Yesterday, Donna drove to Phoenix around 10:30am. She went to the National Bank of Arizona Conference Center where the Phoenix Chapter of the American Marketing Association holds their monthly meetings. Donna did a presentation on “Organizing Yourself for Success” for about 55 attendees. She’s had this event on her calendar for about 10 months.

While she was away, I decided to tackle a job I’ve been putting off. It was a warm and relatively windless day, perfect for cleaning the battery banks and compartment. We have two banks of batteries in our coach.

One bank is made up of two 12-volt batteries connected in parallel. The output voltage of batteries connected in parallel doesn’t change; (i.e., two 12-volt batteries in parallel produce 12 volts). However, the available amperage is equal to the sum of the two batteries. These 12-volt batteries in our coach are sealed, maintenance-free lead/acid batteries. They’re used for starting the engine and also power some of the instruments in the dash panel. These batteries are designed to provide a high current for a short period of time, such as the demand of a starter motor.

The other battery bank in our coach is made up of four 6-volt deep-cycle batteries. The battery wiring on this bank is a little more complicated. Two pairs of batteries are wired in series. Wiring them together in series increases the voltage output – two 6-volt batteries in series produce 12 volts. The current capacity (amperage) doesn’t change. In effect, two 6-volt batteries are wired together to create a large 12-volt battery. The two pairs of batteries are then connected together in parallel to create a larger 12-volt battery with a high-amperage capacity.

These batteries are designed to handle smaller loads for longer periods of time. They can be discharged to less than 50% capacity without harm. These batteries are typically used in golf carts or small forklifts. Our coach uses this battery bank to meet the household 12-volt needs (lights, vent fans, etc.) and also power the inverter which can provide 120-volt alternating current for most of the household appliances and other items plugged into the electrical outlets. These batteries are lead/acid type and require the electrolyte level to be monitored and topped up periodically with distilled water.

The charging cycle on the deep-cycle 6-volt batteries can produce hydrogen gas due to electrolysis of the water in the electrolyte, causing some of the water to evaporate from the cells. This gassing of the battery also leaves residue on the battery case and compartment. Dust, dirt and other road grime clings to this residue. It’s not only unsightly, it can be corrosive. Our batteries are charged by the inverter/converter whenever we are hooked up to an electrical power outlet or our generator is running.

I haven’t had to add much water to our batteries, but it doesn’t take much gassing to create a mess. I haven’t cleaned the batteries and compartment in the last 12 months and 6,000 miles, which is when we bought this coach and had all new batteries. They were overdue for cleaning. I used baking soda and water. The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) created a base solution to neutralize the battery acid residue.

Battery clean-up kit – baking soda, water, brush and cloth

A little elbow grease with a brush and cloth cleaned the batteries and compartment.

Dirty battery banks

Battery banks after cleaning

I need to add a coating to the terminals and metal tray to prevent corrosion, but the compartment is looking good now.

While I was at it, I washed our cargo trailer. I thought it was a good time to do it since it wasn’t windy. Unfortunately, there was just enough wind to carry overspray from the trailer onto our coach and our neighbor’s rig. I washed carefully, but couldn’t avoid overspray. I ended up wiping down our coach and our neighbor’s rig with microfiber cloths to prevent water spots.

After Donna returned from her speaking engagement, we drove over to the Cactus Grill at the Mesa Regal RV Park. A happy hour meet-up of RVillage members was scheduled there from 3pm to 6pm. We arrived a little before 4pm. The place was packed! It was much larger than we imagined and all of the outdoor tables were filled. It was standing room only. We searched around and asked a couple of servers if they knew where the RVillage group was located. No luck. We gave up and drove over to Lucky Lou’s where we had drinks and dinner with Leendert, Pat, Stan, Jackie, Mike and Jodi. It was good time.

Today we have cloudy skies. The temperature should reach the mid 70s. Tonight, rain is supposed to move into the area. Donna is speaking and doing a book signing at Changing Hands book store in Phoenix this evening. She’s also meeting some colleagues for an early dinner prior to the signing. It might be a good day for a bike ride.