How to Charge a Deep Cycle RV Battery

If you use a deep cycle battery in your RV, it is important to recharge it slowly when necessary. It is also important to use a charger that is specially designed to charge a deep cycle battery, and you must be present to shut off the charger and disconnect the battery soon after it finishes charging to avoid diminished battery life. If you make sure you comply with these few key priorities, the rest of the charging process is simple and straightforward.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deep cycle RV battery Deep cycle battery charger Adjustable wrench

1. Open the RV hood and remove the battery cables from the top of the battery. You may need an adjustable wrench to do this task.

2. Carefully lift the battery straight up out of its housing and carry it to the well-ventilated area where you plan to charge the battery. Make sure that the charging area is at least 60 degrees F, and if the battery is cold to begin with, give it a couple of hours to warm up to room temperature before charging it.

3. Read the battery details from the label on the side of the battery. These are very important and will tell you how to properly charge the battery. Specifically, look for the battery's amperage hour rating and voltage.

4. Read the manufacturer's instructions for your specific model of deep cycle battery charger. These will vary from one model to the next, and your charger may have special features or capabilities. Depart from these steps as necessary if your charger manual suggests you should do so.

5. Plug in the charger and set the controls to the proper indicators. You will need to set the voltage according to the voltage type of the battery, which will usually be 12v. Initially, you should set the amperage to its lowest setting. If you're using a multi-battery charger, you may need to set a separate dial to indicate you're charging a deep cycle battery.

6. Connect the positive and negative cables on the charger to the positive and negative terminals on the battery. All of these parts should be clearly labeled.

7. Turn on the charger. Do not stray far from the battery while it is charging.

8. Consider increasing the amperage on the charger after the battery has charged at least to 20 percent and has been on the charger for at least an hour. This will make the battery charge faster. However, to make sure that you do not charge it too quickly, do not set the amperage rating any higher than 20 percent of the amperage hour rating of the battery itself.

9. Wait until the battery is fully charged. When it is, turn off the charger, unplug the charger from the power source and disconnect the charger cables from the battery.

10. Replace the battery in the RV and reconnect the battery cables to the proper terminals, using an adjustable wrench to tighten them down if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not charge a deep cycle battery with a charger not specifically designed for this purpose. Do not charge a cold or frozen battery. Do not smoke around a charging battery.