Winter Storage and my batteries

[Arch Hoagland]

I too have stood in the shade of a telephone pole, when it's hot it's HOt and any shade helps!

We were on a cross country trip to Florida and the alternator died in my toad. So every night I hooked up my charger to the toad battery and charged it until we got back to California.  Couldn't drive very long at night with it but daytime was OK.

I switched to AGM batteries last year. $189 at Sam's Club. No more checking water levels!!!

 

[X-Roughneck]

I too have stood in the shade of a telephone pole, when it's hot it's HOt and any shade helps!

We were on a cross country trip to Florida and the alternator died in my toad. So every night I hooked up my charger to the toad battery and charged it until we got back to California.  Couldn't drive very long at night with it but daytime was OK.

I switched to AGM batteries last year. $189 at Sam's Club. No more checking water levels!!!

Makes sense, I need a charger. It is now on my list.  I also heard, maybe somebody can shed the light of truth with me. I heard that connecting the trickle charger to the house, somehow you can run the 12 volt side of the house (in a emergency), by direct connecting the charger to the house leads or somewhere he tied his charger input as a power source.  I think he was doing some MacGuyver stuff, can't remember.  Is there a scenario where I can use this style if I ever found myself in a 12v DC bind, using the trickle charge as a steady DC source to run appliances?  If true...can somebody explain how this could save me in a 12 volt pinch?

 

[X-Roughneck]

Your solar panel is more than enough to perform a maintenance charge between trips.  And, there's no more cost effective a battery than the one you have that works.  Even though you already have a transition plan I'd use your current setup to get familiar with how the system behaves under your usage conditions.  The only comment I have is I'm into my 2nd season with my current set of GC-2's and I have yet to add water to them.  If you're adding much water to yours this early in their life I'd review the charge profile and make sure you're not overcharging them.  It's normal for batteries to require more water as they approach end of life (commensurate with a decrease in capacity) but they use very little when new(er).

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

Yes, I know my 30 Amp ZAMP Solor Controller on wall inside was showing AGM in the LCD window.  I knew I did not have AGM in the tray. I call ZAMP, up in Oregon, outstanding group of folks up there let me add, Gave me alot of Get Rich Quick Training on the phone. Their Controller defaults to AGM, for safety purposes.  The Zamp AGM setting will have no ill effects, The AGM setting by default is friendly to those who don't read the directions, friendly that is, by not trashing your coach batts on the other end. He gave me the direction over the phone to set to "Wet" Seems the Wet cycle goes thru some Maintenance Purge of something every 28 days he said.  Can't remember exactly/

 

[Larry N.]

Is there a scenario where I can use this style if I ever found myself in a 12v DC bind, using the trickle charge as a steady DC source to run appliances?

No, not a trickle charger. It won't put out enough juice to run much -- maybe a couple of lights and a radio -- so you'd need something much more substantial.

 

[X-Roughneck]

No, not a trickle charger. It won't put out enough juice to run much -- maybe a couple of lights and a radio -- so you'd need something much more substantial.

Thanks Larry, I was not sure, I'm not electric smart.  I only know enough to be dangerous. 

 

[Henry J Fate]

I like the idea of installing a secondary battery tender with the batteries isolated from the coach. You should also make sure that the chassis battery is included in the battery tender circuit and not necessarily disconnected from the chassis circuits. This will keep your computer happy and ready to go.

 

[Dan23]

You should also make sure that the chassis battery is included in the battery tender circuit and not necessarily disconnected from the chassis circuits. This will keep your computer happy and ready to go.

Is it harmful to have the computer disconnected?

 

[ChasA]

Dan, no, it does not harm anything. You may lose the presets on your radio, or your transmission may revert to factory settings and take a while to relearn your driving habits. And you might get a check engine light which wll go out after a bit of driving.

 

[Dan23]

Dan, no, it does not harm anything. You may lose the presets on your radio, or your transmission may revert to factory settings and take a while to relearn your driving habits. And you might get a check engine light which wll go out after a bit of driving.

Thanks. I did not need another concern. Hoping to return to RVing in six months or so. Maybe less.