Community Forums

Kenny Loney · 02-12-2022, 12:43 PM

You will get comfortable with extending the time between checking and how much water you have to add each time. At one point I was adding about a cup of water every 6 month between the 3 batteries. Now if the level is only down 1/8 - 1 /4" , but well above the plates, I'll wait till the next time before getting the turkey badger and jug of distilled out.
Periodically I'll just look at the tops of the batteries to ensure that there is no corrosion or dampness around the caps, more important as the batteries get to be 6-8 years old.

Ken

**pasdad1** · 02-12-2022, 12:59 PM

Check more often in warm weather…..less often in cold weather

Dutch Star Don · 02-12-2022, 01:35 PM

While at the Quartzsite RV Show this year, there was a new player in the battery watering systems. I've always recommended the Flow Rite battery watering system to ANYONE with lead acid batteries. The biggest killer of batteries is lack of water.

This system seems a little better quality, has more features and is less expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Z-GO-6-6v-Bat...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Lastly, there is no specific amount of time that batteries will need watering. Start at one month checks and then extend it as needed. If you end up needing water every ten weeks, put a reminder on your phone.

okcnewbie · 02-12-2022, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2cyber71

I checked mine every month.
Easy with the Quik Fill
Here is my video
https://youtu.be/HgJnPp9oHF8

Same here. Only takes a few minutes to top off the water in all cells.

Jandcinok · 02-12-2022, 03:42 PM

Ditto on the fill system. We all spend way more money on other “stuff” for our rigs than these systems cost. Best money Ive spent.

chindog · 02-12-2022, 05:43 PM

Mineral oil has been used for many years in lead acid batteries. Don't know if it helps a lot, but it sure doesn't hurt. I put some in my batteries, and it does seem to have helped with keeping the crud from growing on the posts. In regard to topping off the water levels, you definitely don't want to let the water level get down to to where the top of the lead plates could be exposed to air. That could result in greatly reduced battery life.

Iceclimber · 02-12-2022, 08:45 PM

Are RV'ers secretly running nickel iron (NiFe) batteries and I am just out of the loop ? When I say the science doesn't support it, it's not me. Edison didn't invent them by the way, a Swede did in 1899 and like so many "inventions" Edison stole the tech and put his name on them. Don't get me wrong, they are remarkable batteries but they likely fell out of favor because they cost anywhere from 10-40 times more than lead-acid.

However you do not have those batteries and you are not even using the right oil but hey, what do I know.

Edison was good at marketing. Speaking of that, I have some oil I extract from snakes that will make your batteries last longer.

scenic route · 02-13-2022, 09:31 PM

Our last coach had four six volt house batts that were five years old when we bought it. It had lots of corrosion in the compartment, even after I neutralized and cleaned the tray the cancer came back. I took the batteries home for a good cleaning and a full charge. After a battery health check, I added four ounces of Thermoil mineral oil to each cell. I had read that railroad companies had maintained their batteries with mineral oil for years with good results.

It works. For the next four years, we had no more corrosion and the oil cut the water consumption by more than half with no other modifications to the system. The house batteries were nine years old at replacement...they were still functional but were 'assurance' replaced for an upcoming trip.

Cat320 · 02-14-2022, 02:34 PM

The solution to checking batteries is to get AGMs when it's time for new ones. Sure they cost more, but they are well worth the extra cost. The last set of coach batteries I replaced were eight years old.