Travel Trailer Battery Charging

[s1njin]

Hey Gang,

Just wondering what the best approach would be here. When my trailer isn't in use I pull the fuse on the battery to keep the parasitic draw from killing it over the course of a week or two. With my Pop-Up I would than stick a Battery Tender on the battery (1.5 amp model) to keep the battery charged and healthy while the Pop-Up sat in my garage. Since I did not have top down fridge access in that unit, I never plugged it in until I was actually camping.

Fast forward to my new travel trailer. I still pull the fuse, but as I get closer to heading out w/ it I will be plugging it in to start the fridge. Is the converter good enough to get the battery back up to where it needs to be? Or should I nurse the battery every week or two w/ a 5 amp battery tender http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender...y+tender+5+amp before I plug the unit in to start the fridge?

I only have a group 24 battery on this unit, and while I dry camp w/ a Honda Companion I'd still rather have the battery in tip top shape before heading out.

Thanks all.

[tnchuck100]

Your converter in the camper is the best charger. It is a 3-stage charger that is very well capable of bringing the battery up quickly and maintaining the charge properly. Far better than your trickle charger or any other general purpose charger.

[clutch]

If you can keep it plugged in you will be fine. If not then either pull the fuse or disconnect the battery.

[Bassdogs]

The best way to peak up the charge before heading out, is to use a conventional charger. The converter does a good job of keeping a battery charged, but are not intended to bring a low battery to a full charge quickly. Easy enough to snap on a charger the day before when you are packing.

[Chakara]

I believe in keeping the batteries at near 100% charge all the time. I leave the trailer plugged in, but if that wasn't possible I'd pull the battery and keep it on a trickle charger....

Just my humble....

-Chak

[s1njin]

I always pull the fuse when the trailer is sitting. I put the fuse back in and plug her in a couple days before I'm heading out.

When I dry camp I use my generator (EU2000i Companion) various times during the day; than I let it run for a couple hours at night so the battery is ready to carry the heater through the evening.

[Bikester]

My TT is in storage now and I cannot plug it in for the winter. Planning to pull the battery and put it in a trickle charger here at home. What size trickle charger do I need? Any recommendations on a charger unit?

[tnchuck100]

Originally Posted by Bikester

My TT is in storage now and I cannot plug it in for the winter. Planning to pull the battery and put it in a trickle charger here at home. What size trickle charger do I need? Any recommendations on a charger unit?

It would be better to get a charger that is usually termed "Battery Tender" or "Battery Minder" rather than a trickle charger. The battery tender type are usually less than 2 amp. They are designed to maintain a battery without overcharging. They are a little more expensive than a trickle charger because of the "smart" circuitry involved.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender...battery+tender

[3firetrucks]

Originally Posted by tnchuck100

It would be better to get a charger that is usually termed "Battery Tender" or "Battery Minder" rather than a trickle charger. The battery tender type are usually less than 2 amp. They are designed to maintain a battery without overcharging. They are a little more expensive than a trickle charger because of the "smart" circuitry involved.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender...battery+tender

I also use one of these. In my case its the Battery Minder. It goes into de sulfation mode once its done charging. This is only my second winter with the charger and batteries so I can't yet comment on how well it works long term. I am keeping track though. My batteries are 6 Volt from Costco and were new last winter when I started using the minder. I only use it once a month. It will be interesting to see how my cheap batteries are still doing in another 4 years.

[Rustic Eagle]

I've used the "BatteryMINDER" for years when storing my batteries for the fact that it's a Charger, Maintainer, and Desulfator all in one. Check around because it can be had cheaper then it's suggested list price.

http://batteryminders.com/details.php?prod=12117

Bob

[Jagiven]

For winter storage I to use a battery minder. However, during the summer when the battery is on the HTT, I never use it. From what I can tell, once I plug into shore power it takes about 14 hours to fully (100%) charge my battery from a weakened state. If the fuse is pulled there is almost no voltage leakage, so when I place the fuse back in, it is nearly at the same charge as I left it. If the TT is unplugged at home I plug it in a few days before a trip and turn on the frig (ac). By the time I am ready to leave it is fully charged and my frig is nice and cool. These new converters in the TTs are great as there is almost nothing you have to do.

[Bikester]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

I've used the "BatteryMINDER" for years when storing my batteries for the fact that it's a Charger, Maintainer, and Desulfator all in one. Check around because it can be had cheaper then it's suggested list price.

Thanks... Great feedback