Winter storage December 21, 2004, 04:20:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48166Here's a question for all you northern LD'ers: we are new owners. We winterized our LD with RV antifreeze according to the instructions in the owners manual, but are unsure whether we should leave the unit plugged in (and therefore charging) for the winter, or remove the coach batteries to our garage and charge them periodically with our battery charger. What do people generally do about this? "Silver Belle"[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #1 – December 21, 2004, 04:40:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48167"Here's a question for all you northern LD'ers: we are new owners. We winterized our LD with RV antifreeze according to the instructions in the owners manual, but are unsure whether we should leave the unit plugged in (and therefore charging) for the winter, or remove the coach batteries to our garage and charge them periodically with our battery charger. What do people generally do about this?" "Silver Belle"Hi. You will probably get a variety of opinions on this one. I really can't advise you on what to do but I can tell you what I do. I leave my batterys in the coach and leave it plugged in all winter. After five years there has been no problem with my batterys or anything else. Just make sure you keep the water level in the batterys topped up. Of course this will not keep your engine battery charged. You can put a temporary jumper across the outer terminals of your diode to allow charging of that battery from your coach converter/charger. TJ
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #2 – December 22, 2004, 12:14:19 am Yahoo Message Number: 48188QuoteYou can put a temporary jumper across the outer terminals of your diode to allow charging of (the Ford E-450's) battery from your coach converter/charger.QuoteTJ Can you tell me exactly how to do this? Exactly where is the "diode", please?Thanks!
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #3 – December 22, 2004, 12:46:11 am Yahoo Message Number: 48189The "diode" TJ is talking about is an "isolation diode". It'll be locate on the firewall underneath the hood, probably on the drivers side. It will be anodized (colored) aluminum, finned, and have three terminals on it with heavy wires going to each. Use care when shorting these terminals together. The outer terminals are wired directly to the positive terminals of the coach and chassis battery - - you *do not* want to accidentally short one of these terminals to ground. Much sparking and welding will take place if you do!This sounds scary, but it's not. Just be sure when you hook a wire up to one, that the other end of that wire doesn't brush against or touch the metal of the chassis (ground), while you are
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #4 – December 22, 2004, 12:59:10 am Yahoo Message Number: 48190QuoteYou can put a temporary jumper across the outer terminals of your diode to allow charging of (the Ford E-450's) battery from your coach converter/charger.QuoteTJ Can you tell me exactly how to do this? Exactly where is the "diode", please?Thanks! Sorry!! I meant to say battery isolator not diode. I guess I was thinking diode since the battey isolator is really a big pair of power diodes. I'm sure you know what I mean now. But, if not, its located under the hood, and has an input wire from the engine generator, an output wire to the engine battery, and an output wire to the house battery. A short jumper wire between these last two will feed current from the house battery, which is being charged by the converter/charger, to the engine battery keeping it at the same voltage and state of charge as the house batterys. TJ
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #5 – December 22, 2004, 09:56:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 48194That's clear. If I jumper the two terminals together, my LD's solar panels will keep the engine battery AND the coach batteries at full charge. Great .. and many thanks!Also, is there any reason I cannot clip the same jumper to the same isolator terminals to draw coach battery juice to start the Ford engine if the engine battery goes dead from lights left on, etc?
