Winterize: Electric ON or OFF

noobee

Well-known member
This will be the first winter that we will snowbird without the 5er (bought a winter home in Arizona). We will be leaving the 5er on our lot in Southern Alberta (gets very winter-y here.... can get to -40 C/F).
Should we remove the battery & store in my son's garage & disconnect the power.... OR leave the power connected so that it continually charges the battery.
 

elwaller39

Evans & Lana
I would take the battery out, because the couch is always using a little power all the time. Where in Arizona are you going. We are in Apache Junction the past 4 years and enjoy it very much.
 

porthole

Retired
I would pull the batteries. I leave mine plugged in all winter, but it sits next to the house and i don't go away for months at a time. This year I am going to add a solar charger and unplug, see how it works. When it is minus 40 for a week and the power goes out who is going to take care of the batteries to keep them from freezing.

At least in you son's garage that can be checked, charged up.
 

lwmcguir

Well-known member
Mine sits in the shop during the winter. Every 6 weeks or so I plug it in and let the batteries charge back up.
 

Willym

Well-known member
I used to disconnect the shore power, then disconnect the battery, and leave it in. A fully charged battery won't freeze, and if disconnected will hold its charge OK.

Nowadays we go south....
 

caissiel

Senior Member
I park 3 cars for the winter and store them with the ground disconnected, make sure the ground is disconnected, and for the past 6 winters I never lost a battery, in the spring I connect the ground and start them with no additional charge. A battery will hold its charge better in the cold than in the heated area, or sitting on concrete. When I winterized my RV I never lost any batteries by leaving it in. Actually I have ruined more batteries full timing than when storing in the winter.
 

lwmcguir

Well-known member
I agree and have found that the lead acid batteries will survive the winter fine with a full charge and no drain. If you are using Gel then you need to charge them or leave trickle charger on them.
 

TeJay

Well-known member
Caissiel,
What does sitting a charged battery on a concrete floor have to do with it's state of charge or discharge??? I've heard this all my life and have yet to determine exactly how a concrete floor can effect a charged battery. Concrete is not a good conductor of electricity. For many years car batteries were sitting on a metal plate which was attached to ground. Today they use a lot of plastic. Any wet cell battery will loose it's charge over time it does not matter where it is stored. Normal temperature ranges (20-90F)are not bad on a battery. High temps (90+) do affect battery life some. Yes a fully charged battery won't freeze until you get way below zero. I can't remember how low. It is also advisable to trickle charge all batteries monthly if possible. Lightly spray the top a battery with a fine mist of water. Take your DVOM (digital volt ohm meter) and place the leads on top of the battery case plastic but don't touch either terminal. You will notice that there is a surface voltage present. That is a surface discharge that takes place when the moisture content of the air is high. That's why batteries discharge when they are taken out of service for months at a time. I'm not up on the newer types of gel batteries and such so they may fit into a different catagory.

TeJay
 

porthole

Retired
Leaving batteries on concrete and that causing the battery to lose it's charge is an old wives tale. No doubt it came from a time when batteeis were no where near the quality of construction they are are today. That and leaving a battery with a dirty top will allow it to expedite the self discharge rate.

All lead acid batteries will self discharge over time, less so in cooler weather and less so as the battery ages. In storage they may very well last all winter - but - it certainly won't be detrimental to put a trickle charger on the batteries once a month. You will be rewarded by a longer lasting battery.

Self-Discharge
The self-discharge rate is a measure of how much batteries discharge on their own. The Self-Discharge rate is governed by the construction of the battery and the metallurgy of the lead used inside.

For instance, flooded cells typically use lead alloyed with Antimony to increase their mechanical strength. However, the Antimony also increases the self-discharge rate to 8-40% per month. This is why flooded lead-acid batteries should be in use often or left on a trickle-charger.

The lead found in Gel and AGM batteries does not require a lot of mechanical strength since it is immobilized by the gel or fiberglass. Thus, it is typically alloyed with Calcium to reduce Gassing and Self-Discharge. The self-discharge of Gel and AGM batteries is only 2-10% per month and thus these batteries need less maintenance to keep them happy.
 

TeJay

Well-known member
Pothole,
Great information regarding the self-discharge rate of batteries. I too always thought the concrete idea was an old wives tale but you know how long it takes for those ideas to die. After all we still make girls bikes with the center bar lowered. That's an idea held over from the 1890's when girls who did ride wore long skirts. When's the last time you saw a girl wearing a skirt riding a bike? I taught automotive for 35 years and never ran across the exact reason or percentage of self-discharge for different types of batteries. You're never to old to learn.
Thanks,
TeJay
 
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