Outside storage in snow

beemerphile1 wrote:

lots2seeinmyrv wrote:
I found the booklet.

WFCO ULTRA III Distribution Center
Model WF-8955PEC...

You have a three stage converter/charger which can be left plugged in and connected 24/7.

Thank you for letting me know this, appreciate the help.

atreis wrote:

lots2seeinmyrv wrote:
First time living in snow country...for those of you who store your RV outside:

1) Do you keep your trailer plugged into the house and put a small space heater inside and set it at 40 degrees?

2) Keeping the battery charged...if I keep the trailer plugged into the house it will stay charged. OR is it best to pull out the battery and put it in the basement so it does not freeze.

Would like to know your procedure.

Thank you.

1) No!! What a horrible waste of electric that would be (even at 40 degrees).

You do have to winterize the plumbing so that it isn't damaged from freezing water.

2) Assuming you're using a stock converter, leaving it plugged in could be bad for your batteries. I leave mine unplugged and let the solar panel keep the batteries charged, but without the solar panel, I would make sure the batteries are fully charged, disconnect them completely, reconnect them every couple months for a few hours to charge back up. Fully charged batteries won't freeze in MD. (Dead batteries could.)

I guess you didn't bother to read ALL the posts..

The OP does indeed have a modern THREE STAGE converter.

It WILL NOT HARM, DAMAGE, BOIL, MUTILATE, FOLD, SPINDLE the batteries if left on 24/7/365..

You would have to go way back to perhaps late 1990s and earlier to find an old school single stage which would have a great chance at boiling the batteries dry..

The only issue I see is leaving the converter on and batteries connected 2/7/365 is you DO need to "monitor" the battery electrolyte levels periodically. This can be an issue with "sealed" no maintenance FLA batteries. In the case of sealed batteries FLA batteries the water over time will be lost and you can not add any in when that happens..

But for the most part 2 or 3 stage converters drop the voltage well below the boiling point once battery has been fully charged. This drastically reduces lost water (note, I did not say it stops water lose, just reduces the amount of loss).

lots2seeinmyrv wrote:
I found the booklet.

WFCO ULTRA III Distribution Center
Model WF-8955PEC...

You have a three stage converter/charger which can be left plugged in and connected 24/7.

I'll post my two cents worth. I winterize it with antifreeze, then drain the antifreeze and blow it out. Anti freeze in traps. Drain and flush water heater. Leave roof vent open a little. As far as battery, I have a main battery disconnect and wired in a float battery charger with a separate connection for a lightweight cord.
That way I can run a lightweight (and much less expensive cord than my 30 amp cord) cord out in the snow all winter and not have my converter (I replaced my WFCO which never worked quite right) powered up all winter.

The antifreeze/blow out may be overkill, but doesn't take that much longer and is easier than a broken water or faucet or having a connection fail and pink stuff all over while closed for the winter.

lots2seeinmyrv wrote:
First time living in snow country...for those of you who store your RV outside:

1) Do you keep your trailer plugged into the house and put a small space heater inside and set it at 40 degrees?

2) Keeping the battery charged...if I keep the trailer plugged into the house it will stay charged. OR is it best to pull out the battery and put it in the basement so it does not freeze.

Would like to know your procedure.

Thank you.

1) No!! What a horrible waste of electric that would be (even at 40 degrees).

You do have to winterize the plumbing so that it isn't damaged from freezing water.

2) Assuming you're using a stock converter, leaving it plugged in could be bad for your batteries. I leave mine unplugged and let the solar panel keep the batteries charged, but without the solar panel, I would make sure the batteries are fully charged, disconnect them completely, reconnect them every couple months for a few hours to charge back up. Fully charged batteries won't freeze in MD. (Dead batteries could.)

Thanks for all the replies everybody. Sounds like if we want to remove the battery...just fully charge it and put it in our basement utility room. It will be fine for 3-4 months without charging?

Just bought a cover for the air conditioner and we will cover the refrigerator vent. Finished putting lap sealant on the roof, caulked all the sides. Just have to get the pink stuff in.

I'd rather be camping all winter!

All options are ok but for me I just fully charge the batteries, disconnect them to avoid discharge from parasit load(mostly propane detector) and I leave them outside in the RV. I do that since 2007 with the same batteries.

Message did not appear so I resent it. Than of course there were two. Sorry.


Ours stays outside, no heat with the battery inside the house. We are gone for three months during the winter and charge the battery just before we leave. Last winter was cold, cold, cold, and the TT came thru it fine.
We do cover the TT but the one year we could not it came thru the winter fine.
We probably have colder winters then you will.

Ours stays outside, no heat with the battery inside the house. We are gone for three months during the winter and charge the battery just before we leave. Last winter was cold, cold, cold, and the TT came thru it fine.
We do cover the TT but the one year we could not it came thru the winter fine.
We probably have colder winters then you will.

Wax, winterize, tape up (blue painters tape) the vents, and remove the battery, every few weeks check inside, when it get warm reflate the tires