Battery disconnect question

[strausrv]

Just bought a Cougar travel trailer, 2017 RBL26, it has two batteries on hitch and a charger system for storage. When I close in the winter and pull the 30AMP power cord, and hook up the battery maintainer, should I pull the 'BATTERY DISCONNECT " key, so the batteries stand alone.?

















rbs26

 

[Boat Bum]

I would.

 

[T’sOVR&Explore]

Unless they are LiFePo4 batteries, also consider buying a second maintainer for your storage solution. Paralled flooded lead acid batteries have slightly different internal impedance, so using one maintainer won't charge them evenly as a siamese twinned pair.

Disconnect the negative terminal on at least one of them to un-twin them as you connect the second maintainer.

Our legacy motorhome was given a wired in series pair of GC-5 six Volt golf cart batteries instead of the original paralleled twin 12's so that the "one battery doing the work while the other is sulfating" circumstance that exists when paralleling two lead acid batteries, was ended.

All lithium is in both our camping trailers now. Back when we had an inboard gas motor boat before taking up rv'ing our 1-2-Both Perko battery selector switch provided the water toy battery management solution that ought to be there in all two-twelves camper designs..

 

[Kevin D Pem]

If your maintainer is a true maintainer then connect it and disconnect the batteries from the system.

I might suggest an equalizer charge first before storage.

 

[TheLooks]

What is the maintainer system you speak of, and yes to the battery disconnect unless the maintainer comes thru the coach.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

What is the maintainer system you speak of, and yes to the battery disconnect unless the maintainer comes thru the coach.

A good maintainer does not supply a float charge unless needed. It constantly tests the battery state and tops off only to keep the battery From discharge. Chargers on the other hand continually charge or as I call it maintain a plating current, building a nice antimony plating that blocks the release of power stored in the plates over time.

 

[TheLooks]

That is in the description of what they are when you buy them. A BatteryTender Jr is a maintainer.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

That is in the description of what they are when you buy them. A BatteryTender Jr is a maintainer.

I don't have one,nor have I researched brands. I simply know what they do, and why they are important.

 

[T’sOVR&Explore]

Having actual experience with intelligent maintainers can be very convincing. After a couple of year's real world usage you would be very thoroughly convinced that everyone should stop applying "float voltage" to lead acid batteries.

In my home / shop location, there is right now a mix of intelligent maintainers on the few lead acid batteries still in use:
- Battery Tender Jr unit bought almost 10 years ago to keep up the 2010 Yamaha Gen2 Vmax battery so it is ready to scoot, that humble Jr is still on the job.
- Battery Tender Jr keeping up the car battery on the Kohler genset that got retired from the HR MH to serve as our home hurricane backup in a concrete hut out back.
- Nexpeak 1.75 amp capability intelligent maintainer keeping up the John Deere lawn tractor.
- Nexpeak 1.75 amp maintainer kept up the AGM "shop battery" (that was replaced three years ago on Mrs T's car per the calendar driven protocal we follow). This battery was our indepedent power source for the Piezo lunch cooler used in Ram-Bro for day trippin from campsites until the 100 AH LiFePo4 replaced it.

The Nexpeak unit has a real time voltage and current display. The display shows "Off" when the intelligent charge catches up the battery, which is startling if you don't realize it is still monitoring and will cycle again as need. (Not sold for or intended for use on Lithium.)

I could legitimately claim to have 20 years of Tender Jr usage experience and six years on Nexpeak, keeping lead acid batts ready for use. Sure beats the olden days of last century's dead tech float charging, which required topping up the MH GC-5 series coach house battery pair for the float voltage boiloff between travel forays.