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Old 02-15-2014, 06:27 AM   #1
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Frozen battery faux pas

Don't let this happen to you. Very expensive lesson for a well-seasoned RV'er customer whom should have known better :-) Yes, that is ice.
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Old 02-15-2014, 06:59 AM   #2
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What is the back story on this. If they were a "well-seasoned RV'er" was this some sort of senior moment or what?
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Old 02-15-2014, 09:16 AM   #3
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Bum-Mer Sorry to see this happen to anyone, experienced or not. Please do tell the back story.
Thanks, tim
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Old 02-15-2014, 09:24 AM   #4
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Arrow Look like older batteries?

Taking a guess here, Weak , a bit older batteries, not plugged in to maintain a charge........ A newer battery with a good electorate fluid (older has a higher H2o ratio) will not freeze except under extreme prolonged conditions, and most likely not even then with a good new fresh battery.
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Old 02-15-2014, 09:35 AM   #5
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Fully charged batteries won't freeze unless subjected to extreme cold. Fully charged batteries are good to -70F, 50% charged freeze at -10F, completely discharged batteries are basically filled with water.
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Old 02-19-2014, 02:54 AM   #6
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We've winter camped in Mass for the past 4 winters. Both parks we've used run a winter "program" where you can leave your rig plugged in on your site, and you have weekend/holiday access, so NOT full-time winter residents.
We did this for 2 years at Normandy Farms, a fantastic campground with indoor pool/hot tub available all winter. The stopped their program, but sounds like they will restart this coming fall. $800 for 5mos, which for us is a great deal. Gets the rig out of the driveway, and we go camping almost every weekend.

Our first winter, there was a bad storm and the campground lost power for 5 days. Our batteries discharged and froze, which also took out the converter. We were very surprised that Normandy didn't call anyone (there were about a dozen "winter program" campers, but that was the first year they ran the program).
Needless to say, when we arrived on a Friday evening, power was back on, but we were not aware of what happened until we discovered our electrical issues.

Since then, we obviously keep a closer eye on things during the winter, and monitor power outages closely.

So...it happened to me

And I learned from it

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Old 02-19-2014, 03:16 AM   #7
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There are ways ti insulate battery compartment from severe cold. Even wrapping old army blankets around batteries will provide some added insulation.
You all know that they do make heating pads/blankets for batteries, engines, water tanks, etc. to combat severe cold temperatures. They have been used in the commercial industry for years.
There are also ways of monitoring the temperatures inside your RV when away and for generators to auto start..
Engine Warmer | Motor Heaters, Engine Blankets & Equipment
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Old 02-19-2014, 03:17 PM   #8
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There are ways ti insulate battery compartment from severe cold. Even wrapping old army blankets around batteries will provide some added insulation.
Unfortunately adding insulation won't do much if you get a prolonged freeze unless you are providing external heat on the battery side of the insulation. Without added heat, external insulation just delays freezing a bit.
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