Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-04-2017, 05:35 PM   #1
Member
 
Sport165's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Southwest
Posts: 99
OK to remove battery when TT parked in driveway, shore power

Hi,
Just wanted to make sure that it was okay to remove the battery from the TT, I needed to do so because of possible theft, apparently people are stealing that kind of thing where I live if not the whole trailer...

Anyhow, I have TT connected to the 30 amp outlet I had installed at the house, I did have to disconnect the propane alarm fuse, but I guess that's a normal thing to have to do? Mine kept alarming after I disconnected the battery.

As far as the battery goes, it's sitting in my garage, and I was thinking maybe I would go out and check the voltage on it today and if it's running low, I have a genius battery trickle charger that I could put on it, if I need to.

Oh, almost forgot!
Could somebody please tell me how do I remove the top of the battery to check the fluid level? I can't really see where or how to do that. Maybe there is a YouTube video? Anyone have a link?
Thanks :-)
__________________

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain


2004 Jayco Jayfeather Sport 165
2004 Lexus GX470
Sport165 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2017, 07:38 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Siamese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Muskegon
Posts: 804
If you have your trailer hooked up to an AC outlet, you should keep the battery in it. This video does a good job of explaining it. It's at the 1:02 mark in the video.



To check the fluid levels in the battery, just pry the caps off with a slot head screwdriver. Protect your eyes from acid, of course.
Siamese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-04-2017, 08:10 PM   #3
Member
 
Sport165's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Southwest
Posts: 99
Thanks for reply &video Siamese!!
It did explain it and I understand now, the battery is the brain's :-)
"Happy Battery, Happy RV"

So~ because I am storing it right now, and I had to remove the battery so it wouldn't be stolen, I will go out there tomorrow and shut off the refrigerator, and go ahead and unplug the trailer from the 30 amp.
Hopefully I haven't ruined anything by having it plugged in without the battery. It's been about three weeks that way.

I know you said to remove the caps but are those the two elevated squares that are by the connection screws that poke out of the battery? I'm glad I asked about this because I was going to try to lift up the whole Battery top somehow. And yes thanks for the reminder to protect my eyes!
Have a good evening
__________________

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain


2004 Jayco Jayfeather Sport 165
2004 Lexus GX470
Sport165 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2017, 04:56 AM   #4
Site Team
 
Mustang65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Clearwater, FL area
Posts: 5,196
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sport165 View Post
So~ because I am storing it right now, and I had to remove the battery so it wouldn't be stolen,
Did you mark the battery cables POSITIVE & NEGATIVE, so when you install the battery you do not accidently reverse the cables and cause a bunch of fuses to blow, or even worse?

The easy way to figure it out is the battery cable that goes to the frame of the trailer (usually white) is the NEGATIVE cable. The cable that has the little fuse on it goes to the POSITIVE cable. A piece of RED tape on the POSITIVE cable will do the trick.

To avoid any last minute confusion, mark the cables now, while not being rushed. Duct tape with a permanent ink marker will do.

Leave your refrigerator doors opened a crack while storing the TT.

If you have vent covers (something like max air) over your TT's roof vents, leave the ceiling vents open. This will keep the air circulating, even if you only have one ceiling vent. That is the nice thing about having SOLAR, when parked in FL and not in use, I leave both roof vents open and the thermostat fan runs when needed (down here in FL that is from 11Am - ??PM), keeps the air circulating.

Don


My Registry

RVing with SOLAR
__________________
2013 Jayco Eagle 284BHS
2012 Ford F150XLT, EcoBoost w/3.73,Max Tow Pkg.
Our Solar Album https://www.jaycoowners.com/album.php?albumid=329
Mustang65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2017, 05:07 AM   #5
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Hillsborough County
Posts: 65
I used red plastic zip ties to mark my positive battery cables. There are 5 cables hooked to the positive terminal of my trailer battery and none of them are red! Just in case I have a senior moment, I marked the single white cable going to my negative terminal with a black zip tie.
retiredtech is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2017, 02:54 PM   #6
Member
 
Sport165's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Southwest
Posts: 99
Thanks,
thanks you guys! These are all great suggestions and no I did not mark my battery cables! I'm going to go out there again and use masking tape and a red Sharpie for the hot wire, I think mine is green?

