Battery Maintenance

[TX_Arvee]

My 2012 Greyhawk is a little over a year old now. Everyone with motorhomes that I know harp on checking the battery levels....especially if plugged in to shore power while in storage. So, prior to every trip, I have been checking the levels. They have been full every time.

How long does it take for the water level in the batteries to go down?

[Gma-n-Gpa]

in my limited experience - a long time IF you have the more advanced charger in your MH. My 2011 has not required additional water in the coach battery.
That being said - the water will be low the next time I check. Just the way it goes.

[Jagiven]

A lot depends on how they are used and abused. I tend to check my fluid levels a few times a season, always at the beginning, end of the season and at least once between. I have topped them off once in a year and a half.

[Grumpy]

As Gma-n-Gpa said if you have the smart converter/charger you will rarely be adding water.

[Seann45]

You probably have the smart charger.. but a good rule of thumb is to check your battery water on the first of every month..

[Boss Wagon]

Remember too...distilled water when you need to add water.

[BobK]

My battery is low on water every time that I've checked it. The RV is plugged into a 30 amp outlet whenever I'm at home so it should always be charged. Perhaps the charger is overcharging it.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by BobK

My battery is low on water every time that I've checked it. The RV is plugged into a 30 amp outlet whenever I'm at home so it should always be charged. Perhaps the charger is overcharging it.

What year is your RV? Do you know the make/model of your RV's charge controller, this will give us a hint if it is a newer technology model. How old is the battery? Are the battery connections clean and making good contact? How far do you drain the batteries down?

Just a few questions
Don

[marshvegasmike]

Plan on doing a weekend of dry camping for the first time this summer. With minimal use should the battery have enough juice for the weekend? First time owner of TT, not sure of extent of battery. Any tips or suggestions? Should I buy a small generator?

[BobK]

Mustang65,
My RV is a 2011 Greyhawk 31FK (probably made in 2010).
The converter/charger is a Progressive Dynamics PD9260C.
The battery is an RV/Marine that came with the RV so it is a bit over three year old.
The battery connections are good. I have no idea of how far the batteries were drawn down, but I have seen the exposed plates when the electrolyte was low. I have recently bought a TriMetric 2025A (from N AZ Wind & Sun) but have not installed it yet. It has rained a lot lately and the area under the RV is a bit muddy.
I'm in the process of getting all the things that I need to install solar. The four 158W panels from DMSolar should arrive tomorrow. I'll replace the RV/Marine (dual purpose) battery with four Crown 6volt deep cycle batteries. I think that I'll build a new battery bracket onto the frame, between the frame and a modified basement storage compartment. The existing battery location will only hold one battery. Apparently Jayco did not intend on the RV being used anywhere other than an RV park with electricity. Any suggestions on building a new support for the batteries is most welcome.
The existing Xantrex Pro XM1000 inverter will be replaced by one from Magnum (MS2012). My concern at this point is converting the basement storage compartment to hold the Charge Controller (MorningStar TriStar) and perhaps the new inverter and the Automatic Transfer Switch (IOTA ITS-30R). Charging the location of the inverter is to reduce the distance between it and the batteries to reduce voltage drop on the DC lines.