Battery maintenance questions

[Matt1221]

We have had our rv set up since last weekend, the lady who initially did the walk thru told us we need to be keeping an eye on the liquid inside the battery weekly, she said it could dry out and start a fire if we didn't check it weekly.... Is this statement mostly true? and could you add some info to that?

[beemerphile1]

Keep in mind the lady that did the walk through may have been mopping floors at Taco Bell last week.

[wopachop]

Phil is a little mistaken with #5. Dont let that one confuse you too much just skip it.

Does your trailer have solar? If yes, you do not want to disconnect the batteries with the solar hooked up. Your trailer probably has a battery disconnect switch that should be safe to use with or without solar. Dont worry about replacing the charger on your brand new trailer. That over complicates something that is supposed to be relaxing and fun.

Is it parked at home or a storage lot? If parked at home just plug the trailer in and charge the batteries for a day. Then unplug the trailer and turn off your battery disconnect switch.

[philh]

1st RV dealer spew all kinds of ****
2nd The more the battery is used, the more frequently you need to check the water levels
3rd, if it's not be used, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY
4th WFCO battery chargers are **** and should be on your list to replace.
5th, if you plan to do any amount of dry camping, replacing the 12V battery with a 6V battery is advised AND then you must replace the charger/converter

[CavemanCharlie]

Weekly is to much. A few times a year is good.

How often do you check the water level in your car battery ?

[Snomas]

Mt TT has a cut off switch and the battery so far stay around 12.6 Volts. If it goes below that I charge up to full capacity.. I owned a DP for 14 years and after 10year of use I finally had to replace the 4 batteries.I kept the water levels up by checking the batteries regularly. We never dry camped but stayed over night without shore power about 10 times in all.

[BarabooBob]

I agree with checking to see what kind of converter/charger you have. I had a WFCO in my TT when I bought it, I changed to a Progressive Dynamic and don't worry about it. I do have a volt meter plugged into my 120 volt outlet and a 12 volt (actually reads from 0 to who knows how high) wired into my 12 volt system. I check my battery water level a couple of times a year and have not had to add water yet.

[smokamoto]

Well as far as starting a fire - yes it happened to a couple we know who bought their first trailer brand new. They never checked the battery water and left it plugged in & charging next to their house for almost a year, infrequently using the trailer. Fire department came from a neighbor’s call since they weren’t home to notice the smoke. The fire Captain said the source of the fire was the battery box. Your experiences may vary...

[Grit_dog]

^Thank you aftermath, for adding a little Common sense here.
As to the sales lady, the OP and some of the "first responders" here....did you usta check your car batteries weekly or monthly before they were sealed units?
I'm sure the answer is yes for a few of the overly OCD, but umm, for the rest of the world, no. Check em once or twice a year.
RVs and batteries aren't magical or mystical....remember that, folks.

[aftermath]

beemerphile1 wrote:
That information is wrong so it is probably safe to assume everything else you were told is wrong.

This is a very fair assumption. I check the water level each spring when I get it ready and then once during the summer and that is about it.

I am assuming that this is your first trailer. You might want to check all your paperwork to see what kind of a converter/charger you have. My first trailer had a single stage (bad, really bad) charger. This meant that while it was plugged in it was charging my batteries. It was ALWAYS charging them. The PO left it plugged in at the house and only camped where there were hookups. Over three years the batteries were consistently being overcharged and the majority of the cells were boiled dry. I didn't notice this before I got home. We camped once on the way but had hookups there. Charging batteries at high charge levels boils the acid. A multiple level charger will step down the level of charge to avoid overcharging. Your trailer probably has one of these but I would check just to be sure.

[drsteve]

Unless your converter fails and boils the battery, you'll be fine checking the water level every couple of months. As for starting a fire... no.

When you check the water, be aware that the proper fill level is the BOTTOM of the ring. NOT the top.

[SidecarFlip]

beemerphile1 wrote:
That information is wrong so it is probably safe to assume everything else you were told is wrong.

Funny but oh so true. Anyone who believes a salesperson is pretty gullible.

Of course anyone who thinks You-Tube is gospel is in the same canoe.

[midnightsadie]

some thing to add to your battery box,, a disconnect switch. this will shut everything off and your battery won,t drain down, this way when you go away for a week your battery won,t be dead when you return.

[beemerphile1]

That information is wrong so it is probably safe to assume everything else you were told is wrong.

[kellem]

Oh wow, misinformation.

I leave trailer plugged in year around and check water level twice a year.....never found it below the plates.

If it does however bother you, purchase an AGM battery as no maintenance is required.