RV 101® - RV Battery Basics - What You Need To Know

[Music] hi my name is mark polk with rv education 101 and today's topic is everything you need to know about rv batteries after viewing the video you should have a better understanding of battery basics the different types of rv batteries which type of battery may be right for you and what you can do to get the maximum light from your rv batteries let's get started right now rv battery basics to properly maintain and extend the life of your rv batteries you need to have a basic understanding of what a battery is and how it works there are numerous types of batteries that can be used in rvs but the most widely used are deep cycle lead acid storage batteries it's important you use the right battery for the type of application deep cycle batteries have thicker plates than automotive starting batteries this means deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged and recharged repeatedly they can be discharged and recharged which is one complete cycle hundreds of times before reaching the end of the life cycle rb101 tip rv batteries should always be deep cycle batteries the life cycle of a battery is dependent on how often and how much it is discharged versus how well it is maintained one of the most important things to understand about rv batteries is you must recharge your battery after using it when you go camping you start the trip with a fully charged battery meaning it is 100 percent charged if you are dry camping for three days and nights without any electrical connection the battery slowly drops from 100 percent to 90 80 and then 70. when the trip is over you must recharge the battery back to 100 percent so it doesn't get damaged when a battery sits in a discharge state saw facing forms on the plates which is the leading cause for dead batteries every rv has a built-in battery charger in the rv's converter when you plug the rv into electricity the battery charger automatically starts recharging the battery how long it takes to charge the battery depends on what percentage the battery is discharged now i want to discuss the three most popular battery types used in rvs and which type of battery might be right for you the three types are lead acid batteries absorbent glass mat or agm batteries and lithium batteries let's take a closer look types of rv batteries the most common type of rv battery is a deep cycle lead acid battery lead acid batteries get the name because they use lead plates submersed in a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water to manufacture the batteries car starting batteries have thin lead plates whereas deep cycle batteries have thick lead plates the thicker plates are the reason the battery can be discharged and recharged repeatedly battery amp hours batteries are rated in amp hours amp hours tell you how much amperage a battery can provide per hour depending on how you camp the amp hour rating dictates the size of battery you need battery amp hour ratings divided by hours used equal amps available for example a 100 amp hour battery divided by 8 hours of use equals 12.5 amps per hour there are three basic groups or sizes of deep cycle lead acid batteries group 24 group 27 and group 31. the larger the number the larger the battery and the higher amount of amp hours you get from the battery group 24 is 70 to 85 amp hours group 27 is 85 to 100 amp hours and group 31 is 100 to 125 amp hours some rv owners use 6 volt deep cycle lead acid batteries the way the batteries are wired and how many batteries are in the battery bank determines how many amp hours you have rv owners who camp off the grid using solar panels typically have large battery banks with lots of amperage rb101 tip lead acid batteries are also referred to as flooded or wet cell batteries pros for deep cycle lead acid batteries they are less expensive than other types of batteries they are rechargeable they can be discharged and recharged repeatedly cons for deep cycle lead acid batteries they are heavy the higher the group size 24 27 31 the larger and heavier the battery is they require routine inspections and maintenance the lifespan is shorter than other types of batteries especially when they are not properly maintained is a lead acid battery the right battery for me if you want an inexpensive battery and you do not mind inspecting and maintaining the battery lead acid batteries might be right for you but if you do not regularly inspect and maintain the water levels in the battery cells and keep the battery properly charged lead acid batteries are not for you agm batteries the second type of rv battery is the absorbent glass mat or agm battery this is another type of lead acid battery but with improvements in agm batteries the sulfuric acid is absorbed in a type of fiberglass mat and the battery is sealed meaning it is maintenance free a real plus for many rv owners pros for agm batteries maintenance free spill proof lighter than other lead acid batteries stores and delivers high amounts of current charges faster than other lead acid batteries lasts longer than other lead acid batteries or every 101 tip maintenance-free batteries still need to be charged all rv batteries need to be charged a battery will slowly lose its charge when sitting in storage cons for agm batteries they are more expensive compared to other lead acid batteries over charging agm batteries shortens the battery's life the battery can be damaged if charged in temperatures below 32 degrees fahrenheit or above 104 degrees fahrenheit is an agm battery right for me they are more expensive than regular deep cycle lead acid batteries but if you don't want the hassles of battery maintenance and you want a better performing longer lasting battery agm might be the way to go lithium-ion batteries the third type of battery is lithium-ion