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #6 – December 22, 2004, 09:59:44 am Yahoo Message Number: 48195QuoteHere's a question for all you northern LD'ers: we are new owners. We are unsure whether we should leave the unit plugged in (and therefore charging) for the winter, or remove the coach batteries to our garage and charge them periodically with our battery charger. What do people generally do about this?Quotedellmarv@a... Hi folks,There are several approaches you can take that should work well for you. I personally would not remove the batteries from the rig; you should be exercising the genset monthly and you'll need the batteries for this.I live in NE Ohio; it seems like it is winter from late November until April. Here is what I do: I make sure my batteries are at full charge and the water is at the proper level. I utilize my battery disconnect switch, installed by Lazy Daze, to turn off the batteries. When I plan to exercise the genset, I simply turn the batteries back on, and start the genset.(I usually run an electric heater in the LD to put a load on the genset while exercising it.) Letting the genset run for about an hour will top off the battery charge. I then turn off the batteries again.If you do not have a battery disconnect switch, you could remove battery cables to accomplish the same effect. If you choose not to disconnect power from the batteries, make sure all power draining items are turned off inside the LD. Make sure the radio is turned completely off, with no lights showing on the display. Remember that LD has the radio connected to the house batteries. I don't remember if the propane detector has a fuse, if it does, pull that fuse too; you want to remove anything that drains power from the batteries.As far as the truck battery goes, as long as it was fully charged before storing the RV, it should be fine through winter. Again, being fully charged is what prevents freezing and damage. Once you put your LD into hibernation, I would advise not starting the engine again until spring. Starting and running the engine for short periods of time may do more harm than good. Just my 2 cents.I know that some folks get by with leaving their rig plugged in all winter; I would not choose to do so. I prefer to not worry about water levels and the electricity being plugged in during winter. Good luck, Steve K.
Re: Winter storage Reply #7 – December 22, 2004, 10:28:07 am Yahoo Message Number: 48196Quote.... If you choose not to disconnect power from the batteries, make sure all power draining items are turned off inside the LD. .... Steve gave excellent advice.I would only add that after turning everything you can see off, the LPGas detector remaines connected to the batteries (there is no switch). It draws between 2 and 2.5 amp hours per day. This will draw down the batteries over a period of time, taking about 40 days to 50% capacity (i.e. 100 amp hours) and 80 to a complete discharge. The low charge then makes the batteries vunerable to freezing. It's best to disconnect the batteries for long term storage without solar panels or AC power. As a note, running the generator for an hour once a month will replace only 30 to 40 of those amp hours.Linley
Re: Winter storage Reply #8 – December 22, 2004, 11:00:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 48198"is there any reason I cannot clip the same jumper to the same isolator terminals to draw coach battery juice to start the Ford engine if the engine battery goes dead from lights left on, etc?" Unfortunately, yes. Charging your engine battery by jumpering the isolator involves a few amps...but starting an engine requires hundreds of amps. The wiring to and from the isolator can't handle anywhere near that kind of current, so you'll probably either blow a fuse or start a fire. What you *can* do in a dead-engine-battery situation is to jumper the isolator and wait half an hour or so for the house batteries to bleed charge into the engine battery. But be sure to remove that jumper BEFORE you try to start the engine.Andy Baird
Re: Winter storage Reply #9 – December 22, 2004, 11:05:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 48199I have solar panels so I do not need to do this ..but ..I believe if you run a heavy duty 10 amp battery charger (running off the genset) and connected to the engine battery, it will charge the engine battery pretty full in an hour.You also can drive the RV to your home and charge the engine battery "full" overnight, using a battery charger set on 2 amp slow charge. Then you can return it to its winter storage location.
Re: Winter storage Reply #10 – December 22, 2004, 11:08:11 am Yahoo Message Number: 48200You are 100% correct as (almost) always. ;-)I realized the answer immediately after I posted the question. The light jumper clearly lacks sufficiently heavy wire to carry the current needed to start a battery.
There's still time to buy that special present Reply #11 – December 22, 2004, 11:23:00 am Yahoo Message Number: 48201Ok...after a year of trying to decide if I should sell my LD...I'm going to do it. I just don't see anything changing in my life that would free up time for RV'ing right now.I will post in the For Sale file within the next day or so...if you want the details check message #21845, I purchased this rig from member Jim Vastola--that's his message listing features.Immaculate 2002 26 RB, Tan, 12,500 miles, towing gear and Brake Buddy included. $55K. Location: Midwest. Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] There's still time to buy that speci Reply #12 – December 22, 2004, 02:57:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48208On Wednesday, December 22, 2004, at 09:22 AM, Sue Masterson wrote:QuoteOk...after a year of trying to decide if I should sell my LD...I'm going to do it. I just don't see anything changing in my life that would free up time for RV'ing right now. Oh Sue, that's such sad news -- I wish it weren't so. I know you've struggled with this decision for a long time and carefully considered all options. Still ...... If you ever need a Lazy Daze "fix," there's always room on my couch for you! Folks, this is indeed an "immaculate" and much loved coach....the low mileage alone makes it a bargain. It's bound to be grabbed up quickly. Drat.Lorna, crying towel now drenched!
