Community Forums

MaineToDC · 12-13-2019, 10:45 AM

Due to the difficulty of removing my two deep cycle 6 volts wired together to create 12 volts, I'm trying to avoid removing them for the winter. I live in the mid-Atlantic region of the country and while our temperatures don't get extremely low, we do get below freezing.

Is it OK to use a 12 battery tender on the house batteries over the winter so I don't need to remove them?

Thanks for your advice.

twinboat · 12-13-2019, 10:50 AM

Yes.

Think of your 2, 3 cell batteries as 1 bigger 6 cell battery. It adds up to 12 volts.

gmc70 · 12-13-2019, 05:59 PM

I have a number of Battery Tender products on cars and on trailers for the winch batteries. I have never had a problem with one of their products. First rate.

akeagle · 12-13-2019, 06:30 PM

Despite the advice by many to remove your batteries for winter, I, like you, do not see the necessity of doing so. If someone wants a virtual guarantee that your batteries will survive the winter, perhaps storing them in a heated area may be the answer. My 2016 Minnie Winnie is currently stored outside and still has its original batteries which are still going strong. I religiously start and run the generator and chassis engine once a month, ensuring the batteries are fully charged and other systems are still functional. And if you haven't noticed, I live in Alaska where the winters aren't as extreme as they used to be, they are still six months long.

The upshot here is that my coach batteries are still performing as advertised. I did have to replace the chassis battery last summer, but that wasn't a surprise; it has to work pretty hard!

Proper maintenance is part of the "secret" to battery longevity and during the travel season I check the water levels regularly and ensure the terminals, cables, etc. are kept clean, corrosion free, and coated with battery protectant. Seems to be working fine for me.

Mark_K5LXP · 12-14-2019, 08:10 AM

Related thread:

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f282/elec...-471040-2.html

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

House Husband · 12-14-2019, 04:12 PM

Doesn't your coach have a smart converter on board? If so, no need to add a standalone charger. Just hook your coach to shore power.

Richard

CWP3 · 12-14-2019, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by House Husband

Doesn't your coach have a smart converter on board? If so, no need to add a standalone charger. Just hook your coach to shore power.

Richard

That’s what I was thinking... I have ours outside and connected to 120v20a shore power. The converter keeps the batteries at 100%.

I will still run the engine and gen monthly to keep everything moving, but the SP takes care of the batteries.

Tigerfan1 · 12-14-2019, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaineToDC

Due to the difficulty of removing my two deep cycle 6 volts wired together to create 12 volts, I'm trying to avoid removing them for the winter. I live in the mid-Atlantic region of the country and while our temperatures don't get extremely low, we do get below freezing.

Is it OK to use a 12 battery tender on the house batteries over the winter so I don't need to remove them?

Thanks for your advice.

Used one on my last coach which had 4 6v house batteries when coach was stored for the winter. I made sure batteries were fully charged prior to storage. Batteries were 8 years old when I sold the coach and were still going strong.