them every month and found that they were fine for the 4 months stored. So now that is my plan- leave them in even in our cold Colorado winters. Batteries are now 6 years old.

[laknox]

We have power where I store my FW.  I just plug in BUT I also use a lamp timer so the charger is only active about 5 or 6 hours a day.  Works for me.

Lyle

[Zshun]

When managing the batteries of an RV (such as the 5er) in winter in a cold area like Central Oregon, you can choose to leave the battery in the vehicle and keep it charged, or remove the battery and store it indoors. Stay in the car is simple, but need to ensure that the power supply is reliable; Take it out and store it to protect the battery better, but it needs to be checked and charged regularly. Choose the best option based on your actual usage and facility conditions.

https://www.oremabattery.com/news/how-to-store-agm-batteries-for-cold-winter-months-230368.html

[mena661]

Simplygib wrote:
From Trojan:

The freezing temperature of the electrolyte in a fully charged battery is -92.0oF. At a 40% state of charge, electrolyte will freeze if the temperature reaches approximately 16.0oF.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/maintenance.aspx

X2, I leave mine on the charger in the rig when not in use. It can get into 20's overnight here in the winter.

[Simplygib]

From Trojan:

The freezing temperature of the electrolyte in a fully charged battery is -92.0oF. At a 40% state of charge, electrolyte will freeze if the temperature reaches approximately 16.0oF.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/faq/maintenance.aspx

[RickSo]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Charge, disconnect and once a month charge for 24 hours.

-OR-

Add a modest solar system.

X2

Since adding solar system have not removed batteries...just check battery levels and remove snow from panels when necessary. I don't have power where I store our rig. I used to remove and leave on maintainer charger all winter. I lost two 6 volt Trojans our first year into RV'ing even though they were fully charged and disconnected. Learning curve for some -40 degree temps we can see here.

[SteveAE]

reckfield,

It isn't cold enough here (usually) to hurt well maintained batteries.
I leave the batteries in the trailer and let the solar system maintain them. Occasionally, I have to brush the snow off panels.
A smart charger, plugged into shore power, would do the same.

Steve

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Charge, disconnect and once a month charge for 24 hours.

-OR-

Add a modest solar system.

[RoyB]

A charged up battery will stay along time without being connected... Being charged negates freezing to a big degree...

Here in Virginia I can leave mine in a charged state with my battery disconnect switch open... Other times I just leave power on my RV Trailer and it keepds the batteries up and going. If I am hooked up and keeping re-charged from the on-board converter/charger then I will check battery fluid levels on a regular basis.

Roy ken

[2oldman]

Winterize batteries Oct2009
Stay plugged in in storage?
Stay plugged in roast batteries?