By Jim Twamley

When I owned a house it came with a lawn which I had to water and mow and water and mow. As a full-time RVer I no longer owned a lawn (angels singing, fanfare playing) and therefore I no longer had to water the lawn. However, I still had to water my batteries.

A vital component of your RV’s electrical system is your battery bank. It really is like a bank because you make deposits of electricity and then make withdrawals and hopefully you never let the balance in your account drop below 50 percent. Why? Because this will ruin your batteries like bounced checks will ruin your credit.

You also need to “water” your batteries from time to time. This means that you “top off” the cells with distilled water. Always use distilled water because the minerals have been removed and will prevent CBU (crud build up) on your battery plates. To do this job you will need distilled water, a turkey baster, eye protection, a flashlight and some paper towels.

First put on your eye protection (you’re working with acid here), then open your battery cell cover. Mine are the e-z-open kind with flip-levers, but you may have batteries that require a flat-head screwdriver to pop them open. Next, you suck up some water in the old turkey baster and fill your battery cells so that the water completely covers the lead plates (hopefully you haven’t let the water level get this low). I usually fill the cell until the water is even with the bottom of the fill hole.

Do not fill it to the top because when you replace the cap, it will spill battery acid all over your battery and run down the side and muck up your battery compartment causing severe CBU. If you do accidentally fill it to the top, just use the baster to remove the excess and put it into the next available cell that needs topped off. Do not — repeat DO NOT gargle with this stuff!

Put the covers back on and wipe up any spills with the paper towels. Be sure to wash your hands — a mixture of baking soda and water will neutralize any acid that may have come in contact with skin or anything else for that matter. Try not to get any of this stuff on your skin or your clothing. But if you do, don’t freak out, just neutralize it and thoroughly wash it off. That’s it, you’re done.

Oh, one word of advice: Don’t use your kitchen turkey baster. Trust me, you wife will know you used it no matter how much you clean it! Just pick one up at the Dollar Store and stay out of trouble.

photo: Jim Twamley

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

More is usually better! You may also want to consider an upgrade to AGM batteries if you plan on extended dry camping excursions. Lots of options to consider!

Read more from Gary Bunzer at the RVdoctor.com.

#RVD737′ #RVT740

By Greg Illes

Sometimes batteries seem ridiculously simple — we tend to see them as either working or dead. But there is way more than meets the eye in this 2,000-year-old technology.

RV batteries are made with lead plates interleaved with lead-dioxide plates. The plates are immersed in sulfuric acid, and the electrochemical reaction creates the battery effect. The whole bundle is wrapped up in a big plastic box with the electrical terminals on top.

As current is drawn from the battery, a chemical change occurs which causes both plates to begin to change into lead-sulfate. Normally when the battery is recharged, the lead-sulfate layer is converted back into lead and lead-dioxide.

This is where a major wrinkle arises. After extended use or even prolonged storage, some of that lead-sulfate begins to change from a fine-grained powder-like state into crystals. The crystalline structure prevents the lead-sulfate from changing back into lead and lead-dioxide, and the battery is described as “sulfated.” This is literally the beginning of the end of a battery’s life. When enough sulfation builds up, the battery plates become increasingly unable to perform their function — the battery becomes a very expensive, acid-filled boat anchor.

Because a battery in storage has a self-discharge component, it is common to find heavy sulfation occurring in fresh batteries after extended storage. Frequent discharge/recharge cycles are actually good for a battery because it does not provide time for the sulfate crystallization to occur. You can avoid the worst of sulfation influences by keeping batteries fully charged as much as possible, and never storing a discharged battery.

Once sulfated, batteries at one time were relegated to the recycle bin. However, there are now affordable devices which deliver a specialized pulse charging current. These battery chargers and maintainers (sometimes called desulfators) are sold by a number of vendors. A predominant player in this area is BatteryMINDer^®, providing multiple models priced from $50-$150. See Amazon.com and automotive websites for details and reviews.

Keeping your batteries connected to a desulfator while stored is one of the best methods to prolong battery life, not to mention that it will keep your batteries at full charge for your next use.

For a lot more detail on batteries, there’s a terrific write-up in Wikipedia.

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

There’s a lot of beauty that can be reached only when “dry camping” or boondocking. If you’re new to the idea of RVing without hookups, here’s a good reminder regarding battery life.

RV batteries take a LONG time to charge, particularly if you’re trying to charge them with the typical RV converter-charger. Here’s a scenario: “I’ve been out here a couple of days and my lights started going dim. So I fired up the generator and it’s been running for hours, but my battery is still low!”

The standard “factory equipped” converter-charger rarely sends more than 3 or 4 amps to the battery when “shore power” or generator power is available. At that rate it can take many, many hours to really charge up the RV battery. If you don’t have solar or wind power and don’t have a built-in high current charging system, here’s how to make your RV generator help out:

Use a fairly high current freestanding battery charger — like you’d pick up at an auto parts store — and hook it directly to the RV “house” battery — the one that operates your interior lights and water pump. If you need an extension cord, be sure to use a suitably “gauged” (heavy enough) cord for the charger.

