Keeping the battery charged

Photomom

When the T@B is sitting on the driveway between trips, or when I'm at a campsite with an electrical hookup, will the battery charge when I plug the trailer into the mains? Or do I also need a battery tender/charger? Or do I need solar panels or a generator even if we have electric if I want to keep the battery charged? We tend to stay put for several days at a time when camping. 

Here in western New York we will likely store a T@B in some type of storage facility at least 4-5 months of the year as we already have more cars than garage bays. Do we need to remove the battery and connect it to a battery tender in the basement (which stays above freezing) in the winter?

TIA!

Verna

Yes, the battery will discharge from the parasitic draws from the sound system, the CO alarm, smoke detector, etc. Some choice are: simplest is to remove the fuse at the battery, next would be to put a battery switch at the battery (lots have done that, so try a search to see pictures and directions), next would be a solar panel and controller to keep the battery charged, and to me, the most difficult would be removing the battery and charging at home (but this would be the most consistant to keep it trickle charged).

vito

Where exactly is the battery fuse located? I have yet to take the cover off the battery but might consider removing the fuse if it is reasonable to access. 

Verna

It's under the cover in a small black rubber holder that is large enough just for a fuse and it's holder. Watch how the nylon strap goes into its buckle so you can strap it back tightly. My buckle end always seems to fall through to the ground...although I won't have to worry about that with the new tongue box. 

Photomom

We'd definitely put in a battery disconnect switch, that makes a lot of sense. 

But, how to charge the battery?

jkjenn

Photomom said:

When the T@B is sitting on the driveway between trips, or when I'm at a campsite with an electrical hookup, will the battery charge when I plug the trailer into the mains? Or do I also need a battery tender/charger? Or do I need solar panels or a generator even if we have electric if I want to keep the battery charged? We tend to stay put for several days at a time when camping. 

Here in western New York we will likely store a T@B in some type of storage facility at least 4-5 months of the year as we already have more cars than garage bays. Do we need to remove the battery and connect it to a battery tender in the basement (which stays above freezing) in the winter?

TIA!

In your driveway, you can use a pigtail adapter and charge from your home. I use a 10 watt solar trickle charger from Goal Zero at home. Those are sold in the Teardrop Shop.

For winter storage, you will want to pull the battery and charge in the house if there is no way to charge at the storage facility.

Verna

I'll be using a 50 watt solar panel to charge mine. But, I can't hide it from view, so it probably won't be good for a storage yard. 

Photomom

We will look for an indoor RV storage facility, but most are unheated and it isn't unusual to reach -10F here in the winter. Can't imagine a battery would survive that. How hard is it to remove and reinstall the battery?

Jenn, is the 10 watt solar charger enough to keep the battery charged for, say, a month if there is no current draw on the battery? That would certainly be easier than running a power cord into the garage. 

Photomom

Oh, and does the battery charge if the trailer is plugged into the mains or not? Would I only need a trickle charger if I removed the battery from the trailer?

jkjenn

Photomom said:

We will look for an indoor RV storage facility, but most are unheated and it isn't unusual to reach -10F here in the winter. Can't imagine a battery would survive that. How hard is it to remove and reinstall the battery?

Jenn, is the 10 watt solar charger enough to keep the battery charged for, say, a month if there is no current draw on the battery? That would certainly be easier than running a power cord into the garage. 

It isn't hard, just heavy.

Lisa33

The trailer's converter WILL recharge your battery when you are plugged in.  You do not need an additional charger.

Photomom

Hmm, can the battery be stored in an unheated attached garage if it is on a battery maintainer? It can get down to 25F sometimes. Might be to heavy to carry down to the basement. 

RZRBUG

Photomom said:

Hmm, can the battery be stored in an unheated attached garage if it is on a battery maintainer? It can get down to 25F sometimes. Might be to heavy to carry down to the basement. 

Yes.  Also, if you take out the battery, be sure to mark with a felt tip pen which wires go where so you won't have to scratch your head about where they go when you are ready to reconnect.