Battery help please.

HeathJohnson wrote:
Okay so I was asked to be an assistant scout master last summer. Our troop camps every month, year round regardless of weather. Thankfully leaders are not required to tent it so I bring the camper along for all of the leaders.

That has meant that when I winterized this year I only drained the water and such. I left the camper plugged in all winter and left the fridge running so there would be some draw on it.

When I went out to check on my batteries today I have all sorts of corrosion and it took 5 bottles (17oz) to fill them up!!!

I'm running dual 6V's I want to say they are about 4 years old at this point.

Do you think I'm still good or have I toasted these and need to replace them?

Replace them.

All last summer you boiled the electrolyte away by using the alternator/VR to charge deeply discharged 6V deep cycle batteries. Once most of the electrolyte was boiled off the individual plates would have begun to warp and short.

You may be able to recover to a 12.6 voltage level but in all likelihood you have lost ampere/hours.

That is a VOLTAGE regulator, it will put out MASSIVE levels of current, limited only by engine RPM or maximum alternator rating, in order to maintain the voltage at 14.4 VOLTS.

DO NOT connect deeply discharged deep cycle batteries to an automotive alternator/VR system. Connect a 500W inverter to the alternator/VR system and run the 120 VAC output to the RV converter that will regulate, limit, the battery charge rate.