Battery Bank Cleaning

[LVUS101]

Summers is over so don't forget to clean off your batteries. I let ours go for over a year and it didn't take much to get them looking good and healthy. Safe Travels

[adamfolger]

They look great, maintenance is every thing if you don't want to buy new ones very often.

[Gary.Jones]

So Jim...... tell us what and how you worked on those batteries. Did you use some specific product or just elbow grease?

Gary

[JohnBoyToo]

I always wondered if just a power sprayer would do it....
but would think too much water and you've got an electrical conduit between the batteries that would short out :(

[twinboat]

I worked in construction equipment repair forever. The batteries would often be buried in dirt and debris.

We used the water hose on the batteries to clean them all of the time. A pressure washer would work but you need to be carefull not to blow off the caps or labels.

There is no danger in shorting them out, washing them with a garden hose.

[Old Scout]

Might be some water-sensitive equipment in the battery compartment but in general, 12v battery and cables aren't impacted by water. I wash down the batteries with the garden hose, every time I wash the coach--14 years/165k miles--no issues. Did a major restoration several years ago--cleaned the battery racks down to bare metal and used pick-up bed spray to re-paint--good stuff.....

[Cruzer]

We use water hoses and even pressure washers all the time on our construction equipment.

BUT

When we were at the Spartan Academy we did our coach walk-through. Big Mike noticed that the tops of me batteries were dusty. I know that this can promote discharge because all of that dirt holds moisture and water conducts electricity so there will be a slight current drain between the positive and negative battery posts which will drain the batteries down over time. I told him that I would wash it off with a pressure washer or garden hose when I got home and Mike told me not to do that because these are AGM batteries.

I know quite a bit about AGM batteries but has no idea why I shouldn't wash them. Mike explained that AGM batteries are vented to allow for expansion and contraction as they heat and cool so that the battery cases don't swell. This I knew too but he told me that the water pressure gets into the vents and into the batteries, which I had never considered before. These aren't flooded batteries and they don't get along with any water that gets into the case. Mike told me that the best method is to get a spray bottle of Windex. Not the new fancy formulations, just the good old fashioned Windex with Ammonia D. Spray it on and wipe it off.

Ya learn something new every day.

[HarleySG]

Originally Posted by Cruzer

We use water hoses and even pressure washers all the time on our construction equipment.

BUT

When we were at the Spartan Academy we did our coach walk-through. Big Mike noticed that the tops of me batteries were dusty. I know that this can promote discharge because all of that dirt holds moisture and water conducts electricity so there will be a slight current drain between the positive and negative battery posts which will drain the batteries down over time. I told him that I would wash it off with a pressure washer or garden hose when I got home and Mike told me not to do that because these are AGM batteries.

I know quite a bit about AGM batteries but has no idea why I shouldn't wash them. Mike explained that AGM batteries are vented to allow for expansion and contraction as they heat and cool so that the battery cases don't swell. This I knew too but he told me that the water pressure gets into the vents and into the batteries, which I had never considered before. These aren't flooded batteries and they don't get along with any water that gets into the case. Mike told me that the best method is to get a spray bottle of Windex. Not the new fancy formulations, just the good old fashioned Windex with Ammonia D. Spray it on and wipe it off.

Ya learn something new every day.

Hi Mark,

That's funny, I took Big Mike's class last month. Windex and a reference to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" came up for sure.

Thanks for the reminder!!!

[LVUS101]

I took old wash clothes and wet them down with water. No chemicals and a bit of elbow grease. Took me 30 minutes and they were like new. I have it on my Calendar to do it again when Spring comes around.
We also removed everything from the Coach along with the basement and thoroughly cleaned her from top to bottom when we got back home.
First time emptying the basement since we purchased our Coach. We had our Bug guy spray her inside and under the Coach. We spent several months in the South this year and picked up a lot of spiders.

My Wife was bit by a spider while we were in Texas and it wasn't pretty. Found 5 Black Widows and webs along with egg balls in between the basement doors underneath along the rubber seals. Found a Black Widow and web at my left foot area in the drivers compartment while we were in Texas. The sucker just came in and made herself at home.

[LVUS101]

Originally Posted by Cruzer

We use water hoses and even pressure washers all the time on our construction equipment.

BUT

When we were at the Spartan Academy we did our coach walk-through. Big Mike noticed that the tops of me batteries were dusty. I know that this can promote discharge because all of that dirt holds moisture and water conducts electricity so there will be a slight current drain between the positive and negative battery posts which will drain the batteries down over time. I told him that I would wash it off with a pressure washer or garden hose when I got home and Mike told me not to do that because these are AGM batteries.

I know quite a bit about AGM batteries but has no idea why I shouldn't wash them. Mike explained that AGM batteries are vented to allow for expansion and contraction as they heat and cool so that the battery cases don't swell. This I knew too but he told me that the water pressure gets into the vents and into the batteries, which I had never considered before. These aren't flooded batteries and they don't get along with any water that gets into the case. Mike told me that the best method is to get a spray bottle of Windex. Not the new fancy formulations, just the good old fashioned Windex with Ammonia D. Spray it on and wipe it off.

Ya learn something new every day.

Good information, Thanks

[brobox]

Jim, glad you brought up the bug and spider situation. I have always taken everything out of each basement compartment and vacuumed them after a trip. (amazing the things I find that I was looking for) Last year after all the stink bug posts I started spraying each compartment down with Rid A Bug after vacuuming it. Surprised how many dead bugs I found before this trip. I think most were FL bugs that entered during storage, but Rid a Bug works for several months. Good heads up.

Mark, thanks for posting not to use my pressure washer anymore. Thankfully I have new batteries that haven't been pressure washed yet.

[757driver]

Looks great Jim!

[LVUS101]

Something else we found while cleaning out the basement. Didn't see this Leak on the backside of the Aqua Hot. You have to crawl around back in there to see this. DW did the crawling.

[jestal]

Originally Posted by LVUS101

Something else we found while cleaning out the basement. Didn't see this Leak on the backside of the Aqua Hot. You have to crawl around back in there to see this. DW did the crawling.

I would love to talk to the engineer at Entegra that approved that design...LOL