Maintain That Expensive Battery Bank

Batteries are black boxes we don't think about much. Not until the rueful day comes when they don't respond as we want them to, and we're off to buy new ones--and maybe driving 50 miles 'out of the dingles' to do so. Maintaining your batteries saves money and frustration, and it doesn't take much to do.


First, the requisite word of caution: Whenever you work with batteries of electrical systems, even "low voltage" ones, take off your jewelry! Watches, rings, and bling-bling things. The potential energy in an RV battery is something to reckon with, and welding your ring to an electrical contact will ruin your whole day. Watch out with tools and other metals. The male of this writing duo once dropped a crescent wrench across a deep cycle battery--fortunately he was able to rescue it before it welded into place--narrowly avoiding a major fire.


Keep 'em Charged: A battery left in a low state is one that deteriorates.


Keep 'em Clean: That "little bit of dirt" across the top of the battery case can actually conduct electricity in the presence of moisture. A slight, but real discharge of juice can occur.


Keep 'em Filled: ALWAYS keep the top plates of "flooded" batteries covered with electrolyte. This means refilling to the "split ring" or about a half inch above the separators. ONLY USE distilled water, NEVER tap water. Don't over-fill.

Keep Out Intruders: Don't add "battery acid" or other additives. Thus far nothing has really proved up in the way of a miracle elixir that will give you more power, more potency, or more life to your batteries. There's no such thing as "Voltage Viagra."


We found a great tool to help us keep our batteries filled up. We have very little "head space" in the compartment above the top of the batteries, and they don't easily come out for service. A solar panel retailer sold us a battery fill tool, the "filler part" of which presses into the battery cell and fills until the correct level is reached. It's real skinny, as you can see, and fits right into those tight spaces. Alas! The retailer went belly up, and we've yet to find somebody else that sells them. They were a lot less expensive than the automated battery fill systems being marketed today. If you know anybody who carries these great tools, please post a reply!

Rotating Holding Tank Vent Really Does the Job

We blogged earlier about dealing with holding tank odors through better tank management. Here's another trick the nose knows works: Those fancy wind-driven rooftop tank vents. Here's the deal: The standard OEM vents are not much more than tricky caps to keep the birds out. The don't allow a great deal of air flow to allow the essence of holding tank to escape; at times pressure actually puffs it back down into the tank, and finding any other escape route--sometimes into the coach.

The model we tested, an RV 360, puts a fin atop a rotating vent cap. As the wind blows, the "emitter" side of the vent cap is on the downwind side, causing the wind pressure to suck those narsty gasses out of the holding tank. Does it work? We found our stink situation really alleviated, as have many other RVers.

These systems are not difficult to install, although they can be a bit messy, depending on the type of sealant you use on install. Be sure to wear grungy work clothes. The instructions included with the system are clear enough, but on one install, the instructions left us high and dry. The existing vent pipe was located right next to the rooftop air conditioner unit--and if the 360 vent were placed at rooftop level, it would have bumped right into the a/c unit. Not only would the wind be cut, in some cases the vent unit would simply not turn freely.

We worked around this simply: Using PVC pipe the same diameter as the existing vent pipe, we glued the "bell" end of the new pipe over the top of the existing vent pipe. With this "extension" in place, we attached the 360 vent to the top of our extension. No obstruction problems, no holding tank stink. Total time? About an hour and a half, including the time it took to figure out the "work around." Tools are easy: Putty knife, screwdriver, and a hacksaw if you need to rig an extension.

You can find the 360 at most RV suppliers, including Camping World.

Silence Those Noisy Water Issues

Boondockers and other folks who get away from "city water" connections sometimes complain of a noise when using the RV water system. Sometimes they're just not used to the additional noise produced by the RV's water pump; at other times there are problems--most of which are easily cured.

For "demand" water pump systems--those in use on nearly all RVs built in the last couple of decades--pull water from the storage tank and pump it through the inside lines. While designed with sound reducing isolation pads, sometimes these little "feet" can get away, or even a mooring screw can loosen up, causing undue vibration.

Locate your RV water pump and first ensure that it's firmly tight to the bulkhead or deck. If a screw (or screws) is loose, retighten. If the noise persists, double check to ensure that rubber isolation feet are under each contact point of the pump--and replace any missing parts.

At times, water systems that make noise can be quieted with the addition of an accumulator tank. The accumulator is nothing more than a simple reservior with a cushion of air. When the water pump operates, it pushes up water pressure against that cushion, often reducing the number of "off-on" pump cyclings and evening out the water pressure flow. Accumulators are fairly easy to install, and cost about 40 bucks. Camping World carries one on their website.

Inexpensive heater keeps RV from getting musty while stored

Ross Brand made this inexpensive heater to keep his RV warm enough that it doesn't get musty and rusty while in storage. There isn't much to the device -- a juice can with both ends cut out over a 100 watt light bulb. The light bulb produces just enough heat that the juice can acts like a chimney and keeps the air moving. "It does not heat much," reported Ross, but he said it works just fine.