Forum Discussion

GoalstoDreams's avatar
Dec 21, 2014

Batteries during storage

I am sure this question has been asked before but I did a search and couldn't find anything.

When storing your MH for a few months (winter months) what should be done with the chassis and house batteries? Right now all three batteries are connected, but the house batteries are turned off.

I start it and take it on a short (15 min) road trip every month or so, but I haven't turned on the house batteries during those trips, and now I have a dead chassis battery. Haven't even checked the house batteries. Sigh.

Some context....I'm not new to the RV world, but new to this stuff as my husband used to take care of this stuff and now I'm doing everything solo (so be kind in your responses)....;)

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Sue

16 Replies

  • Sue, I do things a little differently.

    I winterize my rig in early November and put it in the storage facility. Monthly, I get it out and drive it for at least an hour at highway speeds. I turn the coach battery system on, start the generator to exercise it, put a load on the system by turning on the heat strips on the AC (you can just plug in a small electric room heater if you don't have strips) and then off I go. I usually run up the highway to a town about 25 miles away, go in and have a burger (leaving the generator running on the RV) and then drive back to the storage facility. I have done this for more years and more winters than I care to remember.

    I live in an area that can be very cold for a few days (single digits) at times and then be picture perfect and warm for a week and that pattern can continue for several months. If you live where it is cold for months at a time, you need to have a more aggressive plan for the batteries.
  • If you are only talking a couple of months, make sure they are fully charged, disconnect them and go away. Key word was disconnect.
  • AZ? 100w solar on the house and Trik-L-Start for the chassis.

    Skip the 15 minutes driving.
  • If they will not be in use, and not connected to a smart charger, I'd remove them and place them in a storage area that is not prone to freezing. I keep mine on the floor in a corner of the garage.