We put our 24' Class C rv in storage for about a month at a time. Does it help the coach battery to disconnect the negative cable or the positive cable to keep it from dying out? Is there anything else I can do?
Keep the top of the battery clean and dry. Cell to cell leakage through acid and dirt can cause unequal cell electrolyte and kill a battery. A really dirty and wet lid can impose a 1/10th-amp leak even though both cables are disconnected.
Electricity can not leak from any battery polarity to earth ground except maybe if it is resting on the bottom of a swimming pool.
Reminds me of the fanatical hippie in the sixties who insisted his MGB would not start unless he connected a chain from his chassis and let it dangle to the earth. Sausalito, CA. I almost choked. He reached under the car grabbed the chain and laid the end on the seat. He jumped in and cranked the engine and shor huff the engine would not fire off.
He exited gave me a smug look, got back in and........
I was laughing so hard I couldn't speak. His last words were "Hey so far-out man. Do you believe in Karma?"
wing_zealot wrote: I would disconnect the positive because it is possible (albeit extremely unlikely) that you could get a ground to earth and still discharge the battery. But 99.999% of the time either would work.
With battery cables you always disconnect the negative first and attach it last.
Disconnecting the positive while the negative is still connected is a good way to see sparks fly and weld your wrench to a battery post or surrounding metal.
For preventing discharge you only need to disconnect the negative.
wing_zealot wrote: Absolutely, running the battery dead too many times ends up shortening the useful life of the battery.
Which cable, negative or positive or both?
I would disconnect the positive because it is possible (albeit extremely unlikely) that you could get a ground to earth and still discharge the battery. But 99.999% of the time either would work.
N-Trouble wrote: You can disconnect either but an easier option would be to install a battery cutoff switch which most new trailers nowadays come pre-installed.
Agree with the switch. Buy always disconnect the negative cable first. If you should short the negative to ground with the wrench which is easy to do then no problem. Remove the positive first and cause a short to ground and it could be a very big problem.
2009 Holiday Rambler 42' Scepter with ISL 400 Cummins 750 Watts Solar Morningstar MPPT 60 Controller 2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
I'd prefer the negative. That said, my current RV disconnects the positive.
Regards, Don My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