I actually had to rewire those this summer& add an inline fuse, and it took me forever and in the end I just prayed I was going for the right wire. Seriously that's what I did and I'm happy to report that in fact I did put the inline fuse on the correct positive hot wire and I did it correctly because it worked fine for our recent 4 wk camping trip

I had tried to follow the wires and see if one of them grounded but I could never figure it out!

Anyways yes thank you I will keep the refrigerator door cracked and my one vent in the bathroom is open... And I'm going to keep it open just a little bit, since it is supposed to rain here tomorrow, ((storing the trailer in Southern California.))
I truly need to buy one of those fantastic fans or whatever they're called, and I guess I need a vent cover on top? For now I just try to close it when it's going to rain!

Also I guess I posted this original post twice, because somebody else replied on it as well, letting me know that leaving the trailer plugged in without the battery can cause the battery connection to possibly cause a fire. I guess I'm very fortunate.

Okay thanks again, I've learned so much from this forum!!!
:-) :-)
__________________

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain


2004 Jayco Jayfeather Sport 165
2004 Lexus GX470
Sport165 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2017, 03:00 PM   #7
Member
 
Sport165's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Southwest
Posts: 99
Battery was at 50%, just sitting in garage, is that normal? It was full charge when I removed, about 3 wks ago. On charger now. I still need to check water...
__________________

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain


2004 Jayco Jayfeather Sport 165
2004 Lexus GX470
Sport165 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2017, 03:01 PM   #8
Member
 
Sport165's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Southwest
Posts: 99
@mustang65,
I definitely want to invest in solar at some point! Very smart about doing that with the vent, to keep the air flowing, the air however in Southern California is fairly dry, the trailer sat for a long time and there was no mold inside and not even any dust, for an old trailer it's pretty airtight, especially when you consider the fact it's had no real maintenance upkeep!! -which I'm going to be doing in future.
Have a great day
__________________

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain


2004 Jayco Jayfeather Sport 165
2004 Lexus GX470
Sport165 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2017, 06:49 PM   #9
Site Team
 
Mustang65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Clearwater, FL area
Posts: 5,196
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sport165 View Post
Battery was at 50%, just sitting in garage, is that normal? It was full charge when I removed, about 3 wks ago. On charger now. I still need to check water...
When you check the water in the battery
- Wear eye googles, just in case the cap may splash up at your face
- Wear long sleeves (wear old clothes as battery acid will eat through the material once it hits your wash machine water
- Use gloves, I use the disposable ones from Costco, cheap and do the trick
- Use a plastic device to pry open the two covers on top of the battery. Metal tools around a battery are not a good idea... do not ask why:-(
- Use a flash light to see into the cells to check the water level.
- The water level should be 1/8" lower than the ring (bottom of the tube)

- I use baby-wipes to wipe off the battery surface before taking the covers off, this will keep any dirt/what ever from falling into the battery
- Keep a record on your batteries water levels... if you find one cell is lower than the others write it down. For your memory number the cells 1 through 6 (12VDC battery) or 1 through 3 for a 6 volt battery. The reason for keeping tract of cells that are lower than the others is that it may be going bad. When a cell is going, it is just a matter of time before the battery bites the dust.
- When you top off your cells with water do not fill them to the bottom of the plastic, the water should be 1/8" below that ring. This keeps the battery from splashing out while it is being charged at the higher voltage and in transit.

*** If you get any battery acid on anything use Baking Soda to clean it up. Baking soda neutralizes the acid.

I keep an 8 oz plastic bottle (filled with distilled water) that I got at Dollar General that has a top on it like the one below. It works great at filling up the cells.

If you find that one of your cells is always lower than the others, fully charge the battery and take it to a battery place and ask to have a specific gravity test done on each cell. This is the ONLY way to test a battery to see the condition it is in. I do not recommend that you purchase the SG tool as it is dangerous, because of the acid... OH, make that a reputable battery place is testing the batter and that they will not rip you off and say you need a new battery.

Make sure your battery posts/connections are clean.

Just be careful!!

