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Old 01-09-2015, 06:31 AM   #1
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Removing battery

I removed my battery for the winter after reading several posts recommending to do so. But a lot of you say you charge it from time to time over the winter. Why not just put a charger on it right before you put it back in at spring time?

Any thoughts?
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Old 01-09-2015, 07:22 AM   #2
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You don't want the charge to drop for a long period which in turn will weaken the cells thus causing shortened life of the battery.
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Old 01-09-2015, 07:37 AM   #3
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+1 what Adk says. A battery unconnected to anything will discharge itself slowly, and if it gets below 50 - 60% it does take a toll on overall life of the battery. I would say hooking it up to a charger once a month is more than sufficient to keep it charged.
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Old 01-09-2015, 08:09 AM   #4
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Here is one area where I would highly reccommend cleaning off the top of the battery with baking soda and water with a old toothbrush to totally remove the sulphates that accumulate on the top of the battery between the cells. That "slime" between the terminals is the main culprit that discharges your battery. Here is another really good reason to top off cells with distilled water ( ion free). And yes, periodic/ every other month on the charger will get you the maximun life out of your deep cycle batteries ( trolling motor batteries too!)
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Old 01-09-2015, 10:12 AM   #5
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To be the contrarian - the boat guys also go over this issue. Between my boat and my RV, I would have 5 very heavy batteries to pull, store, and put on chargers. Over the years, I've found that as long as the battery is in good shape, putting it away with a full charge, and disconnected, does not cause any issue. Of course, in my climate, the storage temps can get to -30, so that really reduces chemical activity! Might be a different story if your "winter" means dropping to 40-50 degrees.
I store at my dealers lot, and they also advise the same for the hundreds of customer RV's they store and service each winter, and have for almost 40 years. Ditto for my marine dealer, who stores more than a thousand boats over the winter for customers. Can't argue with that kind of mass experience.

In the spring, a couple hours on the charger, and they are all at 100%.
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Old 01-09-2015, 03:45 PM   #6
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I had a problem on my jeep with corrosion no matter how much I cleaned the terminals. So I bought some of those red and green felt pads and the problem went away

not a bad idea
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Old 01-09-2015, 05:26 PM   #7
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I usually leave my batteries in the trays on the trailer but this season I took them. You guys discussing them here made me go check mine a few minutes ago haha..

My two Interstate 12V Batteries both read 12.5VDC and have been sitting disconnected about two months now. Since it is getting colder now I will will probably do a slow 6AMP charge on them tomorrow...

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Old 01-09-2015, 09:47 PM   #8
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I pull the batteries, to be safe, and put them on the charge every few months. I also setup my boiler (hot water heat) in my house with an outlet and a heavy duty power cord. Then if we have a power outage, I can us a TT battery with my inverter to have heat in my house.
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Old 01-18-2015, 09:37 AM   #9
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If you have a power source connect an inexpensive battery minder to the battery and forget it.
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Old 01-24-2015, 02:33 PM   #10
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I have 4 of these: http://www.batterytender.com/Charger...derR-Plus.html
Every Fall, I remove the batteries from my boat (2), travel trailer and lawn tractor. They are on these chargers all winter in my garage. I wouldn't use anything else and since they maintain the charge without over charging, you will get the longest life out of your batteries. I add distilled water to any low cells before putting them on the charger (unless they're sealed) and come Spring, I know they will be good to go.
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Old 01-24-2015, 03:22 PM   #11
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I have 4 of these: http://www.batterytender.com/Charger...derR-Plus.html
Every Fall, I remove the batteries from my boat (2), travel trailer and lawn tractor. They are on these chargers all winter in my garage. I wouldn't use anything else and since they maintain the charge without over charging, you will get the longest life out of your batteries. I add distilled water to any low cells before putting them on the charger (unless they're sealed) and come Spring, I know they will be good to go.
X2

Long lasting batteries are always better than short lasting batteries.
Happy camping 2015
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Old 01-24-2015, 03:30 PM   #12
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Can't say enough about the battery tenders... Just check the water level of the battery, hook up the tender, and forget about it till spring. It takes great care of your batteries and will prolong their life.