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

When your RV is “in storage,” and not in harness on the open road, don’t neglect the battery. A depleted battery not kept at full charge is one that can more easily freeze. If it does, you can expect the expansion to crack the case and ruin the battery. A simple maintenance charger that “floats” at full charge isn’t costly and will save big money.

Power consumption while your rig is in storage can create problems, too. Yes, you shut everything off, but there are loads that you may not have thought of. LP gas and carbon monoxide detectors that are hard-wired to the 12-volt system never shut off. One way to deal with this is to either disconnect the battery leads when not using the rig, or by pulling the fuse that sends power to these detectors. If you choose the latter route, put a BIG sign up in the rig, reminding yourself to plug the fuse back in before heading out on the road. And when you pull that fuse, shut off the LP supply valve for a little more peace of mind.

While you don’t need to be compulsive about it, keeping your batteries clean will keep them happier. That little bit of dirt across the top of the battery case can actually conduct electricity in the presence of moisture. A slight, but real, discharge of juice can occur. And keep those terminals clean — a little crud, corruption or corrosion will impede the flow of those healthy electrons and can lead to problems.

Fill ‘er up! ALWAYS keep the top plates of “flooded” batteries covered with electrolyte. This means refilling to the “split ring” or about a half-inch above the separators. ONLY USE distilled water, NEVER tap water. Minerals in tap water can cause real issues for batteries. On the other hand, don’t overfill your cells.

By Bob Difley

The PowerArmor is a high quality locking aluminum battery box. Developed specifically to prevent increasingly common and expensive battery theft and related damage to wiring from ‘cut and run’ thefts.

PowerArmor is available in multiple sizes for both 12 and 6 volt battery applications. It’s engineered to hold and protect either Group 24 to Group 31 12 volt batteries or 6 volt T105 or SC2 golf cart batteries. The design uses a unique lockable slide top (lock included) for quick, easy access. It can also be used for safe lockable storage when not used for batteries. By using it with batteries, you have extra battery power for your RV, truck camper, truck, van etc.

There is an access hole in the back of the PowerArmor for the electrical wires to pass through the side wall of the box so it can be easily wired into your electrical circuit and incorporates a special design for proper battery ventilation. The PowerArmor DH comes with Torklift International’s Legendary Lifetime Warranty and is proudly made in the USA.

PowerArmor Features
•Prevent common and expensive storage/battery theft
•Dual use for securing batteries and other gear
•Bolts to your RV, camper bumper, truck, van etc.
•Heavy gauge diamond plate aluminum
•Unique slide top for easy storage access
•Maintains charge increasing the longevity of the batteries
•Comes in bright tread diamond plate and high impact powder-coat black diamond plate
•Brings batteries back from 50% life
•Easy to clean
•Four sizes available for 6 volt and 12 volt applications
•Designed to securely store batteries and trailer hitch parts, camping gear, etc
•Holds up to five group 24 or group 27 batteries OR up to four group 31 batteries
•Adjustable dividers for custom size compartment storage
•Lifetime Warranty
•And how about this?! Made in the USA

For tech support call 800-246-8132 or visit the Torklift International website for more information and to find a dealer near you.

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

When RVers think of gas pains, they may think about the price they have to pay for a fill-up in California. Ah, but there’s more to gas than gasoline.

RVers are rightly concerned about having enough battery power. But with batteries come dangers — some not easily recognized. Charging batteries produce hydrogen gas, a highly explosive byproduct. Hydrogen is not something to fear, but respect.

To keep safe:

• Always have plenty of ventilation in the battery compartment. Make sure that hydrogen gas can easily vent to the outside atmosphere.
• Never operate RV batteries inside the coach. The living quarters of the rig is no place for an explosive atmosphere.
• Don’t set up equipment in the battery compartment that could spark — that includes power inverters.

By Chris Dougherty

Chris Dougherty is a certified RV technician. Here is a letter he received from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.

Dear Chris,
I have a 50 amp transfer switch. My question is if the power from the converter/charger goes through the transfer switch? I’m boiling batteries and trying to determine if the converter or transfer switch is bad; or none of the above? —James

Dear James,
I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the transfer switch is not involved. The transfer switch selects incoming AC power from the generator or shore power.

The bad news is this is a normal condition for basic ac/dc converters. Simply put, the purpose of a converter is to take AC power from an external source (electric utility or genset) and convert it down to DC. These will frequently apply 13-14 volts to the system continuously, which can lead to boiling the batteries.

The best fix would be to replace that converter with a smart converter system. There are several on the market, including the Xantrex TrueCharge2, the Iota IQ4, the Parallax TempAssure, and the Progressive Dynamics Intelli-power system. They range in price depending on the size and options of the unit, but installation is usually pretty straightforward.

In any case, until you resolve the issue, make sure you keep the batteries topped off with distilled water!

