Charging Battery Between Trips

[jerry101jlh]

Read a post on another forum that batteries should be kept charged between trips. Now the answer to that question may be on here somewhere, but don't see it. We have a small gel cell and can get a battery tender fairly cheap, but is it wise to keep the battery charged 24/7 or let it die completely and get a full recharge via the TV while on the way to wherever?

[dh]

Battery maintainers are designed to do just that, maintain a battery while stored. Some use them like a power supply successfully, but they deliver a maintenance charge and have a built in charge controller to prevent overcharging and just keep it topped off. IMHO this is a mutch better option than letting the battery die completely down.

[GuitarPhotog]

Don't let a lead acid battery, whether gel cell, AGM, or conventional wet cell, go completely dead.

Doing so will damage the plates making it difficult/impossible to recharge.

Always keep the battery more than 50% charged, with fully charged being better for the battery's health.

<Chas>

[jerry101jlh]

Appreciate all the input as this is a subject that has never crossed my mind. Trying to read in all this advice and take what applies. Yes, know you do not want to leave a battery fully discharged or dry. In my particular situation the manufacturer says 40 minutes of being hooked up to the TV while running will completely recharge the battery. There is no draw on the battery while parked between trips. Any trips taken most likely will be longer than the 40 minutes so returning home and putting away the trailer battery should be fully charged. Time between trips most likely would never be more than 60 days and unlikely a battery in good condition would fully discharge in that time period if no draw on it. A battery tender might be a good idea and not cost prohibitive, but most likely not needed. So does what I say here make sense?

[Shadow Catcher]

Best source I have seen for over all info is http://www.batteryfaq.org care and feeding of a battery is important if you do not want to be buying another one soon.

[Richard A.]

Time between trips most likely would never be more than 60 days and unlikely a battery in good condition would fully discharge in that time period if no draw on it. A battery tender might be a good idea and not cost prohibitive, but most likely not needed. So does what I say here make sense?

If I were you I would get the Battery Tender (brand name).

I have a 12v "marine" battery and I charge it EVERY week when not in use. For the winter I will remove it, bring it inside and put it on something similar to the Battery Tender.

Batteries "self discharge" when not being used. The longest battery life will be when the battery is kept at full charge. A Battery Tender is cheap insurance.

[bdosborn]

Sulfation begins on even slightly discharged batteries in as little as a day. Batteries should be recharged as soon as possible and should be on a maintainer 24/7 when not in use for maximum battery life.

Bruce