battery slow discharge

[likohone]

i would like an opinion what to do with my batteries while my 36 foot coachman is in storage in Texas. should i disconnect the cables?

[Persistent]

Lead Acid Batteries.

Lead acid batteries must be stored fully charged. Fully charged means 14 to 18 hours on a high capacity charger just before storage. Fully recharge for 14 hours before battery terminal voltage drops below 12.4 volts.

AGM lead acid batteries can be stored for up to 12 months if disconnected. Flooded cell lead acid batteries can be stored for up to 6 months if disconnected. In all cases fully recharge before battery terminal voltage drops below 12.4 volts.

Lithium Batteries (LiPO4)

Lithium batteries will give a little longer life if they are stored partially charged. Follow battery manufacturers instructions. Some recommend fully charging, followed by discharging to 50%.

Disconnect at 50%. Fully recharge and discharge to 50% before battery manager disconnects. Typically this may be every 6 months.

Many people just charge their Li batteries and disconnect them. Most Li batteries will last so long no one thinks it is worth the trouble discharge them to 50%.

For most situations in high quality batteries, the built in Li battery manager will manage the batteries disconnected for up to 6 months without significant capacity loss.

[Triangle Drifter]

Good advice above. The trick is to totally disconnect, remove any possible sources of parasitic drain, & leave fully charged.

As pointed out AGMs do better than wet cells in extended storage. I have a single 4D AGM. At the end of every October it is disconnected, at the posts, & sits completely unattended until the following mid April. Very little loss of power. In April it has the power to operate, a little slower than normal, the legs to lift the trailer.

My first AGM battery gave a 9 year service life never having a trickle charge while in storage.

[Duster73]

How long do you plan on keeping it in storage before using again? If less than 2 months I don't normally do anything special. If longer than 2 months I disconnect the negative terminals. If longer than 4 months I bring the battery home and keep it on a 1.5A float charger.

[Soppy]

Like others have said , make sure the batteries are full charged then disconnect them. For longest life while in storage , keep the battery in a cool/cold place. This slows down the chemical reaction and will extend the battery life .

[Ray,IN]

FWIW, lead acid batteries that are in good condition and fully charged will go 10 months and still have the voltage and amperage to start an engine. My farm tractor experiences that every year and has never failed to start.
If lead acid batteries require adding water, do so before charging so the water and acid get mixed, otherwise any plain water will freeze if added after charging.



There is no need to remove the batteries, just be sure to disconnect the negative battery cable.

A lead acid battery self-discharges at the rate of 3%/month @ 65°F, as temperature drops so does the rate of self-discharge.
ref: https://northeastbattery.com/battery...cid-batteries/

[ArtJoyce]

Originally Posted by likohone

i would like an opinion what to do with my batteries while my 36 foot coachman is in storage in Texas. should i disconnect the cables?

Yes disconnect the battery is best. There are items that draw power off you battery if you leave them connected. Common things that brain the battery are radio, propane detectors, etc.. Your battery disconnect switch might do a good joy disconnecting these drains but in many cases still have some drains.

I disconnect the positive cables off each bank of battries. My method of storing battries are to fully charge for 24 hours. Then i disconnect the positive cables. I monitor the battries and when the soc gets close to 70%, I use 12.3v. I then recharge. Last year we needed an extended storage duration and did not recharge intol month 4.