HOW TO: Maintain & Equalize RV Batteries

We demonstrate how to properly service, maintain and equalize the 6-volt deep-cycle golf cart batteries in an RV.

The "house" batteries are one of the most misunderstood systems on any RV. The proper care and maintenance of your battery bank will help it perform better and last longer.

Flooded, lead-acid batteries are the most common type of battery used in an RV. Keeping them clean and the water level correct should be part of your routine maintenance.

During the normal operating process, the batteries discharge and re-charge over and over again. This can cause sulfation, which is the process of sulfates in the electrolyte (acid) coming out of suspension (suspended in the liquid electrolyte) and attaching to the lead plates instead.

Equalizing the batteries solves this problem by "boiling" the batteries at higher voltage to break the sulfate loose from the lead plates, and putting it back into suspension, where it belongs.

Be sure to confirm that all methods and materials used are compatible with your particular RV.

RV Geeks offers basic DIY (do it yourself) RV service, repair and maintenance tips from full-time RVers who have been handling most of their own maintenance since hitting the road in 2003.

RVgeeks is proud to be affiliated with RVtravel.com.
http://www.rvtravel.com

While we're not RV technicians, we're very mechanically inclined and have learned a lot about RV systems over the years. We handle most of our own minor service, maintenance and repair work on our 2005 43' Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. We also maintained our 2002 39' Fleetwood Bounder Diesel during our first two years on the road.

We meet lots of newer RVers who are eager to learn some basics about maintaining and caring for their rigs. After more than 8 years on the road, we want to share what we've learned (some of it the hard way).

We hope our experiences can help other RVers go DIY, saving some time, money and effort, while experiencing the satisfaction of a job well done.

We do not pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But lots of things are the same on RVs in general, and diesel pushers in particular.

Video Intro Music: Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag from 1899, performed by Peter on a Knabe baby grand piano.

Comments welcome! Thanks for watching!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• motor
• home
• motorhome
• bus
• coach
• rig
• trailer
• camper
• 5th
• fifth
• wheel
• camping
• do
• it
• yourself
• DIY
• instructions
• demonstration

[groush]

Another great posting. Since we have a travel trailer, I like seeing your videos where you use your friend's travel trailer. I bet they love it, and hopefully you'll be borrowing it again soon for some videos about the travel trailer.

[RVgeeks]

@groush Thanks very much. And yes, our friends did seem to like getting the "RVgeeks treatment" on their 5th wheel. lol Unfortunately, they were apparently quite ungrateful (lol), as they abandoned us here in the damp, cold Pacific NW, and headed for the Desert SW for the winter, so no more videos of their RV for now! They'll be back for the summer, so maybe then we'll have a chance to feature their rig in another video... or maybe we'll borrow another one. ;-)

[budlight143]

Great Video, I have enjoyed all you have made so far, how about one on winterizing your coach? That would be nice.

Thanks

[RVgeeks]

@budlight143 Thanks Bud. Really glad you like them. Since we're full-timers (and snowbirds), we've never winterized before. But we will be staying north this winter for the very first time, so we can make a video about prepping for living in the RV in winter. That would be similar, but more about keeping systems running in the cold instead of storing them (not that it's all THAT cold in lower BC, which is where we'll be wintering lol). Thanks for the input. Stay tuned in a couple of months!

[mazwt44]

Very complete, great stuff thanks !