Winterizing Fifth Wheel-Battery

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Milton R Scherotter

Milton R Scherotter

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2016
Posts
25
Location
Parker, CO
Our 5th wheel has had all the plumbing/appliances & water heater winterized.  Wondering about the batteries as they have water in them.  I took mine out and they are stored in my basement on a shelf.  Is this a good idea, or can you just leave them in the 5th Wheel all winter.  Any battery maintenance tips also appreciated.
 
dosxx said:
Our 5th wheel has had all the plumbing/appliances & water heater winterized.  Wondering about the batteries as they have water in them.  I took mine out and they are stored in my basement on a shelf.  Is this a good idea, or can you just leave them in the 5th Wheel all winter.  Any battery maintenance tips also appreciated.
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If you do leave them in the RV, you have to make sure they are fully charged. Also disconnect them .
 
Rig is in a position (by my house) to be plugged in full time. That would keep the battery fully charged.  I'm concerned about those handful of nights the temps go below 0? and maybe stay in single digits for 3-4 days.
 
If the batteries are charged, they won't freeze; dead batteries will freeze.

Our camper stays plugged in year round, no issues. Water level gets checked monthly, when the generator is exercised.
 
I do pull the battery since the 5er is in storage with no power.
It sits in my garage with a Battery Tender on it.
 
The battery has electrolyte, not just plain water. As long as the battery is fully charged, the electrolyte will resist freezing down to -92 F. A badly discharged battery (e.g. 20% charge or about 11.6v) will freeze at +19 F.  Further, a lead acid battery that sits for long periods in a discharged state will probably not recover fully when it does get charged, so you lose capacity and life.

Bottom line is that you ought to keep the battery in a relatively warm storage place and keep the charge up above the 80% level (about 12.4v). Either charge it for couple hours each month, or put it on a maintenance or trickle charger to hold it at the 100% level.
 
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