Batteries on Cougar

[funpro]

Do the batteries recharge when I am hooked up to electricity. When it sits for a few days and I use the slideout the battery power goes down.:)

[hankpage]

The battery should charge when connected to shore power if the "Converter-charger" is working properly and should not drain much in only a few days without any draw. (Lights, fridge, furnace, etc. ) Over a long period the CO and gas detectors and other small electronics will drain the battery but not in a few days .... especially with multiple batteries as you mention. It is best to operate slides while connected to shore power or the TV with engine running as mentioned in many other posts about this subject. Hope this helps, Hank

[funpro]

Hi Hank,

Thanks much!!!! I'm brand new to the 5th wheel world - coming off 7 years in a tent trailer. So I know there is much to learn - but we LOVE the trailer!!.

Again, thanks for your quick response.

David

[JRTJH]

Hank,

Be careful about leaving your trailer hooked up to shore power all the time unless you keep a good eye on your battery electrolyte level. Most converters will charge batteries connected to it to a point of "overcharge" and boil water out of the battery. I'd suggest if you leave your trailer connected to shore power all the time that you check your battery water level weekly.

[Johnnyfry]

Many of the newer power converters have a "tri level" charging feature which senses full charge on the battery and automatically goes into a trickle charge mode which prevents boiling dry. You should check the specs for your converter to see if you have the feature.

If not, it would be worthwhile to buy a new converter with this feature to avoid the aforementioned problem of cooking the battery by boiling it dry. Batteries are expensive.

Also, I found that putting a disconnect switch in the battery line to cut the battery off when not in use will slow down (but not completely eliminate) the slow discharge from items like the propane detector, CO detector, Stereo clock and memory, etc. These switches are available from RV supply places for about $30.

If the lay up is going to be long (months) it is probably best to remove the battery and put it on a trickle charger.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

At present I full-time in a TT (1995), Make, Model not important....
I stay "pluged-in" ALL the time. Batteries stay hooked-up ALL the time.
Batteries that I use. Off the rack from Wally. Rv/Boat type. Have 2 hooked together and have had ZERO problems to date (knock on wood), Had the power go out a few times (not the most reliable I've had), never skipped a beat.

Just sayin'....

hank

[bsldallas]

disconnect switch in the battery line worked for me. I just unplug the power then turn the switch off. I still have plenty of power to run the slides, jacks, ect... when I turn the battery on. I did go with a sealed battery (gell) well worth the $$$ purchased on sale w/coupon. 3 year replacement. 2.5 years and still have plenty of juice. The other batteries would last about 2 years. Just my .02 hope this helps.

[linebiker]

Do the batteries recharge when I am hooked up to electricity. When it sits for a few days and I use the slideout the battery power goes down.:)

In my learning curve I found batteries do not charge when hooked up if factory battery disconnect is off, also learned that converter/charger will overcharge batteries if left connected. I chose to put in Napa charger/maintainer to tend batteries and keep them isolated when plugged in. It works for my anyway.