TT battery maintenance

The on-board power converter (breaker and fuse box) will charge the trailer battery if you are plugged into shore power. If you are not plugged into shore power, the battery is slowly draining, either by use or by parasitic draw (like your Co2 Detector or refrigerator electronics). So, if you are plugged into shore power, you don't have to be concerned about charging the battery. It just happens.

Now, if you cannot plug into shore power, most newer trailers are coming equipped with a battery kill switch. Depending???? the kill switch may truly kill everything the battery uses, or it may still be connected to some items, like the Co2 detector, causing a very, very slow drain on the battery called "parasitic draw".

If your travel trailer is going to be parked at an RV storage facility, then yes.... bring the battery home with you so it won't get stolen.

But if parked at home, keep it plugged it, you never need to mess with the battery... Summer or Winter.

Are we talking about a flooded battery here? If so, what's this 'no maintenance' stuff?

2oldman wrote:
Are we talking about a flooded battery here? If so, what's this 'no maintenance' stuff?

I've had my Outback for over 3 years now and still using the original battery. I checked the acid levels in the battery the day I brought it home from the dealer. It was good.

The trailer has been plugged into shore power for 24x7x365, Summer, Winter, all year, except when actually on the road traveling. We don't dry camp, we always have electric hook-ups.

In the Spring of the first and second year, I check the battery acid level. No change either year. I checked the battery level again, (about a week ago), and after more than 4 years now, I added one ounce ... really ... one ounce of water to each cell.

I call that a trouble free, maintenance free battery! Always charged, and periodically test it by unplugging shore power to make sure the inside house lights don't dim.

I had Trojan t105s, I boondocked all the time, in hot weather, in cool weather, and they were often thirsty. I guess if you don't use batteries much they don't need much attention.

I wonder how many others on here would call flooded batteries 'maintenance free.'

Maybe different climates require a different frequency of filling? Here in NM I need to check mine regularly and add water 2-3 times a year.

I travel with 3 and keep 2 on maintainers when we are home. I have had one battery in the 5er for 6-7 years. I bought a couple of new ones 3 years ago for the boat and tractor. Those are the ones I add and remove for trips, but they mostly live on Harbor Freight maintainers. It is a lot easier (for Me) to fill and maintain them on a bench than in the 5er.

For what it is worth, when we get home from each trip, I put my batteries on a Battery Minder Plus in the garage. We are getting about five years of life (or about 350 days of boondocking) from our batteries, which is pretty good. We check the water before every use. I never let the batteries get below 12.1 volts while in use.

Some folks say that the Battery Minder Plus pulse technology is a hoax. Based on my experience, I disagree with that viewpoint, but I am not an expert.

I've got mine on a Christmas tree trimmer, on for one hour every 12. I could probably leave it on all the time but it's in a location where a fire caused by overcharging would be quite bad.

It just occurred to me that I have a solar charger/maintainer. The TT is stored at a storage place. I suspect that if I leave the charger laying out it will fall casualty to a thief. My RV has a stereo in it that the clock runs all the time when the battery is connected. I need to install a cutoff switch I guess.

..or yank a battery cable.

ALL batteries should have the outsides cleaned. More often with flooded batteries, but even AGM should cleaned occasionally.