I cannot get more than 3 years out of my battery on my TT. Original battery was an interstate. It was replaced under warranty going into its third year. The replacement lasted two years. I then tried the walmart brand. This was it's third year. When putting it away for winter storage this year, it would not raise the tongue jack when not hooked up to shore power. When I checked the battery indicator in the TT, it showed it had no power 15 minutes after being disconnected from shore power.I leave the TT plugged in all year once we start using it. Usually May- October. After that it goes in my basement and gets a charge every 2-4 week until ice fishing season. Then I take it to the fish house every weekend (Mid December through the end of February). I use it with a 750 watt inverter to run the tv and lights/ ceiling fan when I tune the generator off. I can usually get 6-7 hours on the battery before it needs to be charged. I then start the generator and charge it with my vector smart charger until it is full.Should I be turning the disconnect switch off in the summer when it is plugged in at home, or is 2-3 years the average life span for a deep cycle battery?

Check for loads when you disconnect shore power: 15 minutes to dead after disconnecting means you either have a heavy load or the battery was already toast. You don't say what size battery it is but your winter use is likely drawing too much before recharging. TV/Lights/Ceiling fan could easily be pulling 20amps. At 6hrs, that would add up to 120amp-hr. For a single dual purpose battery, that's likely leaves it completely dead before you recharge.Going below 50% charge on a lead acid battery typically does damage.It's possible you have something on in the RV that is damaging the battery but my bet is the winter use.

You don't mention ever checking the water levels. Are you depending on the converter to keep it charged in the camper, what brand/model? Have you ever checked the specific gravity when you think it's fully charged? Do you ever give it an equalization charge?

A few questions:1. How often do you have to add water to the battery?2. Do you have a digital volt meter and what is the trailer's converter voltage when it is plugged in and not being used?3. What does the battery unloaded voltage drop to before you start charging it during winter use?

my boat batteries are wal mart 6years old and still going, on my rv, I unhook the battery and put a battery tender on.I don,t remove the battery from the rv I don,t rely on the rv converter charger. theres always some small power draw on a battery when in service.

The best way to make a battery last is to not use it. Unfortunately, discharging a battery is what shortens its life, and the more often and more deeply you discharge it the faster you use up its life. Running the battery down with the fan is really hard on it.A rule of thumb is to choose your batteries so you never get below 70% state of charge. This isn’t a hard threshold beyond which things get worse, it’s just an economic balance point between low battery cost and long battery life.A larger battery or multiple batteries in parallel will last longer than the same number of batteries used one at a time or a smaller battery.I’d suggest you invest in a multimeter so you keep an eye on the battery state of charge. It will tell you how your battery matches up to your use.

best practices for long battery life | Good Sam Community

55 Replies

jkwilson
Explorer III
Nov 04, 2018
The best way to make a battery last is to not use it. Unfortunately, discharging a battery is what shortens its life, and the more often and more deeply you discharge it the faster you use up its life.

Running the battery down with the fan is really hard on it.

A rule of thumb is to choose your batteries so you never get below 70% state of charge. This isn’t a hard threshold beyond which things get worse, it’s just an economic balance point between low battery cost and long battery life.

A larger battery or multiple batteries in parallel will last longer than the same number of batteries used one at a time or a smaller battery.

I’d suggest you invest in a multimeter so you keep an eye on the battery state of charge. It will tell you how your battery matches up to your use.
midnightsadie
Explorer II
Nov 04, 2018
my boat batteries are wal mart 6years old and still going, on my rv, I unhook the battery and put a battery tender on.I don,t remove the battery from the rv I don,t rely on the rv converter charger. theres always some small power draw on a battery when in service.
dclark1946
Explorer
Nov 04, 2018
A few questions:

1. How often do you have to add water to the battery?
2. Do you have a digital volt meter and what is the trailer's converter voltage when it is plugged in and not being used?
3. What does the battery unloaded voltage drop to before you start charging it during winter use?
mike-s
Explorer
Nov 04, 2018
You don't mention ever checking the water levels. Are you depending on the converter to keep it charged in the camper, what brand/model? Have you ever checked the specific gravity when you think it's fully charged? Do you ever give it an equalization charge?
valhalla360
Navigator
Nov 04, 2018
Check for loads when you disconnect shore power: 15 minutes to dead after disconnecting means you either have a heavy load or the battery was already toast.

You don't say what size battery it is but your winter use is likely drawing too much before recharging. TV/Lights/Ceiling fan could easily be pulling 20amps. At 6hrs, that would add up to 120amp-hr. For a single dual purpose battery, that's likely leaves it completely dead before you recharge.

Going below 50% charge on a lead acid battery typically does damage.

It's possible you have something on in the RV that is damaging the battery but my bet is the winter use.

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best practices for long battery life

55 Replies

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