Battery charging in off season.

[7thunders]

Winter here.  we have our battery stored in our basement but its been suggested that we keep it charged.  What kind of charger, Trickle Charger does anyone use? what size? amps? volts etc..... So when we are ready to hit the road its ready to go.
thanks.

[djmiller]

Maybe some others may chime in here but this is from my personal experience however it is not on an RV, but a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
I have used them for years and many Motorcycle dealers automatically add a connection for them when prepped for sale. I have always stored by bike for the winter and for the last 20 years have used a small maintenance charger to keep the charge and voltage up on the battery.  My experience is that they will last 7-10 years.

Here is a couple of links to some additional information.  Doesn't take much of a charger to maintain a deep cycle battery.
http://campertech.com.au/services/technical-information/
http://www.batterytender.com/float-charging

[wakeboydb]

I use the Battery Tender and have done so for years. Never had an issue.

[ALF]

Would there be any downside to simply plugging in my Quicksilver 6.0 for the Winter? It appears as thought he AC-DC converter has a trickle charge mode.

[djmiller]

I would recommend a battery tender type of device. They are very inexpensive and will avoid the wear and tear on the converter and fan.  Also protects your unit from possible power surges when plugged in constantly.

[7thunders]

Thank you... Purchased a Battery Tender Plus, on its way .  Want to maintain my battery in this off season to be prepped for our first trip in April(ish).

[irka-dirka]

I'd keep it simple and feel like some are overthinking things.
The batteries are wired in parallel but through a switch. If wired in series we'd be talking about a 24V system.

Just buy and install a smart trickle charger and if a manual battery Perko type switch just switch to all or both.

A 1 amp trickle charger will overcome any parasitic loads as long as you turn off all accessories and ignition.

Hard wire it to one battery with their plug.

If using a smart isolating relay switch as a combiner then I'd just hardwire both batteries to a Y connector plug for the smart charger. It is a $10 accessory. Plug the charger in to the port on the Y.

I buy the battery tender brand products available on amazon.

Hope this helps!