##rvt748

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

You know it’s cold out when, as my father-in-law suggested, “It’s colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss.” Yeah, that can be pretty cold.

For RVers, when it’s cold out, it can have a definite effect on our rig’s batteries. For the motorhomer, this can be a double-whammy, as when getting ready to up-and-go, a “click, click, click” noise from the starter is a sure-fire way to discover unhappiness. But for any of us, motorhomer or non-motorized user, cold batteries can result in more than just frustration — in some cases it can lead to a serious hit on the pocketbook.

Here’s the problem: Your battery is more than just a “bank” for power, it’s really a sort of chemical reactor. Cold temperatures tend to slow the reaction level down, make it more difficult to draw the needed power. That part of the problem is only compounded when a battery is called on for starting an engine. Why so? Because the colder the ambient temperature, the stiffer the lubricants in the engine become, creating yet more resistance to overcome when starting, hence, an even greater need for power.

But even for “house” batteries where turning over the engine is not an issue, cold weather still takes a toll. The demand for power in winter for an RVer tends to increase. The days are shorter, hence, more interior lighting is used. If you heat your rig with the factory-provided furnace, then you can be sure you’ll be pumping plenty of power to the furnace blower. A popular furnace produced by Suburban demands 8.5 amps per hour. Let’s say you run the furnace ten hours, at a 50 percent duty cycle. Run the math and you can say “Bye Bye!” to 45 amp hours. And with the ever-increasing popularity of electronic devices, the demand for battery power in our rigs just keeps growing.

But of course, we put it back in, right? If you are connected to shore power, then the power converter should be taking care of all our use, right? Perhaps, provided your use doesn’t outpace the ability of the power converter; in which case, you’re simply pulling that extra need from the batteries. And yes, the converter should act as a charger to start stuffing it back into those batteries, but again, not all converters are equal. Some converters charge at a rate as low as three amps.

But there’s another scenario to consider as well. When your RV is “at rest,” and not in use, if not hooked up to a charging system, the rig batteries will slowly run down. The matter is called “self discharge,” and can really make a difference. For common “flooded lead acid” batteries, the typical self-discharge rate runs about 5 percent of charge per month; more expensive gel batteries have a self-discharge rate between 2 and 4 percent per month. Let your rig sit for a few months and you may find on your return that it’s simply NOT ready to roll.

But worse, still, is that a discharged battery deteriorates faster than a fully charged battery. This is because of sulfation – and it’s part of that chemical reaction process we talked about earlier. Without getting into too much tech-detail, it works like this. The liquid in your battery, the electrolyte, contains two types of ions: hydrogen ions and sulfate ions. When the battery is called on to produce electricity, the sulfate ions move to the negative plates in the battery, while the hydrogen ions move toward the positive plates. Both join up with the lead in the plates, forming hydrogen sulfate. This material is an insulator, but happily, when the battery is charged, through the chemical reaction, much of this lead sulfate is put off. But if a battery is not charged, these nasty lead sulfate crystals grow and get harder. And the harder the crystal, the more resistant it is to going back into solution. The more this stuff builds up, the greater the resistance to charging, and the heavier it gets. Battery plates can literally break off; and the lead sulfate crystals then build up at the bottom of the battery, eventually reaching the base of the plates, killing the battery.

Add one more item to your list of battery problems: While a fully charged battery typically is freeze-proof, the more discharged a battery becomes, the greater the likelihood that it will freeze. Freeze the electrolyte, it expands; and expand it too much, break the battery. For some of us, breaking the battery can mean breaking the bank.

Bottom line: It’s essential to care for your batteries – they need to be regularly charged. And to protect it from overcharging, a “smart” charger, one which monitors the battery state of charge and reduces the charge current appropriately, is truly the only safe way to care for your expensive battery bank.

##rvt758

By Chris Dougherty
Chris Dougherty is a certified RV technician. Here is a letter he received from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.

Dear Chris,
Because our chassis battery does not charge when we are plugged into shore power, we plug in a small 12-volt solar panel and set it on the dash when we are parked for extended periods of time. We test periodically and it seems to be providing a trickle charge to the chassis batteries. Do you know whether there are any negatives to doing this? —Phyllis and Lamont, The Cooking Ladies

Dear Phyllis and Lamont,
Thanks for writing in. Always good to hear from The Cooking Ladies!

These chargers are fine as far as they go. They usually have small capacity (<4 watts) and will trickle charge an already charged battery to keep it maintained. They are not designed to charge a dead battery, however, and can only supplement a small drain on the battery.

If you have a need for more charging capability, installing a battery maintainer may be a better choice. Xantrex makes the Digital Echo~Charge which detects when the house battery bank is being charged and directs a portion of the charge current to auxiliary or starting batteries. The charger current offered by the Digital Echo~Charge is limited to 15 amps; however, that is sufficient to keep both sets of batteries where they should be.

Hope this helps!

Editor: the Xantrex Digital Echo-Charge is available on Amazon.

##rvt759