Storing Batteries
Last year, when storing my coach for the winter, I ran a jumper wire (fused) from my house battery bank (six 6-volt batteries) to my three other batteries “” the gen set starting battery and the two chassis batteries.
They wintered just fine at temperatures as low as minus-25 degrees Fahrenheit and were all fully charged in spring.
Since the batteries are in storage, they require only minimal charging while remaining unused; there is no problem with unequal banks, because they are receiving milliamps on a daily basis. The total water usage for all my batteries (a real indicator of overcharging) is approximately 3 pints per year.
I have been in the battery-charging business off and on since 1981, and know that many misconceptions abound. It has never been made clear to me, scientifically, why batteries in a bank must be equal in capacity and equal in age. Of course. no one expects a motorcycle battery to be satisfactory if connected in parallel with six golf cart batteries, but has there been any actual scientific testing?
Tony Aldridge, F312730
Winfield, British Columbia, Canada
I actually have had the same question. Here is my opinion: if I have a single battery in a battery bank that has an early failure, I would replace only that battery. However, if the batteries are all aging “” say, 3 or 4 years old “” I would replace all of them at the same time, using the logic that they will soon start failing one by one and I might as well save myself the anguish of changing them out one at a time.
For the information of other readers: hooking up batteries as Mr. Aldridge suggests is okay for trickle charging (maintenance) but won’t work for bulk charging.
Battery Disconnect?
We store our motorhome in a port at our home and hook up the electricity to a 50-amp receptacle that was installed just for the coach. If we are not planning an imminent trip, we do not run the refrigerator, heat pumps, etc., while the coach is parked. Should we disconnect the batteries to stop the behind-the-scene components from running? If we do not hook up the electricity, the coach batteries will go dead. We would appreciate your thoughts on this matter.
Bob and Opal Ingram, F282880
Salisbury, North Carolina
The age of the batteries might be one reason they will discharge when the coach is unplugged. Newer, healthy batteries will have a slight self-discharge rate. Old and sulfated batteries will self-discharge at a higher rate. If there is one bad battery, it will lead to quicker discharge of the others. There are some parasitic loads, such as the ECM security system, etc., that pull energy from the batteries all the time, but these shouldn’t drain the batteries completely. I suggest that you have the batteries load tested if they continually discharge when disconnected.
If there is electricity from the house and the charger will maintain the batteries satisfactorily (between 13.2 and 13.5 volts DC), I would recommend leaving the coach plugged in and the batteries connected. If the voltage is measuring higher, you might consider plugging the charger into a heavy-duty timer and setting it to charge an hour a day.
Higher-Amperage Fuse
I have a 2003 Workhorse chassis. I made my own light bar to put on the back of my 2007 Saturn Vue towed car. I run electrical wiring from the motorhome to the light bar; it does not tie into the car’s wiring system at all. Originally, I had one light on each side of the light bar and had no problem. I recently added another light on each side so I would have more lighting on the back for night towing. I simply spliced the two added lights to the original two lights I had. The fuse block under the hood of the motorhome has two 5-amp fuses “” one for the right taillight and one for the left taillight. Is that a big enough fuse for four taillights, or will I possibly have problems with fuses blowing? If fuses do blow, would it be safe to install 10-amp or 15-amp fuses in the motorhome fuse block, or would I risk the possibility of the circuits overheating before a fuse would blow? I would appreciate any information you could give me on this.
Bill Koboldt, F148740
Saginaw, Michigan
You haven’t had a fuse problem so far, right? If the added lights were going to cause the fuse to blow, it would have happened as soon as the new lights were turned on. Therefore, I don’t think you need to concern yourself with possible problems. If you do run into a problem with the 5-amp fuses blowing, you could add relays into the circuits to avoid overtaxing the fuses. Or you could install LED lights in place of the existing taillights; they’re brighter and use much less juice. However, under no circumstances should you substitute a fuse with one that has a higher amp rating unless you wish to take a chance on a fire in your motorhome.
Equinox Odometer
Is there a fuse I can pull to avoid adding miles when I tow my 2010 Equinox?
Don Miner, F340004
Allegan, Michigan
Follow the instructions for recreational towing in the Equinox’s owners manual. You’ll find that the setup procedures indicate that fuse #32 needs to be removed to prevent battery drain. In the past, mileage accumulation was an issue with late-model vehicles that used mechanical odometers. But vehicles with electronic odometers typically do not add miles when the vehicle is being towed with the ignition off or in the ACC position.
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