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 07-04-2016, 10:52 AM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Coquitlam
Posts: 73
Are my batteries toast?

I took my trailer out of storage on May 20th. When I put it away in the fall, I brought the batteries (twin 6V golf cart batteries) home and charged them once every month or so over winter, and stored them in my garage (which is warm).

I didn't get a full charge in them on May 20th - trailer wasn't plugged in for more than an hour or two while I washed it up and de-winterized. I put it away that day, and took it back out this past Saturday, July 2nd.

They were pretty much dead when I hitched up. Could barely run the tongue jack. I took over manually, towed home (30 min) and plugged in for 4 hours. I moved it again to my summer spot, and after a night of not being plugged in, it could barely operate the tongue jack again the next day.

I have it plugged in now but I am wondering if they are pooched. Batteries should have been relatively fresh when I got it in May.

The guy I bought the TT from didn't remove them over winter and they sat dormant every fall/winter. The TT is a 2013, and the batteries came with it (bought summer 2013), so they are three years old.

Could they be done this early? What should I expect to spend on new ones?
__________________
2015 Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cummins Diesel
2017 Whitehawk 28DSBH
therealsafetya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2016, 12:27 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Seann45's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Saskatoon Sask Canada
Posts: 10,714
Have you checked the water in the Batteries? Never use tap water only distilled. Usually under a buck at Wal-mart. Have you tried using the jack with the trailer plugged into the tow vehicle? There are many phantom loads in an RV that will kill a battery in a week or so.. always pull the fuse at the battery bank or disconnect the black (hot) wire.
__________________
Seann
2004 Chev Silverado Duramax optioned past the max. 2009 Jayco Eagle 308 RLS 900watts of solar, Lithium batteries (400amp hour), 2000 watt (4000 surge) whole house inverter.
145days boondockinig in2023 2022/151 2021[/COLOR]
93/2020,157/2019219/2018 206/2017,215/2016, 211/2015, 196/14, 247/13, 193/12

Seann45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2016, 01:05 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Nukeneck's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Northern Nevada
Posts: 277
Put what you believe to be a full charge on them then take them to your local auto parts store (Napa, Autozone, etc.) They will run a diagnostic on them for free and let you know their condition
__________________
2015 Jayco White Hawk 28dsbh
2014 Ford F150 4x4 w/Ecoboost
H/D tow package

2005 Forest River Rockwood 2601 (Sold)
2011 Ford Expedition XLT (Sold)
2008 Jeep Wrangler (Just for fun!)
Nukeneck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 07:17 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
edowsfamily's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Central Connecticut
Posts: 564
Storing them on concrete will kill batteries so i am told
Quote:
Originally Posted by therealsafetya View Post
I took my trailer out of storage on May 20th. When I put it away in the fall, I brought the batteries (twin 6V golf cart batteries) home and charged them once every month or so over winter, and stored them in my garage (which is warm).

I didn't get a full charge in them on May 20th - trailer wasn't plugged in for more than an hour or two while I washed it up and de-winterized. I put it away that day, and took it back out this past Saturday, July 2nd.

They were pretty much dead when I hitched up. Could barely run the tongue jack. I took over manually, towed home (30 min) and plugged in for 4 hours. I moved it again to my summer spot, and after a night of not being plugged in, it could barely operate the tongue jack again the next day.

I have it plugged in now but I am wondering if they are pooched. Batteries should have been relatively fresh when I got it in May.

The guy I bought the TT from didn't remove them over winter and they sat dormant every fall/winter. The TT is a 2013, and the batteries came with it (bought summer 2013), so they are three years old.

Could they be done this early? What should I expect to spend on new ones?
__________________

2011 GMC Serria Ext Cab LB
2012 Jayflight 22FB
edowsfamily is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 07:27 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
mike837go's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Campbell Hall
Posts: 2,835
Quote:
Originally Posted by edowsfamily View Post
Storing them on concrete will kill batteries so i am told
Totally debunked myth. Way back when battery cases were rubber, it was believed that concrete would speed up the drying-out (elastomer breakdown) process of the rubber.

Modern (1960's and later) plastic cases don't have that problem.

Not leaving batteries on a trickle/maintenance charger and not checking the water level every month or so, is what I consider abusing the batteries.




To the OP:
Your batteries may not be completely destroyed. But a steady 3 years of abuse has certainly impacted their capacity.


If you don't want the CO detector going off at 3:00AM, consider replacing them if they show any noticeable loss of capacity.
__________________
TT 2015 19RD "TheJayco"
TV 2003 F-350 "Montblanc" - Housebroken chore truck


Sitting in The Cheap Seats.
And proud of it!
mike837go is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 07:33 AM   #6
Site Team
 
Mustang65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Clearwater, FL area
Posts: 5,196
Quote:
Originally Posted by edowsfamily View Post
Storing them on concrete will kill batteries so i am told
This was true back in the 40's and early 50's when batteries had a rubber case, now with the plastic cases there are no issues. Below is a section on STORAGE from the Trojan website.

Battery Maintenance | Trojan Battery Company


Don
Attached Thumbnails
BATTERY - Storing on Concrete.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 07-07-2016, 07:41 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
ninjahbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Eatonton
Posts: 305
For what it is worth I check the water about every two weeks it only takes a few minutes. As for charging 4 hours for a low battery is not a enough time to replenish the voltage. I would slow charge for at least 24hrs before reinstalling.
ninjahbob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 08:56 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
SmokerBill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: PNW
Posts: 5,195
It's possible that your converter isn't working correctly and might not be charging the batteries. Check the voltage at the batteries when plugged in to shore power- it should be 13.5 to 14.4 VDC.
__________________
Bill
2011 Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI Quad Cab
2011 Jay Flight 26BH
SmokerBill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 09:02 AM   #9
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Coquitlam
Posts: 73
Quote:
Originally Posted by edowsfamily View Post
Storing them on concrete will kill batteries so i am told

Have not heard that before, thanks!

I keep them on a thick carpet tile with a rubber base. I think this would have provided a good layer of insulation against the ground. It is 18"x18" so both fit on it fine.
__________________
2015 Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cummins Diesel
2017 Whitehawk 28DSBH
therealsafetya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 09:07 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Nashville
Posts: 470
Sounds like you never really got a full charge on them then you let them discharge from the parasitic loads in the trailer. I doubt they are toast but it's always a good idea to leave batteries on charge long enough to get a full charge. Assuming you have a good automatic charger there's no reason you can't leave them on charge all winter.

I've had 6 VDC batteries in my off grid home that have been on charge for 8 years with no problem.

I'd check the date codes to verify the battery ages too.
Hohenwald48 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2016, 09:07 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
shadester's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Upstate N.Y.
Posts: 488
If you get those 6v really low sometime it takes a act of god to get them charged back again especially two in series / parallel. I usually charge them individually using a low amperage charger.
shadester is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

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 06:49 AM.


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