Bad Girl!! RV Battery Question

[Cudedog]

I am (probably) a bad girl.

I purchased my travel trailer (a Jayco 154Bh, Baja) in March of last year. I took it from northern California to Yellowstone last year, then for a short trip to Klamath Falls and back. My van pulls it like a dream, it is perfect or me and my dog, and I quite like it.

When not using the trailer, I keep the battery completely disconnected (wires removed from the terminals) because there seemed to be a slow, although low, drain on the battery from things like the smoke detector and the carbon monoxide detector when the trailer - and thus the battery - was in storage.

I have not (this is the "bad girl" part!) charged the battery since it was used last year, about 10 months ago +/-.

I took the trailer in for a maintenance service this morning, expecting to need to purchase a new battery (because I figured the battery had not been charged in so long it was probably toast).

The service person decided to test the battery before putting a new battery in, I expected the voltage to be less than ten volts, but the voltage on the voltmeter showed the battery to be holding at 12.4 volts. Which - I think - means the battery is still good. (again, while in storage the battery was disconnected from the battery cables, so no possibility of any kind of load).

They said that they would put the battery on a charger, and also test it for "draw" to be sure the battery was useable.

I'm not sure what this "draw" thing is. Also, is it possible for a battery to still be good after so long?

Thanks, everyone. Appreciate anyone/everyone's response.

Anne

[Bethers]

You should be okay. Being disconnected it drained, but only a little. If memory serves me correctly you're at about 80%. You don't want to drain rv batteries below 50% as that starts shortening their life. You didn't do that. While connected you want to be more diligent with them, but I'd say you're fine.

[MelissaD]

I installed a disconnect switch on my battery. On turn of the switch and it's disconnected. Costs around $10-20 for the switch. You'll want to do it yourself. The dealer doesn't always put it "at the battery" to cut off all the loads. They put it after the CO2 detector (some state it's a law) but then the batteries dead and it wouldn't work anyways.

Disconnect Battery before working and turn off power to camper.
Come off the (+) side (red). Cut the line (or add more power cable), install and mount the switch and your done. https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Disconne ... 3409&psc=1

How too video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmtRpARGMc8

They make little solar cells that you can hook to your battery to maintain it's charge. I just turn mine off for the winter. I get 5 years or so off my battery.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sunforce-1- ... lsrc=aw.ds

[Cudedog]

I installed a disconnect switch on my battery. On turn of the switch and it's disconnected. Costs around $10-20 for the switch. You'll want to do it yourself. The dealer doesn't always put it "at the battery" to cut off all the loads. They put it after the CO2 detector (some state it's a law) but then the batteries dead and it wouldn't work anyways.

Melissa, thank you so very much. Your kindness and expertise is a true gift to this forum. I will never forget your kind assistance and advice when I was contemplating purchasing my Jayco, and trying to figure out whether or not my cargo van was rated to pull the trailer I wanted (the van was!).

And now this! I never heard of such a thing, and I will be getting one soon. When I first purchased my trailer, on the "walk-through", I remember the sales person pointing out a small plug by the trailer body where if I disconnected it, everything in the trailer would be disconnected. I soon discovered (by accident!) that everything was disconnected - except the carbon monoxide detector, which continued with a slow but steady drain on the battery!!

I even pulled out one of the seats in the trailer to inspect the detector, but it appeared to be hard-wired into the battery in some way - and the only way I could disconnect it was by cutting the wires to it, or pulling the cables off the battery. So I pulled the cables off. It was the only way that I knew to guarantee that there would be no drain on the battery.

Thanks also for the suggestion of the solar cells charger. I am fortunate enough to be able to store my trailer indoors at the moment, so the solar charger would not work. But this, too, is an excellent suggestion that I will keep in mind should things change in the future!!

Thanks again, Melissa, and my very best wishes to you!!

Anne