Battery Charger Message and Charging Procedures

[bradsr63]

My charger just displayed the message "Internal Shorted Cell". The manual states I should take this in to auto parts store to have it checked out. My battery is a 12v Harris Deep Cell Marine. My practice has been to take it out of camper when not using and bring it home and put it on charge when not camping. It's usually on a trickle charge till I go camping. The battery is approx 2 years old. I called the mfg. of battery and was told the average life of their batteries is approx 3 years, but some customers may get 5 or 6 years use. The Mfg. confirmed that I should take it to parts store and have them check each individual cell which I will do. Does anyone here have any other informations or tips on keeping your batteries up?

[Durasam]

Where do you store it at home? It needs to be in a dry place and definitely not on a concrete floor.

[WIBadger]

The "normal" lifespan of most batteries can be determined by the warranty period; battery warranties are figured in the favor of battery manufactures. Let's say you buy a 60-month warranty battery and it lives 41 months. The warranty is pro-rated so when taking the months used against the full retail price of the battery you end up paying about the same money as if you purchased the battery at the sale price. This makes the mnfr happy. The battery mnfrs spend millions on research and have a very good idea as to when a battery will fail under normal usage.

Our goal is to exceed the mnfrs "lifespan" of a battery. The good news is that it's very easy to do provided that you properly maintain the battery. For starters, I suggest that you employ a multistage battery charger (aka smart chargers). Was your trickle charger putting out a constant amp charge? Second, I recommend that you get a hydrometer, where you measure the amount of sulfuric acid in the electrolyte for each cell (which is more accurate than using a voltmeter on the terminals). This second step ensures that you're also checking the electrolyte level.

There are many resources via the web and/or via forums such as this one regarding battery maintenance. See, for example, http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm and http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/artic...y-basics.html; and commercial vendors such as www.batteryminders.com

I use a BatteryMinder smart charger to maintain my 6V golf cart batteries and another BatteryMinder charger to maintain the battery in my tow vehicle when not in use. Some folks have a smart charger incorporated in their converter (and I recommend you replace the OEM converter with a smart-charging converter, depending upon how you use your TT) and simply remain plugged-into shorepower (eg, during storage). Others may suggest a solar charger. Either way, the goal is to properly maintain the batteries for extended use. Sorry to hear about your battery; I hope your new battery will last several years.

[WIBadger]

The idea that a battery should not be stored on a concrete floor may have been applicable to batteries in a different era, but the batteries of today can be safely stored on concrete with no problems. See, for example, the following links:

http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/u...0;t=000695;p=2

http://www.thebatteryterminal.com/Te...n_Concrete.htm

Bottom-line: Let's NOT start a thread on this topic! Please!