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Old 03-06-2021, 05:53 PM   #1
Wohnmobil
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What Battery Charger/Maintainer Do You Use

I am looking for a battery charger/maintainer for my 2- Interstate Deep Cycle Batteries (GC2-ECL Flooded Lead Acid 6V 225Ah) while the 5er is in storage. I’ve only had 12volt batteries prior to this 5er and am not sure what to look for in a charger/maintainer for the 6volt batteries.

Any advise is appreciated.
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Old 03-06-2021, 06:23 PM   #2
B-O-B'03
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wohnmobil View Post
I am looking for a battery charger/maintainer for my 2- Interstate Deep Cycle Batteries (GC2-ECL Flooded Lead Acid 6V 225Ah) while the 5er is in storage. I’ve only had 12volt batteries prior to this 5er and am not sure what to look for in a charger/maintainer for the 6volt batteries.

Any advise is appreciated.
2 X 6 volt batteries is the same voltage as 1 X 12 volt battery, any 12 volt maintainer will do the job.

If you have 120 volt shore power at your storage, why not just plug your rig in and let the converter maintain the batteries?

I have 30 amp service at the house where the camper is parked and leave it plugged in all the time.

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Old 03-06-2021, 06:34 PM   #3
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I use the battery tender brand trickle chargers. Probably not a good idea to use your converter to constantly maintain the batteries, and most converters don't do a great job, and tend to overcharge the batteries.
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Old 03-06-2021, 07:38 PM   #4
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The original poster has a new trailer and it will have a smart multistage converter charger and it will maintain his batteries just fine for however long he has it plugged in. The older singe stage charger/converters will damage the batteries.
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Old 03-06-2021, 08:10 PM   #5
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How long in storage between uses? A full battery disconnect switch will allow batteries to go months without discharging.
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Old 03-06-2021, 08:18 PM   #6
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If your trailer is connected to shore power, just leave the battery cutoff switch in position so the batteries are connected to the charger/converter and let the trailer take care of the batteries. Check the electrolyte level monthly to be sure the water level is above the plates.

The WFCO converter/charger in your trailer is a "full capability charger" that is capable of maintaining the appropriate charge level for your batteries...

When you think about it, you've got a $200 charger/maintainer installed in the trailer. Why "risk your battery charge" to a $15 add on unit ????? Use the Cadillac...

Now, if you're trailer is not connected to shore power, you'd be better off removing the batteries, taking them home and using either a 10/2 amp "car charger" monthly to top off the batteries or a battery maintainer to leave connected to the batteries... I'm not comfortable with leaving a battery on a charger in a garage where sparks occur, so I NEVER leave a battery on a charger or maintainer in a closed space.....
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Old 03-07-2021, 06:47 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
If your trailer is connected to shore power, just leave the battery cutoff switch in position so the batteries are connected to the charger/converter and let the trailer take care of the batteries. Check the electrolyte level monthly to be sure the water level is above the plates.

The WFCO converter/charger in your trailer is a "full capability charger" that is capable of maintaining the appropriate charge level for your batteries...

When you think about it, you've got a $200 charger/maintainer installed in the trailer. Why "risk your battery charge" to a $15 add on unit ????? Use the Cadillac...

Now, if you're trailer is not connected to shore power, you'd be better off removing the batteries, taking them home and using either a 10/2 amp "car charger" monthly to top off the batteries or a battery maintainer to leave connected to the batteries... I'm not comfortable with leaving a battery on a charger in a garage where sparks occur, so I NEVER leave a battery on a charger or maintainer in a closed space.....
It will be in storage for a couple months and it looks like I do have power at the facility dedicated for my rig. So I will be plugging there. My previous storage lot didn’t have power so I always removed the batteries from my TT.

Thanks for the input.
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Old 03-07-2021, 07:56 AM   #8
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Last week I picked up a "battery tender" 4.5A at Costco for $36. I didn't see it advertised anywhere and it doesn't seem to be online but just came across it.
It seems good value.
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Old 03-07-2021, 08:19 AM   #9
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Last week I picked up a "battery tender" 4.5A at Costco for $36. I didn't see it advertised anywhere and it doesn't seem to be online but just came across it.
It seems good value.
Amazon..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 03-07-2021, 08:27 AM   #10
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I've never used any kind of battery minder or trickle charger on any of my travel trailers or current fifth wheel. I've always let the on-board converter keep things charged up. Our's is always plugged in - 24x7x365 unless actually on the road or plugged into a generator.

I keep trickle chargers on my John Deere mowers all winter long. Been using non-expensive, no-name brand (or will remain nameless) trickle chargers all my life on all kinds of batteries. Never had a problem. My dad did too. He never had a problem either.
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Old 03-07-2021, 08:33 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin J View Post
Last week I picked up a "battery tender" 4.5A at Costco for $36. I didn't see it advertised anywhere and it doesn't seem to be online but just came across it.
It seems good value.
Many (not all) battery tenders will not charge a "dead battery". That means, they simply won't power up at all. Depending on the voltage (charge status) of the connected battery the battery tender may just be a "brick"....

If the battery is "relatively fully charged" there's usually no problem with maintaining a charge.

On the other hand, if the battery is dead, or severely depleted, there may not be enough voltage in the battery for the tender's monitoring circuits to turn the charger on.

A "gotcha" sequence that I see happen often around here is a trailer sitting beside a garage, a 120 volt extension cord run out the window of the garage and to a battery tender on the tongue of the trailer. For some reason, the circuit breaker in the garage opens and power to the extension cord/battery tender is interrupted. A couple weeks later, the owner finds the circuit breaker, turns it on and checks the battery tender. The lights are "flashing" so everything is OK... Not quite.... During the time the circuit breaker was off, the trailer parasitic drains depleted the battery, then, when turned back on, the "analysis program" detects a dead battery and will not charge it. Then, in the spring, the owner finds a "yellow or red flashing light and a frozen, destroyed battery.....

Does it happen "every time" ??? Nope, but don't be lulled into attaching a battery tender to a battery, in the trailer or in the garage on a storage rack, and see the initial "power up" so it's working.... If the battery is not charged enough for the battery tender to trigger itself, you may find a "lead filled anchor" in a couple of months.
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Old 03-09-2021, 08:33 AM   #12
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Starting my 6th year of use on two Costco GC2 batteries.. They are charged via the OEM WFCO 3 stage converter at the house.. They have been on charge since early Oct last year after our last trip.. I just checked the electrolyte levels and added 1 1/2 cup of distilled water between the two batteries that have been charging since late last year. Never an issue with these batteries and at $98 each they will great years of great service

Specific gravity was tested also after leaving the shore power removed for 1 hour and I found all cells to be well within spec at 1.282 to 1.284 per cell

The AGM series GC2 is also quite nice but a lot more expensive. My batteries are easy to access and have no covers on them so I will run the flooded style GC2 .. weight wise the flooded and AGM style are about the same at around 68lbs a piece
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Old 03-09-2021, 10:33 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Wohnmobil View Post
It will be in storage for a couple months and it looks like I do have power at the facility dedicated for my rig. So I will be plugging there. My previous storage lot didn’t have power so I always removed the batteries from my TT.

Thanks for the input.
Well you can just plug it in then, but before we full timed I installed a total battery disconnect switch, battery would hold full charge for a couple months. A couple of those longer times I actually went to 5er and activated the battery to run the slide out and in, never on a charger.
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Old 03-09-2021, 10:47 AM   #14
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My weapon of choice.
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...1973p.html#srp
I remove my battery from RV. I don't leave it plugged in. Once a month, takes less than 15 mins to keep topped up.
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