Winterizing the battery

I've been leaving my batteries in their boxes, on the hitch, with a BatteryMinder plugged in, as I don't have a garage to put them in. So far, they've survived 2 winters of sub-zero temps just fine, YMMV. This year, I've installed 2 100-watt solar panels on the roof, still on the fence on whether I'll use the BatteryMinder this winter, or depend on the solar cells to keep them charged. I do have a cover for the pup, I guess it'll depend on how much (if any) light filters thru the cover.

 

I leave them in my camper and plug it in for a day every month or so.

I take the battery out of my boat, brimg it in, and charge it once or twice over the winter.

The main thing is not to let the battery go dead no matter which way you choose.

 

I live in Minnesota. If the pup is stored outside, I would take the battery inside and keep a battery tender on it. I wouldn't trust the tender outside in the elements. If the pup is stored inside, keep the battery on the pup, disconnect the battery from the pup and keep an battery tender on it. Check battery levels every couple of months.

I keep my batteries inside on battery tenders all winter except my boat starting battery which I keep in the boat when stored in the garage all winter. The battery tender keeps the cold battery in good shape all winter. I have not yet had a problem with any of my batteries since I started doing this, but the battery tenders will slowly drain your battery acid so you need to keep an eye on the acid levels. Use distilled water to top them off.

 

I was in North Dakota for two winters. We had to use battery warmers, dipstick heaters, and engine heaters. Don't miss that at all. Sub-zero temps, battery inside on a maintainer.

 

Here in Alaska, it gets a little cold. This year, my TT will be stored off property, but I did the same with my PUP...

I pull the batteries, store them in a heated garage and keep rotating my battery tender between them and my ATV batteries all winter long.

 

We bring our battery inside in the basement. I don't keep a tender on it but it protects it from freezing. In the spring I'll top it off and reinstall.

 

Just about everything I have is kept outside on battery tenders. Have never had any issues. With the tractor battery being the oldest (10 years)

 

Decades ago I would yank the 3-4 batteries out of my boats and put them them inside on a maintainer every year. But it would be pain when I decided to pull the boat out of the snow and head south on a fishing trip in Dec/Jan/Feb/etc. So I stopped doing that. I started just slapping a charger on them every month or so and did not notice much of a change in battery life.

Have done the same with campers. Leave all batteries in place, disconnected, and charge them occasionally. Might not technically be the best solution but it is WAY better for my back and I am willing to live with the results. Plus, the fishing boats and campers are always ready to go at a moments notice (pleasure boat got wrapped) if/when I have some time and a desire to head south... I have absolutely NO desire to lift the pair of heavy 6V golf cart batteries I just put on my present camper. My 26 year old son put them in for me. My hope is that they will stay where there are for a long time.

FWIW if I were to spend a thousand dollars a pop on LiFePO4 Battleborns that were only 29lbs each, I'd probably treat them differently.

 

I always bring my battery in and charge them up every month or so. My camper is stored off site in the elements so I have to bring it in to charge. I don't have a garage or basement, but leave room on a bottom of a shelf in the house for the battery and its charger. When I purchased my camper the RV shop told me that I have to keep the battery inside during the cold. A garage I think will be OK because it doesn't get that blistering cold that you could see outdoors.

 

Even thought the pup is stored in the garage (detached) I pull the battery and store it in the basement. I try to throw the charger on it every month or at least every other month.

 

My latest battery upgrade will have two of those 10-watt solar panels on the metal case... This will keep the battery trickle charged enough over the winter months for me... Our winters here in Northern Neck Virginia have been pretty mild over the past few years...

Battery box looks like this except I have another solar panel on the other end of the slide off top... I have two switchable 6v golf cart battery groups in the box giving me 12VDC at around 430AHs capacity...

Google image

My battery box will be mounted across the tongue replacing these failed 2008 12VDC Interstate batteries... I always would monitor the DC VOLTS on the sitting batteries over the winter months and if they got below 12.4DCV I would put a battery tender charge on the them. Hopefully the always connected solar panels is take care of the new GC2 batteries for me. My new batteries have been sitting on my work bench now for a good two months and two groups connected together still read 12.85VDC. Just checked both groups today... Should have these installed on om OFF-ROAD CAMPER before winter sets in here...


Roy's image

Roy Ken

 

3 batteries, propane, and a front cargo tray... what's your tongue weight like?

 

I want a picture of the magnates? Lol. Cool. And good info in the tread.

 

cold slows down chemical reaction aka self discharge.

https://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/WP_DeepCycleBatteryStorage_0512.pdf