What's better for batteries and winter storage.....

[Ford truck guy]

I have 2 group 31 batteries, and want to know what is better for winter storage?

#1 - I have the coach unplugged, the battery bypass OFF, and a battery tender on them...

--- OR ---

#2 - keep battery bypass ON, and keep coach plugged in ?? Allow the inverter/charger handle them..

Right now, I am doing #1, Is there any advantage either way??

[ted 95]

If they are a liquid / water batteries...fill them to the correct level. And clean the posts and the exterior. If they are sealed / gel-cell just clean the exterior properly. No acid neutralizer or Baking soda. If you get it in the cells it will kill the cell / battery.

Option 1--- you are best to keep them in a warm place.
put a trickle charger on them. To keep them topped up
if you store them in your garage put them on a piece of plywood. Never on the floor / concrete. The concrete will drain them slowly.

Option 2---A good tender for me will do the job. You want to keep them at their topped voltage but don't over charge them. "boil them" I am suggesting the tender as I'm not sure if it could hurt the inverter to only be connected to the batteries when they are disconnected from the coach.
Disconnect the positive and negative leads that go to the battery switch and the ground of the coach. Yes you can bleed from the ground and the switch may not be 100%. If it is cold where you are. You can get a battery blanket that will keep them warm.

[Char & Steve]

Just my opinion.
Since 2006 when I installed a 100amp service to the shed and 50 amp to the RV's I have always left them powered all year and let the inverter do the job and never a problem. Batteries seem to be good for about 4 years.

Steve

[Dave&Ginny]

I used to remove my batteries but I stopped with the Redwood because they were so hard to get to. I ran a 50 amp plug to the side of the house and kept it plugged in all winter. It worked for me.

[Tomkidder]

I to have a 50 amp service and leave the unit plugged in. I also heat my unit all winter however none of the heat gets to the battery area.

[Ford truck guy]

Till this year , I have always used the tender... I have a 30amp box at my trailer that is used .. I think I will stop using the tender , and let the inverter do its job... As long as I am not loosing anything that is..

The reason I asked was those buggers are difficult to get to , and I would rather just let them be...

[Rick and Mindy]

I keep seeing people stating that they use the tender and that they have had a 50Amp service or 30Amp service installed. If all you are worried about is the battery, couldn't you just plug the tender into any household plug? The tender just runs off of 110v. I have always had good luck just turning the battery switch off and leaving the battery installed for several months at a time. You just need to be sure the battery switch does turn everything off or disconnect the cables from the battery. My battery does discharge some but not a great deal and then a week or so before I am going to use the RV I plug into a 110v outlet and turn the battery switch back on and let the converter do its thing.

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by Ford truck guy

I have 2 group 31 batteries, and want to know what is better for winter storage?

#1 - I have the coach unplugged, the battery bypass OFF, and a battery tender on them...

--- OR ---

#2 - keep battery bypass ON, and keep coach plugged in ?? Allow the inverter/charger handle them..

Right now, I am doing #1, Is there any advantage either way??

I have a 2012 36RL (built in Aug/Sept 2011). Since taking ownership, the coach has always been connected to shore power either in storage (1st year was 120 VAC/20 Amp, since then 240 VAC/50 Amp) or at campgrounds. After the first 2 years, I checked water level (had to add a small amount) and had the two batteries (group 27) tested under load. Both (one no name and one Interstate were in like new condition. While I had the batteries removed, I installed a MorRyde battery tray for easier access and added a third group 27 Interstate battery. The first two batteries will be 5 years old this fall and I will be having all 3 of them tested again this summer upon returning home from Florida. The converter seems to be doing a good job of keeping the batteries properly charged without overcharging.

[brenkco]

Your on board converter is a progressive dynamics, 3 stage converter. The maintenance stage performs as a 'trickle charger' does once the batteries are fully charged. No need for additional hardware. As said before, I too believe it's a good idea to keep the rig plugged in and let the converter do its thing.

BTW, since we do boon dock some, we exercise the batteries meaning more frequent charge and discharge. In doing so, it increases when amount of distilled water they use. I check and add water every six months.

Ken

[atom ant]

I pretty much ignore all the rules.

I remove the cables and let them sit for 8 months in Colorado weather. Between boat and RV, I've never had a deep cycle battery go flat, never had to charge it to function in the spring, and most of the time they give me over 5 years of service. I quit babying them decades ago because it was way too much work.

My 6V Golf Cart batteries in my last rig were pushing 7 years when we sold it, I was shocked.

[Ford truck guy]

Thanks to all...

With never having an RV with this type of inverter/charger I was not sure I was doing the right thing... Way back when I started camping , my father in law showed me the ropes , and some of those ropes were older back then

Joe