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Old 03-05-2012, 01:25 PM   #1
ljp
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Keeping Batteries Charged

What are the best ways to keep the travel trailer batteries charged when the trailer is parked for an extended period of time? Will a constant connection to an outlet keep the batteries at full charge?
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Old 03-05-2012, 01:41 PM   #2
f6bits
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I disconnect my battery when it’s in storage. Why do you want to keep yours plugged in?

But back to your question, if you have a good three-stage power converter, it’ll drop down to a trickle to keep your battery topped off while your trailer is plugged in.

Some people use a small solar panel setup to keep the battery topped off.
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Old 03-05-2012, 06:59 PM   #3
Klosequarters
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We winter our 5th wheel at the house and I plug it into a 20 AMP circuit about two weekends a month and it seems to do fine. I see no reason to keep it plugged in all the time with no real draw on the batteries. So far this winter I have not had to add distilled water. I like this better than removing the batteries and placing them in the garage where they would not freeze. Bottom-line for me is it seems to be working fine and I have power to run the slides out when I want to go inside and check the interior.
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Old 03-05-2012, 08:32 PM   #4
smiller
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If you have access to power the best way is with a good charger that floats the battery at the proper temperature-compensated voltage, with maybe an automatic equalizing charge thrown in every once in a while. The worst way is with a crappy charger that sits at the wrong voltage for extended periods of time.
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Old 03-06-2012, 04:21 AM   #5
pollockd
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install a Perko switch. It allows you to switch off the battery power to the TT. I also bought one with a key to lock it in the off position.
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Old 03-17-2012, 03:25 PM   #6
Badboy
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Cougar has a battery disconnect
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Old 03-18-2012, 08:18 AM   #7
Beerfix
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I dont trust the built in charger in the converter, so I remove the batterys, and keep the water topped up, and on a Battery Tender 2 bank charger in the shop. I think its a 1.25A charger.
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Old 03-18-2012, 08:44 AM   #8
smiller
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beerfix View Post
I dont trust the built in charger in the converter,
If it's the typical OEM unit, that's smart. Doing what you are doing (removing the batteries and using a Battery Tender) is a reasonable solution, but you can replace the original unit with a quality converter/charger for not too much money and save yourself the effort of moving the batteries around.
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Old 03-18-2012, 09:12 AM   #9
Beerfix
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smiller View Post
If it's the typical OEM unit, that's smart. Doing what you are doing (removing the batteries and using a Battery Tender) is a reasonable solution, but you can replace the original unit with a quality converter/charger for not too much money and save yourself the effort of moving the batteries around.
Yeah, I've been looking into that a little, or also how to isolate and disable the "charging" circuit in the converter, and just add an onboard smart charger.
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Old 03-18-2012, 08:26 PM   #10
chuck&gail
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I use a battery cutoff switch. A small solar panel then keeps battery topped up.
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Old 03-27-2012, 01:17 PM   #11
Hansel
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I disconnect the battery and use a solar charger keeps mine ready to use all the time.
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Old 03-27-2012, 03:36 PM   #12
Frogdown
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All year long

I keep my trailer plugged in all year long. Have never had battery problems!
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