Spring (Corrosion) Cleaning
Time to check your battery connections as part of your spring prep
Everyone,
Here’s a good reminder from one of my readers ….
Take it away, Howard
Checking battery connections for oxidation and spraying with Deoxit D5 is now part of my spring de-winterizing routine.
I installed a Victron 12/1200 inverter in my trailer in '21, drawing off of two Rolls GC2 6v batteries wired in series. Batteries live in my garage during the winter, charged monthly.
Yesterday I was dewinterizing the trailer and turned on the inverter and nothing happened. The unit red and green lights were blinking and the LED definitions page indicated low battery or check DC connections. The battery s.g. is 1.265 (almost 100%) so I removed the 200amp battery post fuse and holder.
The fuse had corrosion on the top and bottom, as did the holder. A quick brush with emory cloth and squirt of Deoxit and after reassembly everything works fine.
Take off your jewelry before working on batteries
And note to self: remove wedding band from hand when working on the battery. Hopefully the jeweler can repair it; after 50 years it's kind of part of me.
- Howard B.
Back to me…
Thanks Howard. This is a great time to check your electrical connections for corrosion. Don’t wait until you’re on your first spring trip and something doesn’t work. That will make you an Un-Happy Camper.
Let’s play safe out there…. Mike
Good advice on the rings etc removal prior to working on batteries. I was an instructor in the USAF a LONG time ago and we also taught this as well as using one hand whenever possible while working on anything electrical.