Our temps get down to around zero in the winter, and I leave my 2 6-volts in the battery compartment in the 5er. We may have the rig plugged in at different times during the winter but since the float charge from the converter doesn't seem to work real well, I will keep the batteries disconnected with my disconnect switch - after getting a full charge. About once a month I will check the voltage and if it drops I will connect and charge through the converter for about 24 hours. Last winter I only needed to charge them up just once.