Batteries are a necessity for working numerous your RV’s elements, and with out that energy, you may as effectively be sleeping in a tent. From your fridge to your tv to your lights, batteries provide the facilities that made RVing so enticing within the first place. When contemplating its significance, RV house owners ought to know keep and restore their energy supply.
When inspecting or repairing your battery, security is at all times a prime precedence. Wear security glasses and rubber gloves and use the best instruments for the job (terminal puller, spreader cleansing device).
Typically, RVs can have at the least one 12-volt deep cycle battery, whereas others have two or 4 6-volt batteries. When you plug into shore energy you energy up a converter or inverter/charger that replenishes the battery. Additionally, most producers permit the automotive alternator to cost the home batteries a small quantity whereas in operation.
To perceive the technical variations between battery sorts, seek the advice of your proprietor’s guide or decide up a replica of an in-depth RV upkeep information. For our functions, we’ll stick with normal battery upkeep and restore.
Most RV batteries are thought-about ‘wet batteries,’ which implies they’re operated off a liquid electrolyte answer. Maintaining this sort of battery requires including distilled water to the cells, which is typically tough relying on the place the producers mounted the battery tray. You can decide up distilled water at nearly any grocery retailer and use a funnel to hold out the duty.
Cleaning of the cables and the posts can also be crucial; visually test to see if they’re corroded, which might require alternative. Many issues can come up due to unfastened connections at your battery, and grounding to the body of your RV ought to be safe.
How many instances have you ever arrived at your RV after days or months of sitting in storage, and you discover your batteries are lifeless? Batteries have to be stored charged, and when in storage you need to disconnect the batteries out of your RV. Most RVs can have a battery disconnect, however they’re quite simple to put in if there isn’t one. Even with a battery disconnect if left uncharged they nonetheless will lose life.
If you continue to have dying batteries whenever you’ve taken all of the precautions, ask your self how outdated your batteries are. Perform a load check on the batteries individually to see if they’re defective, and if they’re, your battery retailer might prorate a alternative. Unfortunately, load testers are costly and are often solely discovered at certified restore amenities.
High-level battery restore and upkeep isn’t for everybody, however when you perceive the fundamentals, you may keep away from a significant headache or journey to the mechanic. That stated, it’s finest to err on the facet of warning and use a certified RV mechanic to troubleshoot superior points.
Battery upkeep and repairs require some primary data and commonsense security precautions, although when you assume you’re in over your head, Call an RV Trained Technician.
This submit was submitted by the Wander Care workforce. Wander Products are tailored for RV house owners. Each product and program has been particularly constructed to offer you useful assets and providers to maintain you and your loved ones having fun with your RV. It’s tough to get assist when you find yourself On the Road. We’ve made it a lot simpler and are with you 24 hours a day.