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Old 09-18-2018, 09:42 AM   #1
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Winterizing Solar Battery System

I live in Frigid Central Canada ( Manitoba ) and am parking it indoors for the winter. I have 6 - 6v Batteries with Outback system. I have a store switch in the coach and hope to have 15 amp plug in storage. Should I put it to STORE and leave Outback on while plugged in for the winter. never done this before and have no place to store the batteries + 4 are very hard to get out underneath.. prefer to leave in... any suggestions would be appreciated..Thanks Jerry
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Old 09-18-2018, 09:57 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry McNich View Post
I live in Frigid Central Canada ( Manitoba ) and am parking it indoors for the winter. I have 6 - 6v Batteries with Outback system. I have a store switch in the coach and hope to have 15 amp plug in storage. Should I put it to STORE and leave Outback on while plugged in for the winter. never done this before and have no place to store the batteries + 4 are very hard to get out underneath.. prefer to leave in... any suggestions would be appreciated..Thanks Jerry


Solar does no good indoors. I would charge batteries fully, then disconnect negative cable from battery bank to prevent ALL drain. Batteries self discharge slower the colder it gets.... they will be fine if disconnected.
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Old 09-18-2018, 11:31 AM   #3
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Make sure batteries are fully charged before disconnecting them. If they are fully charged they
Will not freeze down to -92F

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Old 09-18-2018, 03:07 PM   #4
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As above,but if you get a 15 amp power source in storage, I would leave the batteries hooked up and charger on. They would not freeze and would remain charged. It won't matter what you do with the solar circuit.
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Old 09-18-2018, 06:04 PM   #5
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I would make sure they are fully charged , them disconnect them. They will only discharge 5% per month. I live in Northern Ontario and that is all I do with mine. They remain in the coach outside all winter and are 10 yrs old. With any type of charger , it could fail and result in overcharging or total discharging of the bank. Disconnecting eliminates any chance of charging failure.
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:23 PM   #6
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Contact the manufacturer - don't rely on amateurs that tell your "I did such-n-such and it worked for me."
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Old 09-20-2018, 08:18 AM   #7
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Personally, I would disconnect the batteries and remove them from the coach. Store in a heated area. If batteries are even slightly discharged, they will freeze - especially in your climate. Frozen batteries are no longer usable.
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Old 09-23-2018, 08:28 AM   #8
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Yah, I here you Roger.. I am going to take them out and store them.. there brand new this year and why take a chance..

Thank you Jerry
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Old 09-23-2018, 11:40 AM   #9
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We leave a car in our unheated garage for six months through the winter with nothing but a smart trickle charger plugged in. When we get back in May, the battery is fully charged and ready to go. Been doing this for several years without a problem. It would be no different with a motorhome if plugged in for the charger to do it's thing.
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Old 09-24-2018, 08:25 PM   #10
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Left my MH with 6 - 6v batteries and the chassis battery stored over the winter, outside, in Anchorage for 4 winters, used it in the spring, summer every year. Always fully charged all batteries and left the batteries ground disconnected. Less than 1.5 voltage drop on any battery when I returned in the spring.
No reason to leave connected to charger or trying to store them warm.
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Old 09-25-2018, 08:26 AM   #11
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Really... great to here, thank you. I have received so many different opinions on this that I just took all 6 out Sunday and am storing them warm. But, thank you for your answer and next year I will do as you said. Do you remove all negative post connections or just the 1 post to break the connection. How cold does it get up there, here in Winnipeg it probably averages -20c but have some spells of -30c.


Again thank you for your post... I will do it this way next fall for sure, a real pain taking out of them and storage is a hastle.
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