Smith's RV Centre

Maintaining Your RV Battery (Deep Cycle Battery)

Your deep cycle battery has the capability of deeply discharging hundreds of times in its lifetime. Unlike an automotive battery which discharges less than 50 cycles in its lifetime, your deep cycle battery has many applications such as motor homes, tent trailers, travel trailers, fifth wheels and boats.

 

Factors that effect the life of a battery

  • Battery maintenance
  • Recharging battery depth of charge
  • Battery temperature
  • Cycling use
  • Vibration and overall care and consideration
  • For longer life of your battery, it is recommended that the discharge level not be less than 50%.Try not to let your battery go completely dead every time. Its also important to be consistent when charging your battery.

 

Charging your Battery

If the casing is hot to the touch immediately disconnect the battery from the charger and allow it to cool. Overcharging and overheating can shrink the life of your battery.

Ensure that the charger you have is sufficient to charge a battery within 8-12 hours

When finished using your battery it is important to recharge it as soon as possible. Allowing the battery to discharge on its own may affect its performance and recharge acceptance.

For best results the first 5-10 discharges should be shallow, in other words discharging them 25% or less before charging again.

 

Confusion?

Many people think that a lead acid deep cycle battery develops a memory by the way it has been charged or discharged. This is not true. In fact the battery has the ability to discharge at different levels without a memory developing.

 

What size of battery do you need?

  • Determine your total power requirements
  • Determine the approximate time of use
  • Multiply the hours and amp rating on your battery
  • Divide total ampere hours by .5 which is a 50% discharge rate, to maximize battery cycle life.


Cleaning and storage of your Battery

  • Before storing make sure the positive and negative terminals are clean, free from corrosion.
  • Check fluid levels in each cell
  • Fully charge battery
  • Store battery in cold climate area

 

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