House batteries on or off

[SMRDNR]

should I turn the switch to the house batteries on or off for the winter storage?

thanks

Steve

[RickO]

If it's not going to be plugged in... off.

Rick

[dennis45]

That depends on whether you have shore power or not. If you can plug into even a 15A line, leave them connected and they will store just fine.

If not, you need to make sure they are fully charged and remove the ground cable off the batteries. Just Turning off the Store Switch will still allow some Parasitic Load and result in run down batteries. If you are in a cold climate, once the batteries run down, they will freeze and need to be replaced.

[RickO]

Good point about the parasitic loads Dennis. The smoke detectors, etc are often wired apart from the cut off switches for safety and those little buggers will drain the batteries in storage.

Rick

[John H...]

Turn switch off, but hook up a small battery tender to keep a small charge on battery. Like a Battery Minder.

[SMRDNR]

it's plugged into shore power.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by SMRDNR

it's plugged into shore power.

SMRDNR,
Well Sir, now that that's cleared up, what needs to be known is, do you have and, what kind of, house battery charging system already on board? And, with that, is it possibly charging the chassis batteries also, while being plugged in? I'm not familiar with the '05 Bounder 38N so, I'm not sure what came with that coach in terms of an inverter or, converter, or, inverter/charger or, possibly a Trik-L-Start type system may have been installed by a previous owner, that is if you're not the original owner.

We can simply tell you "yes" turn off your batteries if and when in storage but, doing so, without other info telling us what sub systems for charging may, or may not be on board, may be not helping you. Many coaches, up to around '06 had no provisions for charging the chassis batteries when in storage and plugged in. And, some had chargers that were not that well advanced and would overcharge house batteries to the point of boiling out the water/electrolyte solution.

This is why I ask what, if any, factory installed charging systems, you may have or, is there a possibility of an aftermarket additional charging system? Good luck.
Scott

[dennis45]

Good Point Fire Up. If in fact you have a system that charges both Chassis & House batteries, the only other thing you need to do is check the batteries once a month or so to make sure they do not run dry and add Distilled Water as required.
The other option of course is to pack up the Whole Shootin Match and head for warmer weather were things like this are unheard of.

[SMRDNR]

it has a Xantrex Freedom 458 inverter/charger, does that help?

[w1kk3d]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but...

I currently have my house batteries switched off. I do however have a solar panel on the roof which draws about 3-4 amps in full sunlight. Should I leave them switched off or switch them back on?

[thrushl]

Originally Posted by John H...

Turn switch off, but hook up a small battery tender to keep a small charge on battery. Like a Battery Minder.

X2 A battery minder or leaveing it plugged in is good. Part of the thought process is how you intend to exercise your generator over the winter.

[def]

Originally Posted by SMRDNR

it has a Xantrex Freedom 458 inverter/charger, does that help?

Keep an eye on the Xantrex...mine failed after only a year and when I contacted the factory repair facility, I was told parts are no longer available for it. Of course, the repair facility wanted to sell me a new one for in excess of $1200.00. The Xantrex folks don't play fare so I purchased and installed an Aims Power pure sine wave model which I installed and am very pleased with.

The Xantrex inverter overcharged my house battery bank. The Aims unit is adjustable for charging profiles as well as maximum charging current which will keep the battery bank happy and healthy for years.