Battery Care Between Trips

What is the best way to care for the battery between trips? Should it be kept at full charge or plugged in all the time? Is there a recommended "battery tender" device that can be plugged it at all times to maintain a full charge?

Thanks,

Randy

 

The best thing is to leave it plugged in. The built in charger s a battery tender and cwill keep the battery happy.

 

Hello Randy
Sue and I have an early 560 Raindrop from 2008. We still are on the original (small) battery. We keep it on the trickle charger pretty much all the time including during storage (October till late May). When under the summer shelter outdoors it is also plugged in. The battery continues to work and test just fine.

JimH

 

Thanks guys. I assume the built-in charger only pulls current when needed.

 

Knock on wood - but my 2008 has the original battery and the trailer is plugged in whenever there is a power source - out camping or in storage.

 

The charger will have a small "vampire" load when plugged in, but it should be quite small. If you are into extreme power saving you could plug it in one day a week and be fine, but I don't have the discipline to remember stuff like that.

 

Should the main DC power switch be turned off when storing, say for a week or so between trips?

 

That is completely up to you. If the trailer is plugged in turning off the battery switch does not give you much benefit. The main benefit is keeping people from turning on things like lights in the camper and leaving them on (kids are great at this). I myself prefer to leave the switch on so I can open the hatch every now and again and check the voltage to make sure the on board tender is doing it's thing.

Cary

 

I was wondering about this because I leave mine plugged in and the switch on all the time.