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Old 08-16-2023, 08:06 AM   #1
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Winter Charging / Storage

We're leaving our trailer at our seasonal site in Ohio and heading back home to Arizona next month. We will return in late-May/early June.

The trailer will be buttoned up, winterized and mouse-proofed. I would prefer to leave the two 12v FLA batteries here.

I have no access to shore power in the off season but do have 400w of solar. My tentative plan is to leave everything connected and allow the batteries to maintain charge via solar. There are typically a decent amount of non-snowy/warm-up periods here in the winter to ensure the panels will be getting sun a decent amount of the time.

The campground manager thought that would work out fine and also advised to turn off the breaker for the converter.

Any issues/thoughts/better ideas?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 08-17-2023, 10:18 AM   #2
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Your plan looks good!

Make sure the inverter is "OFF", not just a switched "OFF" circuit breaker. The inverter can use 12 volt battery power when 120 volt circuit breakers are "OFF". Some have a large fuse or circuit breaker in the positive 12 volt cable. Use that. It is the most likely to draw batteries down even with a 400 amp solar array.

Other 12 volt things to make sure are "OFF":
12 volt holding tank heaters
12 volt block heaters
12 volt refrigerator
12 volt water heater
Storage bay heater
Other 12 volt appliances as much as possible
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Old 08-17-2023, 10:40 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Persistent View Post
Your plan looks good!



Make sure the inverter is "OFF", not just a switched "OFF" circuit breaker. The inverter can use 12 volt battery power when 120 volt circuit breakers are "OFF". Some have a large fuse or circuit breaker in the positive 12 volt cable. Use that. It is the most likely to draw batteries down even with a 400 amp solar array.



Other 12 volt things to make sure are "OFF":

12 volt holding tank heaters

12 volt block heaters

12 volt refrigerator

12 volt water heater

Storage bay heater

Other 12 volt appliances as much as possible
It's a travel trailer with a converter, not a DP motorhome with block heaters and big inverter/chargers.
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Old 08-17-2023, 01:17 PM   #4
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Winter months in Ohio are cloudy. I spent 35 years in Columbus Ohio and winters were gloomy and grey to the point of insanity. Where in Ohio is it stored. There is a world of difference between Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus was somewhere in-between. If in southern Ohio you will be ok. In northern Ohio it will be more sketchy.
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Old 08-17-2023, 05:09 PM   #5
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I would just make sure the batteries are fully charged , then disconnect them. They will easily survive 6 months or more without being touched.
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Old 08-18-2023, 02:32 AM   #6
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Curiosity is killing me. How do you mouse proof a trailer?
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Old 08-18-2023, 04:13 AM   #7
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I would just take the battery out and you will be better off.
Once you get snow on the panels and it stay below freezing for 6-7 days you will have no charging. My guess you will either kill or damage the batteries. It’s simple to take them out and put back in. It’s just two connections. 100% chance of damaged or dead worthless batteries leaving them as you say
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Old 08-18-2023, 06:16 AM   #8
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I kinda also want to know how to mouse proof a travel trailer. I know steel wool in every nook and cranny, I know a cat will work if left out at night, mouse traps everywhere, ECT.

The only time I had zero mice in the trailer was when I was storing my trailer beside my friends pole barn. They had a male cat they would let out at night. Zero mice.
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Old 08-18-2023, 03:16 PM   #9
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Thanks all for the replies.

We are leaving the trailer in Geneva, OH - far northeast. I was a lifelong Clevelander, prior to retirement in 2017, so am familiar with the seasons here. However, winters are much milder now than 10-15 years ago (son and rest of family are still here). There are many periods where temps rise to well above freezing and any snow melts. Gone are the days of total deep freeze from Nov. 1 to April. I noticed this even during our last few years here.

Thanks for the option of disconnecting the battery. My big concern was that they would be dead 6-7 months from now, upon our return. If I can simply disconnect and not worry about them having juice next June, so much the better.

As for 'mouse-proofing' - I guess I should have appended that statement with 'as good as I can'. I taped up any big gaps, trailer entry points in the underbelly with Zip tape, spray foam and coarse steel wool. All drain run gaps thru cabinets were also spray foamed, as was the area around the water pump where the PEX comes in.

I am surprised at the questioning regarding 'mouse-proofing'. Am I missing something? This is our first time both winterizing, and leaving the trailer where rodents are potentially an issue and what I've described seems to be pretty routine procedure....at least according to Google
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