Do I have to worry about boiling my battery to death?

[Homey_B]

We're new-ish to the RV scene, and for our first year, DW and I have a seasonal campsite. It gives us the ability to enjoy weekends as well as to travel without having to deal with NYC/Long Island traffic.

As such, we're plugged into 30-amp juice 24x7. We have a WF-8955 power distribution center. No additional (yet) mods to the electrical system.

I've read posts where people say that leaving a battery connected full time is not a great idea, especially with factory power converter/chargers. We don't have a battery cut-off switch, so we're technically charging all the time.

Is this a recipe for disaster, at least as far as battery life goes? Will a cut-off make things better? Should I find some other charging unit just to keep the battery from cooking?

Any help is always greatly appreciated!

[oldbeek]

My converter is a single stage which will boil the batteries. I put it on its own breaker and added a pulse charge battery maintainer $34.00 that is wired in full time. Only use the converter when dry camping when generator is running to charge batteries. The maintainer keeps the batts in great shape.

[Cummins12V98]

When I set up camp I push the battery disconnect button next to the landing gear controls. When I travel I pull the button to power the batteries when traveling.

No idea if this is the right thing to do but it seems like it is working well. I check batteries once a month when I change the water filter.

[mlts22]

I found out firsthand that if you have a cheap single stage converter, expect to be adding water to your batteries pretty often... or outright replacing them.

The OP's WFCO is a three stage, which is good, means less to worry about.

[wa8yxm]

There are many makes and models of converters.. The one you cited is, if I'm not mistaken, a 3-stage converter, this means that when it senses the batteries are full up, it backs off so it won't boil them dry, at least not fast.

On the other hand there is one I know of (And likely more I don't know by name) that is well known for doing what you fear.. But that is not the one you have.

Recommendation.. Check the fluid level in the batteries monthly. The proper is between the top of the plates and the bottom of the filler tube.

When topping off (WITH DISTILLED WATER ONLY) I like to fill to 1/8 to 1/4 inch BELOW the bottom of the filler tube or Split Ring as it's also called.

[HiTech]

If they are bubbling it can be fine. Batteries can actually boil and that is not good.

Jim

[wolfe10]

I will slightly restate this-- if your battery(ies) are boiling and you have a properly programmed smart charger, the likelihood is that you have a bad cell in the battery.

Said a different way, a smart charger maintaining 13.2 VDC will PROPERLY charge a 12VDC battery. If one cell is bad, 13.2VDC will WAY overcharge a 10 VDC battery.

[HiTech]

As others have posted, with your model you should be fine, but verify proper operation since a number have died premature deaths, and add distilled water to the battery as needed rather than cooking it dry.

And if it is actually boiling, cut power.

Jim

[2oldman]

Stay plugged in in storage?
Stay plugged in roast batteries?

[96Bounder30E]

Moved from DIY to Tech Issues

[Matt_Colie]

Jeff,

You asked the question just right. Thank You....

The WF-89XX series are Three Stage Converters. So,
It will bulk charge at 14.2V
It will absorption charge at 13.6V AND
It will float at 13.2V.

What this means is that you can leave it alone and it will do an acceptable job of taking care of your house bank when you are not there and it should not out-gas (boil, but it isn't) more than a few onces in a season of being powered up.

Matt

[RoyB]

I have a homemade installed battery bank monitor that is installed right next to my entrance door on my OFF-ROAD POPUP using SURE ELECTRONICS meters from ebay/china. I can get a quick check on the Dc voltage real easy having this meter panel here. Just a quick glance everytime I am around the trailer.



I originally had an converter that only had a single mode charger in it which constantly put out 13.6VDC. This got me in the habit of checking battery fluids every couple of weeks and sooner. Since 2008 before I was watching things very close I did lose a battery from boiling out fluids. Now I am using either a WF8945 or a PD9260C smart mode converter but still out habit always keep watching the DC Voltage level and occasionally checking the battery fluids.. I am plugged into my garage 120VAC circuit 24/7 here when not on the road anywhere.

Its just a good idea now for me to always be conscious of what is going on battery wise... I also can switch out my batteries but usually leave them all connected to the converters.

Roy Ken

[naturist]

You'd need to check the water level at least once a month for sure.

I killed a battery this way. Took a couple years, but on a trip we stopped one night in a state park with no hookups and discovered that the battery, while showing a full charge, was actually incapable of delivering more than about 30 seconds of light on one fixture/two bulbs inside the trailer. The battery had sulfated, and while showing full voltage, was none the less dead as a door nail.

I installed a cut-off on the battery, and now leave the trailer off shore power, the battery disconnected, but on a Battery Minder, which is supposed to prevent sulfation while keeping the battery fully charged.

[time2roll]

WFCO should drop voltage in after several days of minimal use to about 13.2 volts. If this actually happens consistantly then you are good to go. If it holds 13.6 you are ok but need to watch water level a bit more in hot weather. If it gets stuck in boost mode (14.4 volts) for more than six hours then you need to disconnect and replace the converter. (Mine did this)

[path1]

Mine has been plugged in 24/7 last couple of years. I do check water level once a month. No problems yet.