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Battery When Storing In Garage

C

Chris in CA

Newbie
So I am getting ready for a little weekend trip and the gaget that displays my battery charge (usually around 12.5 I think), is not showing anything. Should I have kept my trailer connected to an outlet plug in the garrage? If so, should it always be plugged in or just now and again? Finally, will my battery charge back up now that I plugged it in. Can anyone tell I am a bit of a novice? LOL. Thanks for any advice. Chris
 
Did you plug in? Is your display showing any numbers? I depleated the battery in mine about 6 weeks after I got it home :\

It happens.
 
As CampDude said, you should leave it plugged in all the time when not on the road. The built in charger will keep it in condition. Unfortunately, if the battery has been completely discharged, it is probably damaged. You can plug it in and it will probably charge up and seem to be OK, but its capacity will be reduced somewhat. A complete discharge likely will reduce the capacity by about 30%; that may still be OK for your usage, but it won't last as long as it used to.

If the battery is really deeply discharged, the charger may not recognize it at all and will not attempt to charge it. It is possible to revive a battery that is in this state, but it requires attaching another battery in parallel to get the charger to start up; once it starts charging, remove the booster battery. This might get it going, but it will have reduced capacity.
 
Thank you so much. So here is an update: I took the panel off (first time, duh) and there was a nicely written note on blue tape stating when the battery was installed. December, 2017. It is a Duracell Ultra, 12V 35Ah, AGM Deep Cycle.

Secondly, it did charge back up, but as you say, it may not have its full charge anymore. It will get me through the few one or two nighters we have scheduled and then perhaps a new battery in early summer if need be.
 
Chris in CA said:
Thank you so much. So here is an update: I took the panel off (first time, duh) and there was a nicely written note on blue tape stating when the battery was installed. December, 2017. It is a Duracell Ultra, 12V 35Ah, AGM Deep Cycle.

Secondly, it did charge back up, but as you say, it may not have its full charge anymore. It will get me through the few one or two nighters we have scheduled and then perhaps a new battery in early summer if need be.
Click to expand...

I'd use it for a few trips, see how it performs for your kind of camping. It may work just fine for you, or you may find you need the capacity that was lost to the deep discharge... Glad it took a charge
 
Woot! Be optimistic!! My wet battery seems to have done reasonably well. With lights and fans running in a simulated evening/overnight with fan, lights, and refrigerator but without the furnace...my battery was still in the ~80% range.

I will be running a real-world in T-6 days 12 hours :)
 
I got my used 550 Special a few days ago. When it arrived it showed about 12.7. First couple of days I didn’t plug it in and it was reading 11.5. I plugged the camper in for about 3 hours and it got up to about 14.3. With the main power switch on the cabin lights wouldn’t work. Unplugged it for 24 hours and the battery was down to 11 when I checked it. Whiling checking the galley light faded out.
Any suggestions on what’s going on? New to campers and batteries, etc.
TIA
 
Hi John, welcome to the club. I am quite sure that your battery is toast. The arrival voltage is likely because the battery was being charged by your tow vehicle while towing and it managed to get the voltage up, the voltage then drooped from self discharge over the next few days. The 14.3 Volts reading while it was plugged in is the voltage the charger puts out trying to add charge to the battery, and again when not actively charging, it drooped down quickly; the galley light was enough to make it drop even faster. This behavior is classic for a battery that is at the end of its life. I feel that a new battery should fix it right up.

When you have your new battery, it is a good idea to keep the camper plugged in when parked at home; the built in charger will keep the battery in good condition and extend its life.
 
Thanks for the help. Now to research batteries. I guess I should start by asking Camp-Inn?

Is there an way to remove the old battery and connect the camper system to a Jackery or other portable power source?
 
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