Hope this helps

Don


My Registry

RVing with SOLAR
Attached Thumbnails
MISC -Battery bottle cap type.jpg  
__________________
2013 Jayco Eagle 284BHS
2012 Ford F150XLT, EcoBoost w/3.73,Max Tow Pkg.
Our Solar Album https://www.jaycoowners.com/album.php?albumid=329
Mustang65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2017, 05:48 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
pawpaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Cypress, TX
Posts: 350
Here's an idea for you: when I disconnect the battery for whatever reason, I take a picture of the top of the battery with all wires connected before I disconnect anything. By doing that, all I have to do is look at the picture when it's time to reconnect so I don't get anything crossed up. A picture is worth a thousand words, lol.

Happy camping!
__________________

2014 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew cab with 6.2L and max tow package
2015 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 329BHU
2020 Starcraft Autumn Ridge Outfitter 182RB
Cypress, TX
pawpaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-08-2017, 08:29 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
RoyBraddy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: King George
Posts: 2,761
I use the BLUE SEA Four Position Battery rotary switch here ... OFF-BAT1-BOTH-BAT2...

In the OFF position my batteries will hold a good charge all winter long. They will normally drop down from their 12.6-7VDC level to around 12.5VDC sitting for two months...

If you are leaving the Batteries connected then you have what is called parasitic drains coming form your trailer. These are some monitor board for appliances, CO alarms, which could get your batteries down to 50% or less in just a few days...

Even in my case where the Batteries are totally disconnected I still do a maintenance check on their 12V levels and if they get below 12.5VDC I will then connect back up to them with my rotary battery switch and run my on-board converter/charger for three hours or so being plugged in to shore power or running the trailer off my 2KW Generator...

The problem I had here with my earlier older on-board converter/charger was it only produces 13.6VDC which boiled out the fluids over time on one of my four installed batteries and ruined the battery. I have been running three 12V batteries in my battery bank ever since then back in 2008 and keep an eye on the batteries on a regular basis...

I replaced the older converter/charger in late 2008 with a PD-9260C SMART MODE 60AMP Charger that uses three different battery modes (14.4VDC-13.6VDC-13.2VDC) automatically which really takes care of the batteries. I still do my regular maintenance schedule however just out of habit I guess...

The three remaining batteries performed great up until just last season 2016-2017 and started not holding their charge very long and I am in the process of building up a new battery bank which I am planning to use two groups of two 6VDC GC2 series batteries in parallel which will give me 12VDC at a good 440AHs capacity...

Got to take good care of your your batteries - they are your trailer lifeline...

Roy Ken
__________________
Roy and Carolyn
I claim Horse Creek Country in Southern Ill - Momabear is from North Texas
We live in King George VA
RETIRED DOD DOAF DON CONTRACTOR Electronics Tech 42YRS

"We're burning daylight" - John Wayne
2008 STARCRAFT 14RT OFF-ROAD POPUP with PD9260C and three 85AH 12VDC batteries
2010 F150 FX4 5.4 GAS with 3.73 gears - Super Cab - Towing Package - 2KW Honda EU2000i Gen
K9PHT (since 1957) 146.52Mhz
"We always have a PLAN B"
RoyBraddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-09-2017, 03:45 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
JesseS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 652
Actually there is no issue with removing the batteries while connected to shore power, as long as .... 1. turn off the battery disconnect switch. and 2. Turn off the AC circuit breaker for the converter. The DC and AC systems are completely separate and the only place they interconnect is the converter. Also, if you have solar be sure to turn the breaker for that off also so you don't backfeed the battery cables.
I have a 30A breaker for the solar panel circuit, as well as a 200A breaker for the inverter in conjunction to the whole house dis-connect.
If you are not up to speed on your 12VDC systems I recommend a book called "Managing 12 Volts" by Harold Barre, written specifically for Marine & RV systems.
__________________
2016 Alante 26AY
Roadmaster Braking, BlueOX Tow Bar.
Kelderman Air Ride, Safe-T-Steer, Supersteer Trak Bar rear w/ Sumo Springs.
400 AH LiFePo4 house batt w/750 watts solar 40A charger & 2500 watt whole house Inverter.
2021 Ford Ranger 4X4 Toad
JesseS is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
battery, charging, disconnect

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:24 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.