Winterizing Question

[DeanFamilyFun]

This is my first winter with our Heartland RV - or any RV for that matter. I've winterized the water system and have put a cover over the RV. We live in Central IL, so it get's pretty cold. The RV is parked close the house, so I've had it plugged in and am wondering if it's o.k. to leave the batteries in and to leave it plugged in through the winter? Any experiences with this - or warnings?

Thanks in Advance for your advice.

 

[cookie]

Actually I think that's a good idea. Just be sure to regularly check and maintain the water level in the battery. I would probably do the same thing if I didn't have to drag the rig down to south Texas for the winter. Darn.
Or you could just give it a good charge and take the battery in the house for the winter.

Peace
Dave

 

[Willym]

If the battery is fully charged, and disconnected from the system, you don't need to leave the trailer plugged in. The battery will be just fine outdoors. I used to do this before I retired, it saved having the lug the battery indoors.

 

[RVFun4Us]

Also interested in this. Contemplating whether to leave the battery in the Big Horn and leaving shore power plugged in or to remove the battery and put in the garage for the winter. Don't know if this is a valid concern but is there a chance that the battery would freeze in below zero temps? Also, if I left in the rig, the battery would continue to be charged and like Dave and Mary said above, just check the fluid level in the cells. If I removed and kept in the garage, I would think I would have to put a float charger on it to keep the power up. Considering these two options, what would be the best approach?

 

[Willym]

1. A well charged battery will not freeze. Most Canadians leave their cars out all winter and never have problems with them.

2. A physically disconnected battery will not loose it's charge in a few months. When you buy a new battery it comes fully charged, but may have been sitting on a shelf for many months without any float charge.

3. One of the most common causes of battery failure is overcharging.

Hence my recommendation is to leave it in the rig, disconnected.

 

[DeanFamilyFun]

Thanks for the help with this. Much appreciated!

 

[PUG]

As said before, a fully charged battery will not freeze. The charger unit that came in mine (3950) charges and then adjusts down to a float so as to not overcharge. I leave the rv plugged in all the time and occasionally check the water level in the batteries. If your units charger does not to float charging, just purchase a good quality charger that floats and stick it on.

 

[ChopperBill]

Ours has been in storage with no charger for over 2 months. The batteries still show 12.7 volts