I have a tender for each battery I own, and for the smaller ones like lawn tractor, quad, etc. you can get a tender junior which will save you a bit of money. The juniors put out 0.75A and the regular is 1.25A.
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Old 01-26-2015, 12:41 AM   #13
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To be the contrarian - the boat guys also go over this issue. Between my boat and my RV, I would have 5 very heavy batteries to pull, store, and put on chargers. Over the years, I've found that as long as the battery is in good shape, putting it away with a full charge, and disconnected, does not cause any issue. Of course, in my climate, the storage temps can get to -30, so that really reduces chemical activity! Might be a different story if your "winter" means dropping to 40-50 degrees.
I store at my dealers lot, and they also advise the same for the hundreds of customer RV's they store and service each winter, and have for almost 40 years. Ditto for my marine dealer, who stores more than a thousand boats over the winter for customers. Can't argue with that kind of mass experience.

In the spring, a couple hours on the charger, and they are all at 100%.
I do the same as above - and so do all the boat owners where I live. Fully charge the batteries, disconnect all loads and see them in the spring. I have no interest in humping heavy batteries out of the bilge , up to the ladder, down the ladder and down the dock to a vehicle and then to the house. Been storing batteries this way for 40 years. No problems.
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Old 05-21-2019, 08:43 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Flapper View Post
To be the contrarian - the boat guys also go over this issue. Between my boat and my RV, I would have 5 very heavy batteries to pull, store, and put on chargers. Over the years, I've found that as long as the battery is in good shape, putting it away with a full charge, and disconnected, does not cause any issue. Of course, in my climate, the storage temps can get to -30, so that really reduces chemical activity! Might be a different story if your "winter" means dropping to 40-50 degrees.
I store at my dealers lot, and they also advise the same for the hundreds of customer RV's they store and service each winter, and have for almost 40 years. Ditto for my marine dealer, who stores more than a thousand boats over the winter for customers. Can't argue with that kind of mass experience.

In the spring, a couple hours on the charger, and they are all at 100%.
Yeah, that. If your trailer battery fails, it's an inconvenience. If you're anchored out overnight, and you need to get moving in the morning because of weather, a dead battery is a real problem. As a sailor, I get the best battery information from sailing sites.

Controlled testing shows that a FULLY charged battery is fine stored over the winter without a charger. Giving it a charge mid-winter is just an insurance policy.

Just make sure the + and - poles of your battery are aligned with the earth's magnetic field (positive toward north), and you'll have no problems.
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Old 05-21-2019, 09:30 AM   #15
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Unless you have a layer of snow covering your TT from November - April, just install a 100Watt SOLAR panel on the roof of the TT and forget about it over the winter months. That is how I have done it since 2012 and still have the same T-145 trojan batteries in service. The batteries voltage has not dropped below 12.6VDC over the winter months. A 100 watts supplies you with enough power for those cloudy/rainy/snowy days/weeks. Maybe SOLAR is for LAZY people... maybe I am getting LAZY with age, but I would never want to go back and constantly be wondering about my batteries over winter. Best TT investment I have made!!!

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Old 05-21-2019, 09:52 AM   #16
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I only have the one 27 battery plus a small tractor battery. I put both on battery tenders over the winter. Now I am on the 3rd season on both and both test out almost like new.

Previously I charged up my tractor and RV battery and let them sit in the house over winter. Based on that I was only getting two seasons out of each.

PS I got one of my battery tenders from Harbor Freight, It was charging at 14.9 volts, way to high and did not drop after several days, returned and exchanged it for a different one and that one dropped off and cycled right away. I would test any new battery tender to make sure it was working correctly.
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Old 05-21-2019, 04:34 PM   #17
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Just make sure the + and - poles of your battery are aligned with the earth's magnetic field (positive toward north), and you'll have no problems.
Whaaaaaaat?
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Old 05-21-2019, 05:24 PM   #18
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Just make sure the + and - poles of your battery are aligned with the earth's magnetic field (positive toward north), and you'll have no problems.
My question would be, what if you store your RV/Boat in the southern hemisphere?

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Old 05-21-2019, 06:45 PM   #19
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My question would be, what if you store your RV/Boat in the southern hemisphere?
and then flush the toilet....
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Old 06-02-2019, 11:14 AM   #20
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I keep mine on a trickle charger whenever its in storage. I bring the battery home & its inside my garage on the charger. It will be 3 years of doing this as of this upcoming November, battery works well.
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