batteries

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grassy

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Posts
564
Folks,

After a long and hard searching starting at toy haulers ..moving to Class Cs ..we ended up buying a Travel Trailer? :)

I gather a re-chargable battery runs most of the electrics, etc.? This is charged when being towed or when I plug the trailer in at home or at site.?

For winter storage, do I leave it plugged it ?? BTW, it gets fairly cold here in Nova Scotia.

Thanks.
Ian.
 
Ian,

Most folks use deep cycle golf cart or AGM's (absorbed glass mat) batteries in their rigs. They are designed for continual discharge/charge cycles and will stand up better than regular car batteries. That being said, you need to treat them kindly with respect to how deep you discharge them. There a re separate threads on this Forum specifically about that. Your batteries will NOT be recharged while towing unless you have wired in a special charging wire yourself. It doesn't do it thru the normal trailer towing wiring, so you have to rely on shore power and a converter (charger) to charge them, or carry a small generator with battery charging capability - like the Honda EU1000 or EU2000 (also provides 110V for appliances, etc.). Because batteries will drain themselves over a period of time due to internal resistance, it's best to have them hooked up to a 3-stage converter to keep them 'topped off' during long periods of storage. A 3-stage has 3 levels of charge; it goes into 'bulk' mode for a moderately/deeply discharged battery, then switches to 'acceptance' level to bring it up to full charge at a lesser voltage/amperage. Once fully charged, it goes into 'float' mode which is just enough to keep it at full charge without overcharging it. They can be had for as little as $40-60 U.S. If it gets REALLY, REALLY cold, you may want to bring it inside to avoid any chance of it freezing up and splitting the case or damaging the plates - but still use the converter. 
 
For winter storage, do I leave it plugged it ?? BTW, it gets fairly cold here in Nova Scotia.

You have two choices.? Leave the trailer on shore power, or bring the batteries into a heated garage and put them on a trickle charger.? ?If you leave them outside and not on a charger, you will not have batteries by spring.

 
Thanks for your help..

We have purchased a generator (4000 W enclosed) to run the air and microwave  :) however, for the time being, I will leave it plugged into the how..when I say cold, I mean -10 C.

Cannot wait to use it next year.

Ian. 
 
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