obgraham
TriCites WA
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Joined: 08/30/2005
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Seattle Steve wrote:2oldman wrote:My advice is to disconnect the negative battery cable. I do that with my car, and 6 months later it starts right up.
Pretty amazing that it starts right up with the negative battery cable disconnected! ![[emoticon]](https://forums.trailerlife.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink") He uses Wifi to access the battery.
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2oldman
NM
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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Seattle Steve wrote:Pretty amazing that it starts right up with the negative battery cable disconnected! That's because when I close the hood it touches the negative terminal.
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wa8yxm
Davison Michigan (East of Flint)
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Joined: 07/04/2006
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Battery Tenders are designed to be connected for months on end
However.. I'd check with some folks in the area. 4 months with battery DISCONNECTED (Lift the negative lead(s) off the battery.. if leads tie them together and lay them BESIDE the battery) is not all that long.
You might not need to do anything beyond unhook.
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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Put your battery tender on a cheap mechanical lamp timer. Only charge 2-4 hours per day.
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Sandia Man
Rio Rancho, NM
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Joined: 08/09/2008
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theoldwizard1 wrote:Put your battery tender on a cheap mechanical lamp timer. Only charge 2-4 hours per day.
X2
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Skibane
San Antonio, TX
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Joined: 11/09/2005
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KD4UPL wrote:If your battery is fully charged and then disconnected there's not need to have it on a charger for 4 months. If it goes dead in that amount of time it was bad anyway.
Depends greatly on the storage temperature.
At 65 degrees, it'll only lose around 3 percent per month.
At 80 degrees, it'll lose around 4 percent per week.
If you live in Death Valley, it could probably be 10-15 percent per week.
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JimK-NY
NY
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Joined: 05/12/2010
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I would assume you are living in Alaska in the Summer months and using the RV in the Winter months. If so your battery is subject to the high temps of Arizona. When I lived in Mesa, I found that the Summer heat was really bad on batteries. I never had a car battery even last two Summers. If you are storing your RV in either the Tucson or Phoenix areas, I doubt it will make much difference what you do. The batteries are not likely to last very long. Get the batteries out of the RV and store them in the coolest, shadiest area you can find.
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Veebyes
Bermuda & Maryland Eastern Shore
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Joined: 11/24/2003
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Krusty wrote:I would charge the battery completely and disconnect it
This right here. Completely disconnect means just that. Pull the positive lead.
Four months is no big deal to even a wet cell battery that is in good shape. All kinds of vehicles & equipment sit for months at a time unused.
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phillyg
SWFL
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I use a proper battery disconnect (knife switch) at the negative terminal, and use a small solar panel and controller to maintain the two house batteries. Think it was $80 on Amazon.
--2005 Ford F350 Lariat Crewcab 6.0, 4x4, 3.73 rear
--2016 Montana 3711FL, 40'
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profdant139
Southern California
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Joined: 11/14/2005
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Someone suggested just leaving the battery to sit, not on a tender. I respectfully disagree -- a battery will self-discharge over time and will go flat, which can damage the battery.
FWIW, I use a BatteryMinder Plus -- set it and forget it. I do check the water every month or so, but I almost never have to add any.
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