Re: Winter storage Reply #13 – December 22, 2004, 03:05:22 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48209In our 2004 26.5' MB, the optional battery disconnect switch completely removes the battery from the 12VDC system. There are no sneak circuits or connections to any of the alarms/detectors. Jack who just checked the rig in cool but sunny Reno Quote .... If you choose not to disconnect power from the batteries, make sure all power draining items are turned off inside the LD. ....Steve gave excellent advice.I would only add that after turning everything you can see off, the LPGas detector remaines connected to the batteries (there is no switch). It draws between 2 and 2.5 amp hours per day. This will draw SNIP> Linley
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] There's still time to buy that speci Reply #14 – December 22, 2004, 03:37:31 pm Yahoo Message Number: 48210I was just saying to DH today---how many wonderful friends I met via my LD...Lorna, Sarah, Marti and Charlie, Beth, all the LaDeze...LD people are "authentic." I'm sure our paths will cross again, and I WILL take you up on the couch offer. Once a LaDeze always a LaDeze? Can I still show up to GTG's in a rental car? I will be in the LD family again, that's for sure, I'm eyeing an IB for the next time. LD's are too special to not be enjoyed!
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] There's still time to buy that speci Reply #15 – December 23, 2004, 08:11:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 48235OK - I'm really sad to hear this, but for any potential buyer, I know this RV and I know Sue. It IS an immaculate RV, and Sue has been an immaculate owner. Whoever buys it will get a really good RV. Sorry to see you go for now Sue, but I know you'll be back!! Hugs, Sarah
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] There's still time to buy that speci Reply #16 – December 23, 2004, 11:01:17 am Yahoo Message Number: 48243Thanks Sarah! I will be back, with an IB next time!Quote Sorry to see you go for now Sue, but I know you'll be back!! Hugs, Sarah Dress up your holiday email, Hollywood style. Learn more. http://celebrity.mail.yahoo.com
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] There's still time to buy that speci Reply #17 – December 24, 2004, 02:00:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 48266Hi Henry! I'm not sure if it would be the 26 or the 30 IB. I have loved the RB...that big bathroom is almost decadent! However, DH and I travel alone and would like a permanent bed setup...maybe; we'll definitely be checking it out for our next LD. I really like Marty and Charlie's RL though, too, and I had a chance to tour Kent and Margaret's RK (if I remember right)...very nice as well....ah, so many quality choices with LD's!
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Winter storage Reply #18 – March 16, 2006, 10:36:01 am Yahoo Message Number: 64124Good Morning Bob: Did you ever jumper the terminals, as described in the below email from last December, so as to keep the engine battery charged? If so, how well did it work and would you recommend the process to me? I visit Deja Blue about every 10 days or so and so far have not had any starting problems with the engine battery. I usually start the engine and run it (idle speed) for 15 or 20 minutes and also exercise the Onan generator for 30 minutes or so with all lights on and the refrigerator on. Is that considered an adequate "load" on the generator? I spoke with Mr. Wright and he "expects" to have a title for me by mid day Friday. That would be in his hands, not mine. When you visit those folks on Friday, would you make a polite (or not so polite) inquiry as to status? Regards, Gary
Re: Winter storage Reply #19 – March 16, 2006, 10:54:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 64127"I...exercise the Onan generator for 30 minutes or so with all lights on and the refrigerator on. Is that considered an adequate 'load' on the generator?" Folks with generators can check me on this, but I believe Onan's recommendation is that the load should be at least a thousand watts. The fridge draws about a third of that, and only intermittently; the lights use far less. The usual recommendation is to turn on the roof air conditioner or (in cold weather) use a 1,000+ watt electric "cube" heater as the load.Andy Baird Benson, AZ
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Winter storage Reply #20 – March 16, 2006, 10:57:32 am Yahoo Message Number: 64128We often just take a couple of potatoes and bake them in the microwave. Is this sufficient??KateIn Serenity/Cholula, the Red 30TB . . . Want to find us? Click below, we're #3096 http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3096
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