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TearlessTom View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Jan 2019
Location: Spanish Fort AL
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Posts: 85 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Battery Maintenance?
    Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 1:39pm
Probably a silly question but I am at work and cant go check for myself for a few days.  

How often should I check the water in my batteries if left hooked to shore power when at home.???

I ask this because I had deep cycle batteries in my boat which unfortunately has been sitting for way too long due to engine issues.   I had them on the built in charger but all three of them were almost completely dry of water when I went to try to prepare it for use this spring ... 

Is it just evaporation or the constant charging that is drying th e batteries up.

regardless I now have 3 dead very expensive batteries and poss another on the camper .

 
Tearless Tom
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 2:38pm
Unfortunately, the problem can cascade if ignored. The low cell lowers the voltage and the charger thinks it needs to jump to bulk charge mode which causes more heat and evaporation. I'm sorry your boat batteries had the problem. However, you may be okay with the RPod. I've gone for 3-6 months without checking and never got below the top of the plates. however, it is best to check at least once every 3 months, more frequently if you notice them being low.
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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Joined: 20 Sep 2017
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Posts: 1014 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 2:55pm
Same basic principle here, every 3 months for water level. I keep my charged with solar. I do go a bit further and check voltage weekly. I also tend to run the batt's down a bit once a month. Just me and what I do. My trade-in batts for these new ones where close to the age of the salesperson selling them to me.. LOL

I'll have to learn a whole new way once the lithium is installed. That will come in the house for the winter and be a UPS as required. 
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TearlessTom View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Jan 2019
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Posts: 85 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 3:23pm
Thanks for the info. That is what I was looking for.

 I do let them run down from time to time as I have to borrow the extension cord that it is hooked to shore power with for other yard work duties and often forget to plug it back in until I hear it beeping.

   Hopefully they will be ok but I fear the worse.  I will check Wednesday when I am off.  
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jato View Drop Down
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Joined: 23 Feb 2012
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Posts: 3227 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 5:49pm
I normally check mine every two months except during the winter here in northern Michigan.  In November both batteries (12v. Interstate, deep cycle, group size 24) get pulled out of the 177.  They are placed on the concrete floor in our unheated garage.  Before charging I check for electrolyte levels and clean the top of the battery with baking soda and rinse off.  They are then given a trickle charge of 2 amps from 24-36 hours or until fully charged.  They then sit in hibernation until the following May when I repeat the process and then re-install in the 177.  Batteries are 9+ years old, we boondock a lot so the batteries are used a lot, they have been very dependable over the years.  Am curious to see how long these will last.
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 Apr 2016
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 6:21pm
I have the original battery in my 2015 178. It is in the box, with 120 power applied from outlet to trailer, so converter is maintaining it. I check the water levels each and every month, and add acid/water when required.
Mike Carter
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
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Posts: 6290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2020 at 7:20pm
Originally posted by Olddawgsrule

Same basic principle here, every 3 months for water level. I keep my charged with solar. I do go a bit further and check voltage weekly. I also tend to run the batt's down a bit once a month. Just me and what I do. My trade-in batts for these new ones where close to the age of the salesperson selling them to me.. LOL

I'll have to learn a whole new way once the lithium is installed. That will come in the house for the winter and be a UPS as required. 
Use of them as an UPS is a good way to make use of them during the winter months. Mine is installed and is going to stay in the RPod. If it were on the tongue, I might think differently, but it is safely ensconced inside so there it will stay.

If there is a cut-off switch, the LiFePO4 battery can go for a year or more since the self-discharge rate is so low (~2% / month). The only limitation is not charging it below 32F.  This is what the specifications for the ExpertPower battery I purchased say:

Charging: 32°F to 140°F

Discharging: -4°F to 140°F
StephenH
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Apr 2020 at 8:09am
+1 to mcarter. Check water level at least monthly to start with if leaving the batteries on a charger.  There are so many variables (battery size and chemistry details, temperature, charger settings and whether the charger has been powered down resulting in a reset) that its not a one size fits all question, and its not worth exposing the plates due to lack of watering. Once you get an idea how your system performs you can cut back on watering checks if you want to. 
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Joined: 07 Mar 2020
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Posts: 118 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Apr 2020 at 4:56pm
Do you need to 1) disconnect the shore power when you check the water levels and 2) disconnect the battery cables when you check?
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
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Posts: 6290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Apr 2020 at 5:07pm
Disconnect from shore power is not needed if you go to your power panel and turn off the converter (on mine, it is the bottom circuit breaker). If you are not using metal when working around the batteries, you don't necessarily need to disconnect the cables unless you need to do so for access to the cell covers.

Be sure to use distilled water when adding to your battery. That way, you don't introduce contaminants to the electrolyte.
StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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