Six volt battery question.
I have just bought a 1994 Pinnacle 30 foot Motorhome and it has a toggle switch to enable my six volt batteries to be on, or off.....my question is should I leave it on, or off if the Motorhome is not...
Forum Discussion
So much worry about batteries....
If your switch totally cuts the power for the batteries, go ahead and turn them off between camping outings. But make sure - many RV's have some small items that are wired direct, bypassing their cutoff switch - DVD players (for the clock), smoke/propane detectors, etc. So over a couple of months, they can drain your battery, even if you think it is "off".
Batteries do self-discharge just sitting over time. But it is a very long time...many months. Heat speeds it up - so in the desert Southwest in the summer, you may think about charging them after 3-4 months. Here in Minn. after a YEAR, they can still be at 80% or above. Cold weather dramatically slows the discharge rate. Google "battery self discharge" to find time vs temp charts that demonstrate this effect.
Healthy batteries will not freeze until they get to -70 (!) Just reflect on how many Canadians get to work in the winter....
Unless you get a high quality maintainer, the biggest risk to damaging the batteries would by charging too much, without using them.
So:
1. Make sure the cutoff switch really does cut all power.
2. Check the water level fairly often - every couple of months when in use. Ignore if you haven't charged them since the last time you checked.
3. Fully charge them at the end of each trip.
4. Forget about them until you get ready to go camping, then just plug them in the evening before to top them off.
5. If storing for long term - 6 mos to a year, then think about possibly pulling them, or getting the camper to a place you can plug it in overnight to again top them off.
Your back will thank you for not having to wrestle the beasts, and your pocketbook for not buying unnecessary charging equipment.
If your switch totally cuts the power for the batteries, go ahead and turn them off between camping outings. But make sure - many RV's have some small items that are wired direct, bypassing their cutoff switch - DVD players (for the clock), smoke/propane detectors, etc. So over a couple of months, they can drain your battery, even if you think it is "off".
Batteries do self-discharge just sitting over time. But it is a very long time...many months. Heat speeds it up - so in the desert Southwest in the summer, you may think about charging them after 3-4 months. Here in Minn. after a YEAR, they can still be at 80% or above. Cold weather dramatically slows the discharge rate. Google "battery self discharge" to find time vs temp charts that demonstrate this effect.
Healthy batteries will not freeze until they get to -70 (!) Just reflect on how many Canadians get to work in the winter....
Unless you get a high quality maintainer, the biggest risk to damaging the batteries would by charging too much, without using them.
So:
1. Make sure the cutoff switch really does cut all power.
2. Check the water level fairly often - every couple of months when in use. Ignore if you haven't charged them since the last time you checked.
3. Fully charge them at the end of each trip.
4. Forget about them until you get ready to go camping, then just plug them in the evening before to top them off.
5. If storing for long term - 6 mos to a year, then think about possibly pulling them, or getting the camper to a place you can plug it in overnight to again top them off.
Your back will thank you for not having to wrestle the beasts, and your pocketbook for not buying unnecessary charging equipment.
