Power???

[clightfoot]

Just upgraded from a Skamper Pop Up to a Jayco Eagle Fifth Wheel....my question is do I always need to keep this plugged in to power or is it ok if it is not????

[NLOVNIT]

if you're talking about in between trips or when storing, no reason to leave it plugged in, unless you want to.

Lori-

[Mopar1973Man]

If you not plugged into power for a long time I highly suggest you pull the batteries and place them where you can put a battery charger on it. Lead aicd batteries tend to self discharge over time.

So if you just leave it plugged in if you can all you got to do is check the battery water once a month.

[Dadeaux]

If power is available why not it will help protect a lot of things and if you allow the air to circulate occasionally it will help keep out mold and mildew.

And congratulations on your upgrade that's a big leap that I'm sure you will enjoy.

[450Donn]

In 30 years of owning an RV mine have always been at home and plugged in. Advantage, I can go out any time and turn the refer on in preparation for a trip. During the winter I run a dehumidifyer 24/7 to keep the moisture at bay. What it may cost me in additional electricity is minimal IMHO. Also the batteries are guaranteed to always be fully charged.

[Dadeaux]

I've always kept mine on power (30 Amps) and under roof. It's about 15 miles from my home near the shopping areas and we often have lunch there.

[Randy the sly old fox]

Leaving it plugged in all the time is not a problem - as long as you have either a "smart charger" that monitors the charge state and applies current accordingly or the time to check and add water every week or so.

[mhs4771]

I agree pretty much with everyone else. It's fine plugged in provided it has a multi-stage converter, it not you will need to monitor the water level in the battery as a single-stage converter will boil the water right out (been there done that). If not plugged in, at least disconnect the battery, but will still need a routine charge. Since you went from a Pop-up to a 5er, is your TV big enough for the 5er? I towed a pop-up with a compact Chevy S10 and a Chevy 1/2 ton, wouldn't want to tow my present 5er with any thing less than a 1 ton Diesel.

[wa8yxm]

A lot depends on the converter or power center (If it's intergrated)

Many low end RV's, including many Pop Ups, came with older single stage converters like the Magnetek 6300.

YOU DO NOT want to keep those plugged in all the time.

Of course that unit is no longer made,, Today you can still get single stage battery killers, but many manufacturers have gone to 3-stage intellegent charger/converters.. Those can be left plugged in but.. as others have said. YOu don't have to..

If the converter is the proper size, plug it in for a day when you put it in storage, then lift the NEGATIVE cable(s) off the battery and unplug.

OH, while working near the battery,, Take a can of RED paint or nail polish and paint all the POSITIVE wires so you know what goes where.

[HandyBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy the sly old fox check and add water every week or so.

You have got to be kidding. Do you check the water in your auto battery every week? I check my batteries quarterly (every three months) and that is while using them daily & charging with solar. If you ever find that quarterly is not often enough, then something that needs to be addressed is seriously wrong.

[Randy the sly old fox]

I had a cheap converter that boiled the batteries dry in less than a month - so I checked them every two weeks. Now with a good converter I check them every few months - at least two or three or even longer.

[Shadowcatche]

One factor not mentioned by others is battery type, if you have an AGM you probably do not need to keep it plugged in as long as there are no vampire loads. this is probably achievable only with a battery disconnect switch. AGM batteries have a much slower self discharge rate.