Removing battery for winter storage. Any downsides?

n_melcher

New member
I've read several posts on whether or not it is beneficial to disconnect/remove the engine battery for a long period of winter inactivity. I'm not asking about that. What I am asking here is... are there any down sides to having the van sit with no 12v power to the engine, ECM etc? I'm no expert for sure, but I just wonder if there is something electronic that will reset or lose its memory or stop working after a long period of having no 12vdc power. In case it matters, mine is a 2008 Sprinter 3500 cargo van converted to campervan. Thanks, Neil
 

sparkplug

Well-known member
Nothing in the van will suffer if you remove the battery - just make sure your manual key works before you lock yourself out....

You will, of course, need to reset the time / date etc when you hook it back up but that's about it.

However, the battery itself will suffer if it has no charge so you probably want to hook it up to a charger to prevent it draining beyond the point of no return.

Of course, you can still hook it up to a battery charger without removing it from the van, but that's going to depend on your garage and how practical it is to run a charger to your van when parked up.
 

n_melcher

New member
Perfect! Thanks for your reply sparkplug. I plan to store the engine battery in a warm place connected to a smart charger along with all my house batteries. All are AGM with same float voltage, so should be fine from that standpoint. Thanks again.
 

Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
I think the only thing to reset on my NCV3 is window synchronization, so not a big deal.
Disconnecting the battery not only will prevent it discharge, but will stop FSS clock, so you will not be forced to oil change by calendar.
I've been dealing with RVs and boats for over 30 years and pulling the battery clamp is the best way to prevent anything to happen.
Even pulling disconnect switch 6 ft away on the cable leaves possibilities that the 6ft of cable will have miniature current leak and on long storage will drain the battery flat.
Good battery with pulled clamp will hold the charge for 6 months easy.
Than if you plan it for longer - get a battery maintainer.
 

n_melcher

New member
Thanks Kajtek1. Actually what I have now done is left my campervan plugged into shore power. That way my smart inverter/charger is on and keeping the house batteries charged while also supplying 12v power to my control panel, propane/CO alarm and any other other small "current leaks". I moved the engine battery into the utility compartment jumpered to the house batteries. I stuck in there also the smallest 120v electric space heater I could find and set the thermostat just above freezing. Probably overkill, but it was so simple I couldn't think of a reason to not do it.
 

Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
I use my house converter to keep the batteries charged at this time, but only becouse I plan to drive in few days.
My Sprinter has factory 12V outlets at rear door, where I rewired 1 to house supply. Now I have old jumping cables, who were design to recharge batteries between cars using cigarette lighter plugs (no longer available from what I check).
So I plug the jamper between the plugs and call it a day.
But my converter is giving over 14V, what might kill the batteries left for months on it.
 

n_melcher

New member
Leaving them on 14.5V is not optimal for any kind of RV battery.
I'm not sure where 14.5V came from. My smart battery charger/inverter is configurable for the number and type of batteries to which it is connected. I don't know the exact voltage off the top of my head, but it is definitely not as high as 14.5V. I just know I set it for AGM batteries and it does everything it can to extend battery life as long as possible.
 

Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
14.5V is what most of RV converters deliver and that is what I have on my Sprinter.
Doesn't look like you ever check your voltage, but for long storage on led acid batteries you should have 13.5V.
 

n_melcher

New member
14.5V is what most of RV converters deliver and that is what I have on my Sprinter.
Doesn't look like you ever check your voltage, but for long storage on led acid batteries you should have 13.5V.
Ahhh, I see. Well I don't have a converter. I have a smart Inverter/charger. I also have a control panel that measures and displays voltage constantly. I'm just not in front of it right now. If I recall, it is normally around13.6v. But it varies depending on what mode it is in (bulk charging, absorb charging, or float charging) and it also adjusts to the measured battery temperature. Sorry, that's probably too much information for the original purpose of my post.
 

Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
Smart inverter/chargers often have automatic desulfation. That can go as high as 18V, killing some electronics.
So without doing your homework, you can get screw pretty easy.
That is why for long storage I buy $10 battery maintainers.
 

n_melcher

New member
Smart inverter/chargers often have automatic desulfation. That can go as high as 18V, killing some electronics.
So without doing your homework, you can get screw pretty easy.
That is why for long storage I buy $10 battery maintainers.
Correct. So when I did my homework, I was satisfied that my model of inverter/charger only goes into desulfation mode if manually/intentionally selected. It would go to 15.5V for 4hrs and then off. I have no reason or plan to do that.
 

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