I am a new Scamp owner and had to replace the battery with a Napa premium rv dual purpose battery. I am totally confused about the charging and maintenance of this battery as well as how long it will retain a charge when idle. Any basic info would be great!
First thing to realize is that Batteries used in RVs get abused. RVs get stored for long periods of time (outdoors) and then get used hard for a short period and then get stored for another long period. This cycle is very, very, hard on your battery.
However, you can minimize the abuse your battery receives and you can take steps to maximize your battery's longevity.
Best thing to do is NOT LET IT GO DEAD. A 12 volt battery is 50% discharged at 12.2 volts, that is the lowest voltage you want your battery to get to. Anything below 12.2 volts and internal damage to the battery begins to occur.
The other best thing you can do is NOT LET THE WATER LEVELS GET LOW. Whenever the battery is charging, bubbles form within the liquid acid mixture and evaporation occurs through the battery vents. Check your water levels monthly, even while being stored.
While your Scamp is in storage, disconnect the battery. This ensures that there are no low voltage draws on your battery that will drain it below the 12.2 volt mark. Also realize that your battery will drain itself even if it is disconnected. Consequently, you should fully charge it once every month or two. This is best accomplished with a four stage battery charger like the "Battery Tender" brand chargers.
The last thing you can do is perform an "Equalize Charge" on your battery on a regular basis. An equalize charge, charges the battery at higher than normal voltage to perform a "desulfurization" from the lead plates inside your battery. This can be accomplished with your "Battery Tender" charger or through your Converter if it is a four stage ("Smart") charging Converter (some converters can have a "Charging Wizard" added to them to make them into four stage "Smart" chargers).
If your RV/Scamp is in storage for long periods, the best thing to do is pull the battery and place it where it is easy for you to access it for a monthly charging and checking of the water levels.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
Recommend you read through the Battery section of our Solar Resource and the link to 12V side of Life part 1. This should help greatly with a basic understanding of Batteries.
If you could provide the model # etc. these batteries don't appear to be true deep cycle and are rated around 75 Ah which would be a bit light. Most deep cycle marine batteries will be 105 to 120 Ah range. Since you can only use 50% before recharging you would only have about 35 Ah available vs 50-60 Ah. If you use 10 Ah a day while camping you would have 3 days vs 5 days before you have to put charge back in.
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