Battery Question for Storage

[Glenda Clark]

I am putting my trailer in storage for a few months
It will be disconnected from shore power.
How do I save my 2 batteries to keep them from draining
Power ?
All advice appreciated.

[Canonman]

I'd remove them to my garage at home and keep them on a "Battery Tender" trickle charger.
Some will advise other methods but if your plans are several moths of storage removing the batteries is in MYHO the best option.

[Glenda Clark]

That was my first thought , but they are too heavy for me to pick up.
Any other suggestions ?
Disconnect everything ? Just negatives ?

[Canonman]

A disconnected battery (yes, the positive side) will still discharge over months of storage.
Perhaps the caretaker at the storage site could help? If storing at home a solar trickle charger might be an option.

[Tbos]

If the weather is reasonable you can just disconnect the battery. It should hold most of its charge.

[Glenda Clark]

I have the 2 batteries , so it's OK to disconnect all 4 connections.
Or just both sets of the Negative side ?
That is where I am a bit confused. I am doing this by myself , no help with this.
Or just remove them and put them in my garage .
I just don't want to lose charge.

[cookinwitdiesel]

You have 2 batteries, are they in series or parallel? Is there a view of the sky from your RV? Is there reason to expect any snow during the storage period?

[sourdough]

A "few" months or "several months"? The difference could leave your batteries in good shape or "dead". If unable to remove the batteries, remove the positive and negative feeds. Not knowing the timeline it would be prudent to do so. You could just disconnect one lead or the other but I used to just disconnect both. If you then want to use a battery tender I would disconnect the "straps" that combine the batteries and connect a tender to each battery. I'm curious; if you don't have access to shore power I'm assuming a tender is out of the question. If you can't remove them, and can't put any kind of a charger on them I would just do what I mentioned and hope for the best.

[Glenda Clark]

My trailer will be stored at a friends house , I can't use shore power to keep the 2 batteries charged.
No chance of snow in Okanogan valley anymore this early spring.
That's why I just wanted to disconnect the batteries to keep them from loosing their charge. Leave them on then trailer if possible. As they are heavy.

[cookinwitdiesel]

Does this friends house have the ability to run a regular extension cord out to your trailer? Even a regular 15A plug should give more than enough juice to keep the batteries charged.

[chuckster57]

If you have a pair of 12V batteries, disconnect the positive lead to the trailer. And then the positive jumper. When you return, connect the wires, start your truck and plug in. 10 minutes should give you enough to do what you need to do to hook up.

If it’s a pair of 6V batteries, disconnect the positive lead from the trailer. Then when you return do the same thing.

[Glenda Clark]

I have two 12 volt batteries. No , I can not use Any shore power where my trailer will be stored at a friends house. It'll just be there out of kindness.
I will unplug both + positive cables.
So it's OK then to leave the negatives - attached.
I just didn't want my batteries to die off fast.

It was at same place last spring , and no shore power , I was there every other day recharging batteries off my truck for a few hours.
So now , I'll just unplug both positive + cables and hope for the best.

Thank you , wish me luck.

[chuckster57]

Make sure you take the positive jumper completely off both batteries.

[whcarr]

I store my camper for 3 to 4 months out of state. I open the main power disconnect. Hook up a 50 watt solar panel that will just keep up with power drain if I have enough sun light. Been doing this for 2 years, this year I plan to disconnect my batteries. my camper draws almost one amp with the main disconnect open.

[Glenda Clark]

Thank you for all the information and advice.
I will only disconnect the + positive cables for my 2 batteries.

Be doing this within the next 2 weeks.

[bbells]

Get a 200 watt solar panel off Amazon with a $5 charge controller off eBay. Hook it up and your battery will stay healthy. Plus you can use it when camping without hookups. Total cost about the same as a battery, $150. It will last 25 to 50 years.

[larryflew]

My solar is only 20 watts but keeps the charge as long as I totally disconnect and isolate my batteries and this is through a Minnesota winter. Luckily most winters the 5th wheel is in Arizona for the winter but due to major surgery have had some at home including this worst one of all.

[jack65]

I learned the hard way... I disconnected the two batteries and left them in where the trailer was being stored during the winter and when I went back last month, they both were dead and I mean dead... no good! So I bought two new ones and next time they go home in garage and put on trickle charge.

[Scran]

We live in AZ and are pretty much on the road all summer. However, in the winter, while we do camp several times, the trailer sits more than anything. I've got two 6 volt batteries, in a series, and have always had good luck with a simple cheap, I think 1 watt, solar charger I purchased from Harbor Freight - probably because we have so much sun and no unreasonable temperatures or conditions to deal with.
However, I have never even disconnected my batteries. I simply make sure my disconnect switch is OFF, and hook up the solar charger to the batteries. It's cord is long enough to reach my 5th wheel hitch and I bungee it to the front of that, and even facing east (mostly morning sun), it keeps my batteries topped off without the need for a regulator of any kind. I don't think 1 watt could hurt those batteries much, even if the batteries were fully charged to begin with!
Hey........works for me!

[Bamabox]

Our trailer will sit from end of October until around tax day, give or take. It is hooked up to shore power the entire time........20A circuit and extension cord from my barn. When I had the original single 12V that came with the trailer, just left it on the trailer. Seemed to survive just fine. Was still in good shape when I replaced it with 2 Costco 6V’s. We get fairly common down to zero nights here, -10 once in a while. Anything different with the golf cart battery that I should consider “bringing them in” over the winter? Or the fact they will stay fully charged with shore power means they will be just fine in the spring?