Battery Tender and or remove battery ??

[Sandrooney]

Should I remove the battery from my 5th wheel for the winter or just put a tender on it ??

[CSCLARK]

Originally Posted by Sandrooney

Should I remove the battery from my 5th wheel for the winter or just put a tender on it ??

If you have a tinder that's the best option for battery life, IMHO. I get more than 5 years on my Harley battery as opposed to 2 at most before I started tindering. Same goes for my old riding lawn mower.

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[Sandrooney]

Thanks. I use them on my bikes as well.

[Mongo]

another question . pros and cons to disconnect and remove...... versus just plugging trailer in and letting inverter charge battery once a week ??

[Bryon4]

Originally Posted by Mongo

another question . pros and cons to disconnect and remove...... versus just plugging trailer in and letting inverter charge battery once a week ??

I have heard that just leaving the TT connected to a power source can cause the batteries to swell up and possibly ruptured. Any comments on this? Thanks.

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[ewarnerusa]

Most modern campers use a smart-charging converter which should drop to float voltage when appropriate. This means it should behave like a low voltage battery tender and not harm the batteries when left plugged in for an extended time. A fully charged and disconnected battery should have very little discharge and also be fine for months at any temp. IT won't freeze or burst unless you're dealing with wickedly cold temps like -50F or something.
http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/WP_...orage_0512.pdf

[wildwest450]

Mines been plugged in 24/7 365 and after 3 years it's just fine.

[franktafl]

Originally Posted by wildwest450

Mines been plugged in 24/7 365 and after 3 years it's just fine.

Do you deep cycle your battery occasionally?

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by franktafl

Do you deep cycle your battery occasionally?

I don't do anything to it but test it with my volt meter once a year.

[thehoffmans4]

I pull mine and hook it up to a tender in the garage. My theory is if it’s sensitive to the elements, why let it sit when there’s an easy opportunity to protect it. I do the same with my TV. It’s all just part of my winterizing and spring fun.


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[nineoaks]

If (and that is seldom) we get a heavy freeze, I remove the battery put it in my shop and put a tender on it otherwise it is plugged in 24 /7

[chily3]

Our trailer is stored at an inside storage. Have a battery disconnect switch. Last week went to take it out and no battery juice. Had to to use the hand crank on the tongue jack. Plug it in at home while we loaded it. Got "batteries" to 2/3 charge. When we got home decided to look at the batteries (have two group 24 deep cycle). (Costco interstates) One of them was the original with trailer 3 years ago, the other is 2 years old. The original one had low water in all cells and one cell was probably dry. Showed 11 volts on meter.

So what I am getting to here is check your battery water probably a couple times a year. Could not charge the older battery so now have a new one, and both are charged up to 13 volts.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by chily3

Our trailer is stored at an inside storage. Have a battery disconnect switch. Last week went to take it out and no battery juice. Had to to use the hand crank on the tongue jack. Plug it in at home while we loaded it. Got "batteries" to 2/3 charge. When we got home decided to look at the batteries (have two group 24 deep cycle). (Costco interstates) One of them was the original with trailer 3 years ago, the other is 2 years old. The original one had low water in all cells and one cell was probably dry. Showed 11 volts on meter.

So what I am getting to here is check your battery water probably a couple times a year. Could not charge the older battery so now have a new one, and both are charged up to 13 volts.

It's generally not a good idea to mix old with new batteries. By installing a new battery with your 2 year old battery may cause the same condition you encountered.
Rule of thumb, if the good battery is over a year old it should be replaced when the new one is installed.

[1l243]

Instead of battery tender I would just go with a battery disconnect switch. I can turn off my fully charged batteries and it will sit for months before dropping to the point where it will be charged. Right now they are at 12.65 volts which is still pretty much fully charged and it has not been plugged in for a month and a half.

You can make one yourself. Get a battery disconnect switch at your local auto parts store about $13. drill hole in battery box. Connect to negative cable from coach.

[1l243]

Let me just add you will need a short cable from switch to battery to go with the battery disconnect switch.

[chily3]

Yes I know that about older battery, but since mine was over 12 volts I am going to take a chance for awhile and monitor the old one.

$80.00 is not a whole lot but will try to save the old one.

[Mongo]

Originally Posted by 1l243

Let me just add you will need a short cable from switch to battery to go with the battery disconnect switch.

yes negative cable as will be sure to include all extras .... and negative cable wont corrode at connections like a positive cable will

[Adair1965]

I remove both of my 6 volt deep cycle batteries and hook them up in tandem in my garage to a tender. It may be cold in my garage but at least they're protected from the elements.

[PamW]

Originally Posted by 1l243

Instead of battery tender I would just go with a battery disconnect switch. I can turn off my fully charged batteries and it will sit for months before dropping to the point where it will be charged. Right now they are at 12.65 volts which is still pretty much fully charged and it has not been plugged in for a month and a half.

You can make one yourself. Get a battery disconnect switch at your local auto parts store about $13. drill hole in battery box. Connect to negative cable from coach.

I did this mod last season ... and am still losing charge to the point where my power jack won't work within a few weeks. This was during the summer when it was hot. I have a small trailer that has essentially no 12V power inside it. A few LED lights, furnace fan, CO detector and that's it. So if all of the lights are off and the furnace is off my battery should be good (even if hooked up) for a long time? It's a new trailer with a (supposedly) new battery as of last year. I thought maybe I installed it wrong, but it's on negative and there's not much more to it than that. I had Camping World look at the installation for me and they claim ti's good. :-/

[wildwest450]

I would buy a cheap voltage meter, check it when it's plugged in to make sure it's charging, then disconnect the terminals and recheck a few hours later, that will tell you how healthy the battery is. It shouldn't be draining that fast in warm weather...