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P&M View Drop Down
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Joined: 13 Aug 2012
Location: Spokane, WA
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Posts: 454 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Trickle Charger
    Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 10:25am
I just keep learning more and more here ... and keep needing to spend more and more as I learn!  Confused
 
Pulled my battery for winterization and to modify the case for a kill switch & to figure out a better way of securing it to the frame.  I read that many here keep their batteries on a trickle charger so that it doesn't discharge too low and ruin it ... Good idea and one I need to implement.  However, I've never bought one and when I looked there are hundreds of different sizes to choose from.
 
Can anyone tell me what sort of size (i.e. amps) I should get in a charger?  And I assume I want one that automatically turns on/off? 
 
Thanks in advance -- y'all are making Pod ownership much, much easier and safer for me!
P & M ... and Comet too!
2012 171 -- The Monkey Pod
2018 Ram 2500
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Posts: 633 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 11:23am
I have a a 2 amp smart charger that I use. Mine is a MotoMaster Eliminator brand but that is a Canadian Tire Store brand so you will not be able to find that in the US, but there are a lot of them out there.  It is a good Idea to make sure that it is a 3 stage charger for a maintenance charger because it will not overcharge the battery. This one is similar to mine.
Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition
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Posts: 672 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 11:56am
  I just went to Sears and bought their small trickle charger ( I think that it ran about $29.00 a couple of years ago), only charges when the battery drops to a certain point. I keep it in the garage plugged in all winter. You really don't need anything big or fancy unless that's what you want.   Goose
Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 4:43pm
Another option is to just charge it once a month, overnight.  Lead-acid batteries must be charged that often in the summer, but if you leave the battery on the tongue and it gets cold where you live (maybe not cold enough in NC), you can get away with every 2-3 months during the coldest part of the winter.  Just make sure you have some kind of battery disconnect and disconnect it from the pod between charges - and make sure you reconnect it the day you charge it.
 
I have been considering getting a trickle charger for my tractor and the pod.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 214 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 10:26pm
Here's a "Battery MINDER" I just purchased from Northern Tool http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201?cm_mmc=Housefile-_-RECEIVED-_-707-_-CONF

It s currently listed at $34.99
Bill & Bev
13 yr old dachshund 'Elsa'
2010 RP-176T (tent & slide-out)
2011 Toyota Tundra 2WD TV
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Posts: 214 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 10:28pm
Originally posted by Bill-GA

Here's a "Battery MINDER" I just purchased from Northern Tool http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200332201_200332201?cm_mmc=Housefile-_-RECEIVED-_-707-_-CONF

200+ users rated it 4.9 / 5.0.   It's currently listed at $34.99
Bill & Bev
13 yr old dachshund 'Elsa'
2010 RP-176T (tent & slide-out)
2011 Toyota Tundra 2WD TV
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Posts: 315 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2012 at 10:43am
Remember that if you store your Pod in a cold environment and the battery discharges...the battery can freeze up and crack open. It is very important to keep the charge up.
TIDALWAVE
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Posts: 466 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Nov 2012 at 9:45am
Originally posted by TIDALWAVE

Remember that if you store your Pod in a cold environment and the battery discharges...the battery can freeze up and crack open. It is very important to keep the charge up.
 
 
Exactly why I've chosen and am fortuneate enough, to run a long extension cord over to both campers to keep them plugged in a winter long.  The 1st year I had them, I tried the "charging on occasion over the winter", but it proved to be too much of a hassle for me.  Leaving them plugged in all winter allows me to forget about them.  I understand that not everyone is able to do that.
 
"Ray & Connie"

- 2017 R-Pod RP-180
- 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road
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Posts: 454 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Nov 2012 at 3:11pm
I pulled the battery so that I could store it in the garage, make some mods to the case, and keep others from trying to steal it since I have the Pod in a Public Storage lot.  The charger on Northern Tool looks pretty good and was along the lines I was hoping to pay ... thanks!
P & M ... and Comet too!
2012 171 -- The Monkey Pod
2018 Ram 2500
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Bill-GA View Drop Down
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Posts: 214 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Nov 2012 at 7:33pm
I'm new to "battery charging and maintenance" over the winter.  Previously I just plugged the Pod 120V into my house.   I haven't received my new Battery Minder yet, but I would guess it is a "smart charger" and is better than just keeping my battery charged in the Pod. It has a "desulfanator" feature (?), so I'm guessing it somehow does what it needs to do ... And is good at doing it.

Are there any experienced folks out there that are experience with smart chargers? Desulfanators?
Bill & Bev
13 yr old dachshund 'Elsa'
2010 RP-176T (tent & slide-out)
2011 Toyota Tundra 2WD TV
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