lithium-ion batteries are the type used in smartphones and operated power tools and now in deep cycle applications like rvs for safety purposes they are equipped with an internal battery management system that includes over and under voltage protection over and under temperature protection charge and discharge over current protection and short circuit protection that's a lot of protection pros for lithium batteries almost double the power of other batteries high performance batteries with a long life cycle lightweight much lighter than a similar size lead acid battery drop in replacements for typical lead acid or agm batteries fast charging longer warranties cons for lithium batteries they are expensive they cannot tolerate excessive heat or cold temperatures they require a specific type of charger ask the battery manufacturer if the converter charger in your rv will properly charge lithium batteries before investing in lithium they should never be overcharged is a lithium battery right for me if you like to unplug and camp off the grid lithium batteries are synonymous with solar power they are expensive but people agree the life expectancy outweighs the price in the long run so whether you camp off grid using solar or you simply want a battery you can always depend on lithium batteries are a great option two of the most frequent questions i get asked are why does my rv battery keep dying and why does my rv battery only last one or two camping seasons the answer is simple the more you understand about lead acid batteries the longer they will last properly maintained deep cycle lead acid batteries should last for six or more years unfortunately some rv owners replace rv batteries every year or two extending your rv battery's life is not that difficult it just requires some battery knowledge and basic care and maintenance caution keep safety in mind whenever you work on or around lead acid batteries lead acid batteries contain sulfuric acid that is extremely corrosive and can cause severe burns the hydrogen gas produced by lead acid batteries during charging is explosive when you work around batteries you need to wear goggles gloves and remove any jewelry do not smoke or use any open flames around batteries here are five things you can do to prevent replacing your rv batteries every year or two number one the leading cause for dead lead acid batteries is sulfation when a battery is in a low state of charge small crystals start forming on the plates and if the battery stays in this condition for an extended period of time the battery is ruined so recharging a discharge battery in a timely manner helps prevent sulfation from killing your battery number two reducing a battery's depth of discharge will increase the life of the battery a battery discharged to 50 percent every day will last longer than a battery cycled to 80 percent every day so in addition to recharging a discharge battery in a timely manner reducing the amount it is discharged or cycled is helpful too number three on the other hand overcharging a battery can kill the battery too when outside temperatures heat up and during periods of high battery usage you need to check water levels in your lead acid batteries more frequently checking the electrolyte levels and adding distilled water as needed will extend the life of your lead acid batteries when you add water to a battery use mineral free water distilled water is best regular tap water contributes to calcium sulfation number four rvs have parasitic loads that can discharge a battery some but not all of these loads are lp gas leak detectors stereos and appliance circuit boards if your rv is equipped with a battery disconnect switch make sure it is in the off position when you are not using the rv or when the rv is in storage if the rv doesn't have a battery disconnect you can have one installed or you can disconnect the negative battery terminal to prevent these small loads from discharging the battery number five battery self-discharge when sitting idle the rate of discharge depends on several variables but it's not uncommon for a battery to self-discharge two to three percent of the stored charge every month if the battery sits in storage for several months this self discharging can result in battery solvation that we discussed earlier there are other things you can do to extend battery life but keeping up with these five items is a great start the common denominator for the five items we just discussed is keeping your rv batteries fully charged i recommend testing the battery state of charge once a month and charging any battery at or below an 80 percent charge a quick and easy way to test the state of charge is by measuring the voltage using a digital voltmeter set the voltmeter on dc voltage and place the red lead on the positive terminal and the black lead on the negative terminal to read battery voltage any 12 volt battery with a reading of 12.5 volts or less needs to be charged and any 6 volt battery with the reading of 6.25 volts or lower needs to be charged this was a quick primer on rv batteries but hopefully you have a better understanding about rv batteries in general which type battery may work best for you and a few things you can do to extend the life of your rv batteries to learn more about using and maintaining your rv visit rbonlinetraining.com camping

Channel: RV Education 101

Views: 47,930

Keywords: RV battery maintenance, RV battery wiring, RV battery amp hours, RV battery basics, RV newbie learn about RV batteries, RV deep cycle batteries, what type RV battery do I need, how long should RV battery last, RV battery charging, what size RV battery do I need, rv 101, rving 101, rveducation, rveducation101, rv battery types

Id: WFPcV9_1frE

Length: 12min 56sec (776 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 01 2021