battery care in storage

[plsphar1]

How do you keep batteries charged in both coach and engine while in extended storage.

[palehorse89]

Plug it into shore power if you can, and if no shore power, make sure they are all fully charged and unhook the neg. terminal's..........and if you want to work some, take them out and take them home and sit in a cool/dry place......

[bamaboy473]

I have a similar thread about ghost drains on my batteries, but I'm only talking a couple of weeks.

About the only fix that I can imagine for months at a time would be to disconnect the batteries from the coach and visit them once a month or so with a portable generator and charger. Take a good book and spend an hour or so.

If your storage facility has ...any... 110V outlets, can you make a deal with somebody that works there to plug in the charger every couple of weeks?

[ByeTheWay]

Originally Posted by plsphar1

How do you keep batteries charged in both coach and engine while in extended storage.

Need more info. Is coach inside or out? Does it have access to 110v?

How many batteries?

[GlennLever]

I have no shore power in my storage location. It is stored outside. I run the generator every three weeks for 4 or 5 hours. This seems to work. Check water levels as charging will cause water to evaporate.

Glenn Lever

[Jthigh]

If you take them out of the RV don’t set them on concrete. Cement will drain them down. You can just set the on a block of wood for a spacer if needed.

John

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Jthigh

If you take them out of the RV don’t set them on concrete. Cement will drain them down. You can just set the on a block of wood for a spacer if needed.

John

Old wife's tale from the days when batteries were made out of tar.

Plastic cases don't conduct electricity.

[Soppy]

Make sure they are fully charged , then disconnect them. They will hold a charge for at least 6 months . Cold will not hurt them.

[winniman]

Originally Posted by twinboat

Old wife's tale from the days when batteries were made out of tar.

Plastic cases don't conduct electricity.

My mechanic friend says the same thing.

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by winniman

My mechanic friend says the same thing.

I heard that, too, but put them on boards anyway. I don't like shouting at the devil, whether it's real or not....

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by bamaboy473

I have a similar thread about ghost drains on my batteries, but I'm only talking a couple of weeks.

About the only fix that I can imagine for months at a time would be to disconnect the batteries from the coach and visit them once a month or so with a portable generator and charger. Take a good book and spend an hour or so.

If your storage facility has ...any... 110V outlets, can you make a deal with somebody that works there to plug in the charger every couple of weeks?

Best practice is to FULLY charge a battery for storage and will take much more than an hour or two. See the following from Battery University Charging Lead Acid
Will an hour help - sure.
Does it come close to a full charge - probably not
What's the downside - continued storage a less than full charge increases sulfation and deceases capacity & life

Lead acid batteries should be charged in three stages, which are [1] constant-current charge, [2] topping charge and [3] float charge. The constant-current charge applies the bulk of the charge and takes up roughly half of the required charge time; the topping charge continues at a lower charge current and provides saturation, and the float charge compensates for the loss caused by self-discharge.

During the constant-current charge, the battery charges to about 70 percent in 5–8 hours; the remaining 30 percent is filled with the slower topping charge that lasts another 7–10 hours. The topping charge is essential for the well-being of the battery and can be compared to a little rest after a good meal. If continually deprived, the battery will eventually lose the ability to accept a full charge and the performance will decrease due to sulfation. The float charge in the third stage maintains the battery at full charge.

[hdfxrs]

Originally Posted by twinboat

Old wife's tale from the days when batteries were made out of tar.

Plastic cases don't conduct electricity.

As an PhD electrochemist I agree it is an old wive's tale, however every time I have stored a battery on concrete it has gone bad. Therefore, I always place on a block of wood.

[SailorSam]

If you are outside, you can pick up a solar maintainer from most big box stores. I'm currently using one from Coleman. Kept my battery at 12.7 all of last winter. The Coleman units come with long wires and several connector options.

[GlennLever]

I store on wood also.

I would like to learn more about equalization and how to do it.

Glenn Lever