Winter Battery Maintenance

[ddottney]

I bought a new travel trailer in late October and have yet to use it. It was winterized by the dealer and he suggested I unhook the battery and keep it inside. I assume eventually the battery will run out of juice. Should I be charging the battery periodically or can I wait til April camping season here in Ohio? Or doesn't it matter?

[pira114]

I always keep mine on the tender when not in use. This battery is going on 12 years with zero issues. For about $40, you cannot beat a battery tender.

[spike99]

Physically remove in fall, store in my basement during winter months, charge 1 time per month, then reinstall in spring time. Done this for 25+ years and never had battery problems.

[Blue_Hill]

I always bring it in for the winter. It stays in the basement and I used to put a trickle charger on for a couple of days every month. I now have an inexpensive battery maintainer and it stays connected all the time. I keep a battery maintainer connected to the generator battery too. It stays in the garage, because the battery is a pita to remove and because I want it ready to go if I need it.

[aftermath]

facory wrote:
No need to remove the batteries from the TT. Simply keep them charged over the winter. After all, batteries in cars are outside year 'round.

Yeah, provided you can park your trailer at home. Mine is 15 miles away in a storage yard. I bring them in, put them under the workbench in the basement and charge them a few times over the winter. Works for me but I would rather just plug the trailer in and watch them as others do.

[ddottney]

Quality Johnson wrote:
The most important thing in winter battery storage is to keep it warm, and/or keep it charged. A discharged battery will freeze and burst the case, but a fully charged battery will not freeze. So all the suggestions so far are good.

Thanks Everyone! You've helped.

[facory]

No need to remove the batteries from the TT. Simply keep them charged over the winter. After all, batteries in cars are outside year 'round.

[Quality_Johnson]

The most important thing in winter battery storage is to keep it warm, and/or keep it charged. A discharged battery will freeze and burst the case, but a fully charged battery will not freeze. So all the suggestions so far are good.

[Bobj616]

I recently purchased a solar battery charger/minder. I hope it will keep the battery topped off. It has a regulator that goes to trickle charge when the battery is at capacity and something to prevent the battery from discharging at night. Like I said this was a recent purchase so I don't know if it works as advertised yet. The lights work though!;)

[Crazy_2]

kearlms wrote:

kirkl wrote:
I take mine off for the winter and throw a battery tender on them.

ditto!

This is what I do also, along with my other vehicles that have batteries, like the lawn mower snowmobiles ect. I got tired of replacing the batteries in them every 24 months.

[fallsrider]

I leave the battery on the trailer. We keep the trailer plugged in all the time. So around once each month, I turn the disconnect switch on for a few hours.

[mosseater]

I've always left mine in the trailer and plugged in over the winter. Check the water once a month and that's all. The first one lasted almost 8 years, so no issues there. Otherwise, I'd take it into the basement and put it on a .5 amp trickle for a day or two once every month. That's what the guy at the battery store recommended and it works for me with all my other batteries.

[jonmad]

kirkl wrote:
I take mine off for the winter and throw a battery tender on them.

Battery in shed and on a tender.....

[rbpru]

Last year I brought my TT home in December and I sat in the side yard until late February. The TT was unplugged and I put the battery in the mud room under the sink.

This year I parked the TT in the backyard where I have power and kept it plugged in. I left the battery on the TT and check it monthly for water.

My TT has a variable charger as part of the 12 volt converter which reduces to a trickle charge when the battery is fully charged.

There are two pit fall to watch out for, first I know from experimentation that the phantom loads in my TT will draw down the battery if a few days if I lose shore power. Second not all converters will trickle charge, some will maintain enough voltage to boil the battery dry.

I do not know if there is an advantage to keeping the TT plugged in all winter but I do not think it hurts to keep the TV, microwave and other phantom loads warm and toasty.

[kearlms]

kirkl wrote:
I take mine off for the winter and throw a battery tender on them.

ditto!